Director of Business Development

Location: Brookings, South Dakota Employment Type: Full-Time Department: Bioprocess Development & Manufacturing Position Overview Dakota BioWorx (dakotabioworx.org) is a bioprocess pilot facility located in the Research Park at South Dakota State University. Dakota BioWorx was built to close the growing pilot-facility availability gap that is increasing as the global bioeconomy grows through bioproduct innovation. We offer lab-scale through 3000-L pilot-scale precision fermentation and downstream processing services and expertise to companies of all sizes and stages of maturity, supporting industrial biotech innovators on their journey to commercial success. The Director of Business Development (on site) will serve as a key member of our leadership team, shaping the commercial and technical direction of our non-pharma contract bioprocessing business. This role blends deep bioprocessing expertise with strategic market insight, customer advocacy, and cross-functional leadership. You will be the primary champion for our contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) customers, ensuring their needs, expectations, and long-term success are fully integrated into company decision-making. This is a high-visibility, high-impact role within a fast-growing Midwest CDMO focused on industrial biotechnology, precision fermentation-based production, and downstream processing Key Responsibilities Serve as the primary customer relationship manager, acting as the main point of contact from business development through project completion and fostering long-term partnerships built on trust, technical credibility, transparency, and responsiveness. Lead proposal development, project scoping, budgeting, pricing, and contract negotiations in collaboration with technical and operational teams, ensuring alignment between customer requirements and organizational capabilities. Manage customer expectations regarding project scope, timelines, deliverables, technical risks, and outcomes, including communicating challenges, delays, and changes in a manner that maintains customer confidence and trust. Coordinate project priorities across engineering, laboratory, manufacturing, and support functions, balancing customer commitments with equipment availability, staffing constraints, operational capacity, and strategic business objectives. Act as the primary advocate for customers within the organization, ensuring their technical and business needs are effectively represented while facilitating project kickoff meetings, milestone reviews, progress updates, and project closeout activities. Provide technical and commercial leadership in industrial biotechnology and contract bioprocessing, translating complex bioprocessing capabilities into compelling value propositions for customers, partners, and other stakeholders. Monitor market trends, customers needs, emerging technologies, and competitive developments to identify opportunities for new serrvices, strategic partnerships, business growth, and expanded customer engagement. Maintain visibility into project pipelines, resource requirements, and future demand while contributing to continuous improvement of project management, customer communication, commercial processes, and organizational effectiveness. Represent the organization at customer meetings, industry conferences, trade shows, networking events, and other external engagements while contributing to company-wide leadership, culture, and strategic direction. Required Skills & Qualifications Bachelor’s degree in a relevant field preferred. Advanced degrees with a technical/ scientific background will benefit this role. Exceptional professional presence, communication skills, and relationship‑building abilities. Proven ability to collaborate cross‑functionally, especially with operations, R&D, and leadership teams. Advanced knowledge of bioprocessing, including industrial microbiology, fermentation operations, scale‑up, downstream separation/purification, and final product finishing. A familiarity and ability to analyze trends in the contract bioprocessing/CDMO market, including customer segments, competitive dynamics, and infrastructure requirements. Demonstrated marketing and commercial strategy skills, ideally in a technical or biotech environment. Interest in a start‑up, high‑growth, or entrepreneurial environment is highly valued. What Success Looks Like Customers view you as a trusted partner and internal teams view you as their strongest advocate. The company’s offerings are clearly differentiated in the market and aligned with customer needs. Operations and commercial teams work in lockstep, reducing friction and accelerating project success. The company grows its reputation as a premier bioprocessing partner. #J-18808-Ljbffr