Director of Business Development

Mesa Quantum Systems · Albuquerque, NM

Open 3 days

New Business + Account Growth: you win new customers and grow existing ones.

Base: $130K–$160K
OTE: Not disclosed
Posted: 3d ago

Still open · checked 21h agoon Mesa Quantum Systems's careers page

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The job

What you'd do

Win paid trials, then big orders, for quantum clocks and sensors sold to defense agencies, phone and space companies, and operators of essential systems. You'll find most new customers yourself, from first call to signed contract.

What you'd sell

Tiny clocks and sensors that keep timing and navigation reliable

When a defense team or a phone network needs exact time and location, those numbers have to stay right even when things go wrong. The problem is, if the timing drifts or the position signal drops, missions can fail and calls and power can get knocked out. Mesa Quantum builds tiny clocks and sensors on small chips that keep time and position accurate, so those teams keep working when signals get shaky.

In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell me · More Hardware & IoT companies →

Who you'd sell to

Defense program offices, prime contractors, system integrators, commercial buyersIn their words: “Build relationships with defense program offices, prime contractors, commercial customers, and system integrators.”

Where deals come from

Mostly you. Expect a lot of outbound: cold calls, emails and LinkedIn.

The Braun Read

Worth a look

Solid on the basics. Use the first call to fill in the gaps.

Pay: Base is listed but not OTE. Ask what the variable is and how many people hit it.
Transparency: Shares 1 of 5. Mentions sales cycle. Ask about quota, attainment, deal size and territory.
Time on market: Open 3 days.
Company hiring: This is their only open sales role.

Based only on what the posting says. Lights are a starting point for your first call, not a final judgment.

Questions to ask on the first call

Built from what this posting leaves out. How they answer tells you as much as what they say.

1.
What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?
OTE is what you could earn. This is how likely you are to earn it.
2.
What's the OTE, and what did the median rep earn last year?
Base is what you're guaranteed. OTE and the median show the upside.
3.
What's the annual quota, and how was it set?
A quota built from real data is a target. Otherwise it's a hope.
4.
What share of last year's closed deals did reps source themselves?
Shows how much pipeline you'll have to build on your own.
5.
How long is ramp, and what's the quota during it?

Before You Apply

Find out where you fit, and where you don't, before you hit submit.

Why I built it this way ↓

Most résumé tools try to make you look like a match. I'd rather help you find out if you are one.

Nothing made up.
Nothing goes on your résumé that you didn't do. If a line would need a number you didn't give me, I ask. I don't guess. On Braun Board it's checked in code, not just promised.
Curiosity before conclusions.
If the job wants something your résumé doesn't show, I ask before I assume. Plenty of sellers have done the thing and just never wrote it down.
Sorting, not selling.
Some jobs won't line up with what you've done. Finding that out before you apply isn't a loss. It's an hour back, spent on a job that fits.
No score.
A match score tells you how well you copied their words. It doesn't tell you whether you'd be good at the job, or happy there.

It's the same way I teach selling. We don't control who says yes. We do control where we spend our time, and whether everything we say is true.

Josh

1 Is the job worth it?

Worth a look. Solid on the basics. Use the first call to fill in the gaps.

No red lights. If it fits what you want, the tools below help you get ready.

See the full Braun Read

2 Where you fit

Upload once, see where you fit on any job.

What people say about working at Mesa Quantum Systems ↓

Got an offer from Mesa Quantum Systems? Not sure about it?Ask me. I read every message myself. · JoshAsk Josh

Rather talk it through? Call or text me: 954-695-0844 (text)

Full posting

Director of Business Development About Mesa Quantum Mesa Quantum is building the manufacturing backbone of the quantum economy. We specialize in chip-scale quantum devices, starting with clocks and sensors, that unlock resilient Position, Navigation, and Timing (PNT) for defense, telecom, space, and critical infrastructure. Our team combines world-class expertise in AMO physics, photonics, microfabrication, and engineering to transform breakthrough science into scalable, deployable technology. Backed by top-tier deep-tech investors and the U.S. Department of Defense, Mesa Quantum is rapidly scaling and actively recruiting exceptional innovators who want to build the future of quantum technology from the ground up. The Role We are seeking a Director of Business Development to win customers and grow revenue as our technology moves from development into customer use. You will identify where our products can solve critical timing, sensing, and navigation problems, then turn qualified opportunities into paid pilots and contracts. Reporting to the CEO, you will execute agreed commercial priorities and use customer feedback to help refine them. This is a hands-on role in a fast-paced startup: you will need to learn technical products quickly, prioritize under uncertainty, and maintain momentum across long sales cycles. Success requires initiative, sound judgment, and the drive to turn early customer interest into signed business. What You Will Do - Own the sales cycle from prospecting and qualification through proposals, negotiations, and contract closure. Develop successful pilots into production orders and repeat business. - Build relationships with defense program offices, prime contractors, commercial customers, and system integrators. Identify decision-makers, funding sources, and purchasing requirements for each opportunity. - Work with customers and engineers to define applications, assess technical fit, and establish measurable criteria for evaluations and pilots. - Develop a route to purchase for each target account, navigating defense acquisition pathways and building commercial business cases around performance, cost, and return on investment. - Communicate product value through clear presentations and proposals tailored to the customer’s mission or business needs. - Maintain prioritized account plans, an accurate pipeline, and realistic forecasts. Track progress against agreed contract and revenue targets, and address stalled opportunities promptly. Requirements What You Bring: - 6+ years in technical business development - Demonstrated success closing complex technology deals in defense or aerospace, with the commercial judgment to develop opportunities in other markets. - Working knowledge of defense procurement and funding, including how to move an emerging technology from evaluation toward acquisition. - Ability to qualify opportunities based on customer need, budget, technical readiness, and purchasing timelines. - Strong technical communication and negotiation skills; able to earn credibility with engineers, program leaders, and business decision-makers. - A record of managing multiple opportunities with disciplined follow-through and clear reporting. - Ability to work independently in a fast-paced startup, adapt as priorities evolve, and coordinate decisions with leadership. A technical background or demonstrated ability to learn complex hardware is essential; quantum expertise is not required. Strongly Preferred - Experience commercializing sensing, timing, navigation, photonics, semiconductors, or related hardware. - Experience selling into both defense and commercial markets and converting technical evaluations into production contracts. - Established relationships with relevant defense organizations, national laboratories, prime contractors, or commercial technology buyers. Benefits - Annual base salary of $130,000–$160,000 (based on experience, skills, and qualifications). - Meaningful equity and a comprehensive benefits package. - Direct access to the founders and technical team, with the opportunity to shape customer adoption at a formative stage of the company. - Work on technology with practical impact, from resilient navigation and precise timing to new industrial sensing applications.

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