Role Overview
The Business Development Manager will lead customer engagement and growth initiatives with major defense contractors, including Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing, Raytheon, General Dynamics, Anduril, General Atomics, Blue Origin, SpaceX, and other prime and emerging defense partners. This role will identify, develop, and advance opportunities where HydroGraph's high-performance graphene can address mission-critical needs across DoD, DOE, NASA, and related government programs. The successful candidate will build trusted relationships with technical, program, and procurement stakeholders; translate customer requirements into actionable application opportunities; coordinate internal technical and commercial resources; and help position HydroGraph as a strategic materials partner for next-generation defense platforms, advanced manufacturing, survivability, energy storage, coatings, composites, and other dual-use applications.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and manage strategic relationships with major defense contractors and system integrators across the U.S. defense and national security ecosystem.
- Identify, qualify, and advance new business opportunities for HydroGraph's pristine graphene in defense, aerospace, energy storage, coatings, composites, survivability, thermal management, EMI shielding, and advanced manufacturing applications.
- Support the VP of Business Development in building account strategies, capture plans, customer engagement plans, and opportunity pipelines aligned with DoD, DOE, NASA, and prime contractor priorities.
- Serve as a technical-commercial liaison between customers and HydroGraph's R&D, product development, manufacturing, and executive teams to translate customer requirements into actionable development programs.
- Coordinate customer trials, material evaluations, demonstrations, and application-specific testing to validate graphene performance in mission-relevant materials, components, and systems.
- Capture voice-of-customer feedback and competitive intelligence to inform product development, application roadmaps, technical data packages, and go-to-market strategy.
- Coordinate with Applications Engineering on external testing, data generation, and validation activities with universities, national labs, independent test labs, contractors, and research institutes to support defense contractor needs.
- Develop customer-facing technical and commercial materials, including application summaries, capability briefs, white papers, test summaries, and proposal inputs.
- Represent HydroGraph at defense industry events, technical conferences, trade shows, customer meetings, and government engagement forums.
- Maintain disciplined CRM records, account plans, opportunity tracking, and regular reporting on pipeline status, customer engagement, technical progress, and commercial milestones.
Qualifications
Required
- Bachelor's degree in Chemistry, Materials Science, Engineering, Business, or related field required; advanced technical degree preferred
- 10+ years proven experience in customer-facing technical support roles in advanced materials, chemicals, or industrial sectors
- Experience with technical support involving materials science or nanotechnology applications
- Strong technical comprehension of materials science and advanced manufacturing technologies
- Excellent negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills
- Ability to translate complex technical value propositions into solutions that meet the needs of the US military and individual warfighter.
- Capability in identifying and evaluating market opportunities across diverse industries for new technologies
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite and CRM systems (Salesforce, HubSpot, etc.)
- Self-motivated with ability to work independently
- Good organizational skills with ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines
- U.S. citizenship and eligibility for a U.S. Government security clearance
- Experience operating in regulated, security-sensitive environments
Preferred Experience
- Active Top Secret clearance
- Experience with advanced materials, composites, nanomaterials, clean energy, or dual-use technologies
- Prior military service or DoD civilian experience
- Experience transitioning technologies from R&D into operational defense programs
- Established network within the U.S. defense or government procurement ecosystem
Work Environment
- U.S.-based role - remote with travel to Austin, TX as needed
- Ability to travel 30-50% as required
- Attendance at trade shows, conferences, and customer sites required
Why Join HydroGraph
- Help scale one of the world's highest-purity graphene platforms into defense and industrial markets
- Work at the intersection of advanced materials, clean power, and national security
- Partner with leading OEMs, government agencies, and global advisors
- Competitive compensation, equity participation, and meaningful growth opportunity as the company scales
