Senior Business Developer – Manufacturing & Industrial Automation

Cerence Inc.$129K — $207K *
US-AnywhereRemote in United States
Manufacturing & Automotive
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 8+ years in sales or business development within manufacturing or industrial automation sectors
  • Strong background in sourcing and closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals
  • Fluency in relevant technologies such as Industry 4.0 and IIoT
  • Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or related field
  • Proven ability to engage senior decision-makers across diverse industries

Responsibilities

  • Engage with senior decision-makers across manufacturing and industrial automation
  • Qualify, size, and close business opportunities
  • Identify and prioritize high-potential opportunities
  • Drive co-sell partnerships from initiation to closure
  • Operate autonomously within an entrepreneurial team environment

Benefits

  • Generous compensation and benefits package
  • Annual bonus opportunity
  • Comprehensive insurance coverage
  • Paid time off and holidays
  • Company contribution to retirement savings plan
  • Equity awards for certain positions
  • Flexible remote/hybrid work options
Full Job Description
A Moving Experience.

Senior Business DeveloperManufacturing & Industrial Automation

Agentic voice AI is reshaping how work gets done on the industrial frontline, and we are responding to a deep unmet need: giving frontline workers — and the machines and systems they run — a voice that holds up in the tough, noisy, connectivity-poor conditions of the factory floor, warehouse, and field. This is about opening new markets from the ground up. To do it, we are bringing together a team that combines the top commercial and technical talent, with the domain expertise these markets demand. The pace is fast, the technology is new and exciting, and your work moves the business.

Your Impact

• Engage senior decision-makers across the manufacturing and industrial automation ecosystem — rugged device and wearable makers, connected-worker and MES/MOM platforms, voice-picking and WMS vendors, and SCADA/HMI and EAM/CMMS software leaders — from fast-moving startups to established global names.

• Qualify, size, and close opportunities, leveraging the company’s technical, commercial, and partnership resources to increase win rates and accelerate deal closure.

• Bring the experience and judgment to prioritize opportunities with the greatest commercial potential.

• Drive co-sell partnerships and customer deals from first contact through to close, owning the full cycle — across device and platform OEMs, systems integrators, and ISVs.

• Operate as a standalone commercial engine inside a small, entrepreneurial team, with enough technical fluency to hold your own on how manufacturing operations, industrial automation, and edge voice AI for frontline work.

What You Bring

• A track record in sales, business development, or venture capital — ideally selling into or alongside manufacturing, industrial automation, or enterprise/OT software. You know how to find, qualify, and win.

• Fluency in manufacturing and industrial automation — Industry 4.0 / smart manufacturing, MES/MOM, SCADA/HMI, IIoT, connected-worker platforms, or the OT/IT stack — ideally

on the software or software-integration side; experience with voice, conversational, or edge AI is a strong plus.

• Structured, professional, and immediately credible in front of founders and senior leaders.

• An entrepreneurial instinct, comfortable with ambiguity, speed, and full ownership of outcomes.

• Willingness to travel to customer sites, plants, and industry events).

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.

• 8+ years of quota-carrying sales, business development, or partnership experience selling technology into or alongside manufacturing, industrial automation, or enterprise/OT software markets.

• Demonstrated track record of sourcing, qualifying, and closing complex, multi-stakeholder deals and partnerships.

• Working fluency in the manufacturing and industrial automation landscape (Industry 4.0, MES/MOM, SCADA/HMI, IIoT, connected-worker, or OT/IT).

• Willingness and ability to travel to customer sites, plants, and industry events (approximately 30%).

• Authorized to work in the country of hire without current or future employer sponsorship.

Preferred Qualifications

• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.

• Experience selling embedded, edge, or voice/conversational AI, or building SaaS/platform partnerships through an ISV or co-sell motion.

• An existing network across rugged-device, wearable, connected-worker, WMS, MES/SCADA/HMI, or EAM/CMMS vendors and systems integrators.

• Experience standing up a new market, product line, or territory from the ground up in a start-up or intrapreneurial environment.

• Proficiency with CRM and pipeline tools and a structured sales methodology

• Additional language capability for global, multilingual markets.

• Familiarity with Microsoft and NVIDIA partner ecosystem and motions.

Location & Travel

• Location: Remote — United States, Canada.

• Travel: approximately 30% to customer sites, plants, and industry events.

What we offer

  • We offer a generous compensation and benefits package (in addition to the base salary), including:

  • Salary range $129,400.00 USD- $207,100.00USD Itis not typical for offers to be made at or near the top of the range. The actual salary will be determined based on experience and other job-related factors.

  • Annual bonus opportunity

  • Insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision, life, and disability)

  • Paid time off

  • Paid holidays

  • Company contribution to the RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan)

  • Equity awards for certain positions and levels

  • Remote and/or hybrid work available depending on the positionAll compensation and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying plans or programs, as applicable, and may be amended, terminated, or replaced from time to time.

About Cerence Inc.

Cerence Inc. is a software company that specializes in voice recognition and natural language understanding technology. The company was spun off from Nuance Communications in 2019 and is headquartered in Newton, Massachusetts. Cerence's software is used in a variety of applications, including automotive infotainment systems, smart speakers, and virtual assistants. The company's clients include many of the world's leading automakers, as well as companies in the consumer electronics and mobile device industries. Cerence has received several awards for its technology, including the 2020 CES Innovation Award for its Cerence Drive platform.
Learn more about Cerence Inc.
Size
1,200 employees
Market Cap
$726.1 million
Industry
Net Income
$12.7 million
5 Year Trend
+6%
Revenue
$347.1 million

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