Head of Business Development

About the company

At Swift Solar, we’re building the future of solar. We believe that solar energy has vast untapped potential to reduce inequity and protect planetary health in the face of global climate change. We believe that today’s solar technology is good but not good enough. And we believe that what we build today should serve humanity forever. 

Swift’s perovskite tandem technology breaks through the performance limits of existing solar technologies. By making solar better—more efficient, more affordable, and more widely accessible—we are helping to create a world where all energy is clean energy. 

Swift Solar is a mission-focused startup funded by committed investors. We know it’s a long journey to take a new clean energy technology to market, and we’re in it for the long haul together. If you join us, you’ll play a meaningful role in taking Swift’s impact to the next level.

A day in the life

As Head of Business Development, you’ll get Swift commercial-ready by engaging strategic customers, developing partnerships, and securing purchase commitments. You’ll play a key role in scaling our perovskite solar technology as a strategic partner to our CEO, helping to develop and execute our commercialization strategy. 

On a typical day, you might meet with a key customer and structure a strategic partnership. You’ll represent Swift externally at industry events and customer discussions. You will drive negotiations and help close business deals that align with company objectives. Working closely with Swift’s technical team, you’ll develop and manage pilot projects with strategic customers. Part of the job will be conducting thorough market analysis and monitoring industry trends to identify business opportunities and support fundraising.

As an early hire, you’ll help craft Swift’s culture. In this role you’ll be contributing actively to company leadership and strategy discussions. You’ll be interacting with many parts of the company, which will naturally lead to opportunities to continue growing your own skills and responsibilities. We encourage you to take full advantage of these opportunities.

You might be a good fit if you... 

• Have driven go-to-market (0 to 1) at a high-growth startup
• Have a track record of success with customer discovery and development, ideally in hardtech
• Have secured customer commitments (e.g., LOIs) prior to product launch
• Bring a deep understanding of business strategy and strategic positioning
• Understand solar PV industry economics and market landscape
• Consider yourself to be extremely proactive and hands-on, a fast learner, technically competent, and a strong negotiator who is comfortable owning commercial legal contracts (e.g., pilot agreements, JDAs, LOIs)
• Are strongly motivated to help stop climate change

A strong candidate might bring one or more of the following...

• 10+ years of BD experience, including 4+ years at a deeptech startup
• Top-notch writing and presentation skills
• Strong design skills/instincts with experience developing marketing collateral for new materials and/or hardware products
• Experience with government contracts
• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in science or engineering, ideally EE, mechanical engineering, physics, chemistry, materials science, or related field
• MBA or relevant advanced degree, with entrepreneurial focus

The logistics

• Compensation: Competitive package including salary, equity, and benefits
• Expected Salary Range: $200k-$250k+
• Job type: Full-time
• Location: San Carlos, CA (Swift Solar HQ)

What you’ll love about Swift

• Culture: We live by our values. You’ll feel right at home if you want to serve the future, get better every day, respect your colleagues, and have fun.
• Health benefits: We cover 100% of monthly premiums for HMO and PPO group healthcare plan options and 75% of dental and vision insurance costs for employees.
• Your future, supported: We offer 401(k) plans and match 100% of your retirement contributions up to 4% of your earnings.
• Clean commuter benefits: We’re all about clean energy. We make it easy and cheap to ride your bike or take public transit to work.
• Growth mindset: You’ll grow your skills, your network, and your perspective at Swift. We’ll support you in attending conferences and taking online courses, as long as you share your new insights with the team.

Swift is an equal opportunity employer. We value an inclusive work environment and welcome team members of all backgrounds and perspectives.

Even if this isn’t the right job for you, we’re always looking for good people. Please check out other career opportunities on our website and email us at careers@swiftsolar.com with any questions. And if you have a friend who would be a perfect fit, send them this link. Thanks!