Director, Business Development — Oil & Gas

Saronic Technologies is a leader in revolutionizing autonomy at sea, dedicated to developing state-of-the-art solutions that enhance maritime operations through autonomous and intelligent platforms. JOB OVERVIEW Offshore energy operations depend on reliable marine and logistics support, and disruptions are costly. Saronic builds autonomous and technology-enabled marine capability, and this role will bring it to offshore energy customers. You will connect customer listening, product development, and selling. Use your industry relationships to understand customer operations and unmet needs, work with our technical product team to shape the capabilities that address them, and turn validated solutions into signed contracts. This is a senior, hands-on role with real autonomy. You will own account strategy and commercial execution from first conversation to contract award, supported by Saronic's product, engineering, operations, and leadership teams. The pace is Saronic speed. WHAT YOU WILL OWN You will be accountable for these outcomes and exercise substantial independence within agreed commercial priorities and our discovery-led approach. - A focused market and account plan. Prioritize customers where Saronic's capabilities best match offshore needs, across the Gulf of America and international markets. - Access to the people who decide. Use your relationships to reach logistics leaders, marine managers, operations executives, procurement, and budget owners, and build multiple relationships in every target account. - Discovery that holds up. Lead structured discovery to establish each customer's current state, the problems behind it, the business impact, and the future state they want, before any solution is proposed. - Quantified cases for change. Build business cases on evidence the customer has validated. - Qualified pipeline. Convert findings into opportunities with named stakeholders, a mapped decision process, a funding path, a timeline, and mutually agreed next steps. - Deals, end to end. Own each opportunity through proposal, negotiation, and contract award, including customer evaluations against defined success criteria. - Product capabilities and specifications. Work with the technical product and engineering teams to translate customer discovery into capability requirements and product specifications, keeping customer needs and business economics central to product decisions. - Customer and product feedback. Monitor customer evaluations against agreed success criteria and give the product team structured feedback on performance, capability gaps, and adoption barriers. Bring validated improvements back to customers without making unsupported commitments. - Honest forecasting. Keep our CRM current, forecast from evidence, report concisely each week, and walk away from opportunities the evidence no longer supports. - Repeatable account strategies. Document and share successful approaches so the broader team can apply them, adapting to regional buying practices and customer approval processes. WHAT YOU BRING We care more about proof of results than a checklist of years, but this is a senior role and the bar is high. You likely have: - 15 or more years in offshore oil and gas business development, commercial leadership, logistics, or marine support, with a record of originating and winning complex, multi-stakeholder deals. - A deep, current network among Gulf of America operators and offshore drilling contractors, including mature relationships in logistics, marine support, supply chain, and operations. You can name the people you would call in your first week and tell us what they would say about you. Demonstrated access to relevant decision-makers and a record of turning trusted relationships into commercial results. - International business development capability. Demonstrated success extending relationships, establishing new contacts, and developing commercial opportunities across international offshore markets is required. - Practical command of offshore operations, logistics, and marine support, and what a service disruption actually costs an operator. - Discovery-led, consultative selling at senior levels: diagnosing a problem, validating its impact, building the case for change, and moving it through a complex buying organization. - Exceptional listening and questioning. You understand a customer's motivations, constraints, and concerns, test your own assumptions, and confirm understanding before you propose anything. - Commercial and financial fluency: total cost of ownership, pricing, margins, and contract structures, with strong executive communication and negotiation skills. - Mission, team, and self-direction. You are driven by Saronic’s mission and the success of the team. You set priorities, initiate action, and sustain momentum without waiting for direction. You share information, follow through on commitments, and take personal responsibility for results. - Product development collaboration. Demonstrated ability to translate customer needs into clear capability requirements, work with technical teams to shape specifications and priorities, and use customer feedback to improve products and commercial outcomes. - Practical understanding of how operators and drillers qualify new vendors and technology, including health, safety and environmental (HSE) requirements and technical approval processes, and the ability to navigate those processes with customer and internal teams. PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS - An MBA or relevant advanced degree. - Working experience applying Gap Selling and Level 5 listening, including tactical empathy and the habit of seeing the situation from the customer's point of view. - Experience commercializing new marine technology or building new offshore service models. HOW SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED Strong relationships must turn into measurable commercial progress. Specific performance targets will be agreed with the Vice President, Commercial within the first weeks. We look at four things: access to budget owners, quality of validated customer insight, qualified pipeline creation and progression, and conversion into awards and revenue. WHO WILL THRIVE HERE We work at Saronic speed. This role demands urgency, sustained effort, and relentless focus on moving the mission forward. You must bring your own purpose and motivation, put team success first, and follow through without being pushed. You will do well if you: - Would rather earn trust through a rigorous diagnosis than win it with a pitch. - Are comfortable building a new commercial market, working through ambiguity, and adapting as evidence and priorities evolve. - Act with urgency, take ownership, and hold yourself to evidence and results. - Are credible in a boardroom and on a vessel deck. This is a senior individual contributor role with executive-level scope. It is not a good fit if you want a defined territory, a finished product catalog, or a team to manage. If Saronic’s mission and team do not energize you to work with self-motivated purpose at Saronic speed, do not apply. PHYSICAL DEMANDS - Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer - Occasional standing and walking within the office - Manual dexterity to operate a computer keyboard, mouse, and other office equipment - Visual acuity to read screens, documents, and reports - Occasional reaching, bending, or stooping to access file drawers, cabinets, or office supplies - Lifting and carrying items up to 20 pounds occasionally (e.g., office supplies, packages) BENEFITS Medical Insurance: Comprehensive health insurance plans covering a range of services Saronic pays 100% of the premium for employees and 80% for dependents Dental and Vision Insurance: Coverage for routine dental check-ups, orthodontics, and vision care Saronic pays 100% of the premium under the basic plan for employees and 80% for dependents Time Off: Generous PTO and Holidays Parental Leave: Paid maternity and paternity leave to support new parents Competitive Salary: Industry-standard salaries with opportunities for performance-based bonuses Retirement Plan: 401(k) plan with company match Stock Options: Equity options to give employees a stake in the company’s success Life and Disability Insurance: Basic life insurance and short- and long-term disability coverage Pet Insurance: Discounted pet insurance options including 24/7 Telehealth helpline Additional Perks: Free lunch benefit and unlimited free drinks and snacks in the office Saronic CCPA Notice for Candidates and California Employees https://saronic-assets-public.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/Saronic%20CCPA%20Notice%20for%20Candidates%20and%20California%20Employees.pdf If this role is based in the United States, it requires access to export-controlled information or items that require “U.S. Person” status. As defined by U.S. law, individuals who are any one of the following are considered to be a “U.S. Person”: (1) U.S. citizens, (2) legal permanent residents (a.k.a. green card holders), and (3) certain protected classes of asylees and refugees, as defined in 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3) https://www.govinfo.gov/link/uscode/8/1324b. Saronic does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, color, religion, age, national origin, marital status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity or any other reason prohibited by law in provision of employment opportunities and benefits. We are also committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.