Business Development Director

About Formant

Formant builds AI that helps the world's largest factories make sense of their alarms. Semiconductor fabs, pharmaceutical plants, energy facilities, and chemical operators run on thousands of alarms per day — and most of those alarms are noise. Formant's AI agents cut through it: detecting the signals that matter, automating triage and response, and preventing the unplanned downtime events that cost industrial facilities an average of $250K per hour.

As a Series A startup, we value builders who thrive in ambiguity, move quickly, and care deeply about the problems our customers face on the plant floor. We're not building software for software's sake — we're building the operational intelligence layer that makes physical operations safer, more resilient, and more efficient.

The Role

We're hiring a Business Developer — Advanced Manufacturing — a commercially elite, network-driven operator who already has a seat at the table with the VP of Operations, General Manager, and Head of Smart Manufacturing at the facilities we're targeting.

This is not a traditional sales role. The BD is Formant's Connector: the person whose first call to a VP Ops at a semiconductor fab or pharma plant gets picked up — because they've already earned that trust over years of working in these environments. Their network is the asset.

You'll be supported by Forward Deployed Engineers for technical delivery and a founding team that leads deals alongside you. What we need from you is the credibility, the relationships, and the hunger to activate them.

What You'll Do

Pipeline Generation & Network Activation

• Map your network to Formant's target account list — semiconductors, pharma, energy, chemicals, automotive — and identify the fastest paths to qualified conversations.
• Open warm doors with VP Operations, General Managers of Fabs and Facilities, and Heads of Smart Manufacturing at Tier 1 and Tier 2 accounts. Your relationships are how we get in the room.
• Run executive-level discovery — articulate Formant's value proposition with confidence, translate customer pain into a compelling case, and qualify opportunities with precision.

Deal Development & Closing

• Own the full sales cycle from first conversation through signed contract — qualification, discovery, demo coordination (with our Forward Deployed Engineers), proposal, negotiation, close.
• Build multi-threaded account relationships — engaging operations, OT/IT architecture, and economic buyers simultaneously so deals don't hinge on a single champion.
• Hit quarterly pipeline and bookings targets. 12-month goal: $200K+ in new ARR, 3–5 signed deals, 20+ qualified opportunities in CRM.

Market Intelligence & GTM Collaboration

• Bring the field back to the team — your ground-level read on buyer priorities, objections, and competitive dynamics directly informs how we build the product and sharpen the message.
• Identify and pursue speaking and presence opportunities at SEMI, ARC Industry Forum, Automation Fair, and vertical trade shows where your credibility opens doors that booths don't.
• Partner with Forward Deployed Engineers on seamless handoffs from sale to implementation — you own the relationship, they own the delivery.

Partner & Ecosystem Development

• Cultivate referral relationships with SCADA integrators, OT consultancies, and ecosystem partners inside Rockwell, Honeywell, AVEVA, and Emerson — people who call you when their customers have the problem we solve.
• Co-develop go-to-market materials with key integration partners and represent Formant at partner events.

Who You Are

Required Experience

• 7–15 years of enterprise sales or business development in industrial / OT software — at companies such as Rockwell Automation, Honeywell, Emerson, AVEVA, ABB, Siemens, AspenTech, PTC, GE Digital, or OSIsoft.
• Proven, active relationships with VP Operations, Plant Directors, GMs of Fabs, or Heads of Smart Manufacturing at mid-to-large manufacturing companies. Not historical contacts — people who take your call.
• Direct experience selling into at least one of Formant's Tier 1 verticals: semiconductors & electronics, pharmaceuticals & biotech, or energy & utilities.
• Track record of closing six-figure enterprise software or SaaS deals with 3–9 month sales cycles.
• Genuine comfort — and genuine excitement — about working in a fast-moving startup where you build the playbook rather than follow one.

Nice to Have

• Experience selling AI, predictive maintenance, alarm management, MES, historian, or operational analytics solutions into OT environments.
• Existing relationships with SCADA system integrators or OT consulting firms who could become channel partners.
• Familiarity with OT protocols (OPC UA, Modbus, MQTT) and the SCADA/DCS/PLC landscape — enough to speak credibly without an engineer in every meeting.
• Network in manufacturing hubs: Detroit, Houston, Austin/Phoenix (semiconductor), Pittsburgh (steel & materials), Research Triangle (pharma).
• Startup experience — especially in a role with high autonomy, low process, and big upside.

Who Will Thrive in This Role

• Hunters, not farmers — people who find energy in finding and closing new business, not managing existing accounts.
• Operator-empathetic closers — you've spent enough time with operations teams to earn credibility in the first 10 minutes of a conversation, and you know that the VP Ops doesn't want a pitch deck — they want someone who gets it.
• Change-embracers — you thrive when the product, the pitch, and the go-to-market are all evolving simultaneously, and you bring clarity rather than anxiety to that ambiguity.
• Mission-driven people who believe that better AI in manufacturing operations prevents accidents, reduces waste, and makes factories safer for the people who work in them.

Compensation range: $150,000–$200,000, based on experience and geographical location.

This position is fully remote. Formant currently hires in: AZ, CA, CO, IL, MA, MI, NC, NY, OH, PA, TX.