{"id":704725,"url":"https://alion.io/job/trener-business-development-manager-lead-or-director","title":"Business Development Manager / Lead or Director","company":{"id":685055,"name":"Trener Robotics, Inc.","domain":"trener.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/trener","size_band":null,"is_staffing_agency":false,"is_intermediary":false,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Management","role_family":"Management","seniority":"head","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"on_site","remote_scope":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["San Jose, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":null,"salary_estimate":{"min_usd":146000,"max_usd":282000,"period":"year","method":"role_seniority_country_remote_cell","sample_n":207},"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[{"name":"Physical AI","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-05-19T20:46:43Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-05-19","last_verified_at":"2026-09-23T17:28:48Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":126,"trust":{"level":"stale","repost_count":0,"flags":["stale"],"days_open":126},"description":"Business Development Manager / Lead or Director\nLocation: San Jose, Bay Area, California\nAt Trener, we are redefining how industrial robots are programmed.\nFor decades, industrial automation has relied on rigid, point-to-point programming that requires significant engineering effort and limits flexibility. Our AI platform enables robots to perceive, reason, and execute complex manufacturing tasks autonomously, helping manufacturers deploy intelligent automation faster and with less manual programming.\nWe are looking for a Business Development Manager who is an equal parts relationship builder, market strategist, and opportunity creator.\nThis role is responsible for generating new business opportunities while also identifying emerging customer needs that can inform the next generation of robotic skills and product offerings. You will work at the front edge of the market, listening closely to manufacturers, uncovering unmet automation challenges, and helping Trener determine where to expand next.\nYour Mission\nYour mission is to open doors and uncover what the market needs next.\nYou will identify and engage enterprise manufacturers, build relationships with decision-makers, and create qualified opportunities for the commercial team. Just as importantly, you will surface recurring customer pain points and unmet needs that can shape new robotic skills, applications, and product offerings.\nYou will help customers and Trener answer two essential questions:\nWhere can AI-driven robotics create meaningful business value today?\n\nWhat automation challenges represent the next major opportunity for Trener?\n\nWhat You Will Do\nGenerate and Qualify Opportunities\nIdentify target accounts in manufacturing, industrial automation, and robotics.\n\nConduct outbound prospecting through email, LinkedIn, phone, referrals, and industry events.\n\nBuild relationships with engineering, operations, manufacturing, and executive leaders.\n\nQualify customer challenges, priorities, and business drivers.\n\nSchedule discovery meetings, facility visits, and executive introductions.\n\nSurface Strategic Market Insights\nListen for recurring pain points and unmet automation needs across enterprise accounts.\n\nIdentify patterns that suggest opportunities for new robotic skills, applications, and product offerings.\n\nShare market intelligence with sales, product, and engineering teams to help shape roadmap priorities.\n\nMaintain a strong understanding of competitive offerings and emerging market trends.\n\nCollaborate to Advance Opportunities\nPartner with Application Engineers to scope technical opportunities and define Proofs of Value.\n\nWork closely with sales leadership to prioritize target accounts and strategic initiatives.\n\nMaintain accurate pipeline and activity data in the CRM.\n\nSupport trade shows, conferences, and customer events.\n\nWhat We Are Looking For\n5-10 years of experience in business development, sales development, strategic prospecting, or market development.\n\nExperience selling technical products or services to manufacturing, industrial, or enterprise customers.\n\nStrong curiosity and ability to uncover underlying customer problems.\n\nExcellent written and verbal communication skills.\n\nAbility to connect technical challenges to business outcomes.\n\nHighly organized, self-directed, and comfortable in a fast-moving startup environment.\n\nWhat Will Set You Apart\nExperience in robotics, industrial automation, manufacturing software, or AI.\n\nFamiliarity with CNC machining, machine tending, or factory operations.\n\nExperience working with enterprise accounts and complex buying cycles.\n\nAbility to identify patterns across customer conversations and translate them into strategic insights.\n\nExperience with working and developing partner networks\n\nInterest in shaping product direction, not just generating pipeline.\n\nWhat Success Looks Like\nSuccess in this role is not measured solely by meetings booked or leads generated.\nSuccess means:\nCreating a steady flow of high-quality opportunities.\n\nBuilding trusted relationships with manufacturing and operations leaders.\n\nIdentifying unmet customer needs and emerging automation use cases.\n\nInforming new robotic skills and product offerings.\n\nHelping Trener expand both revenue and product-market fit.\n\nWhy Join Trener\nWork at the forefront of Physical AI and industrial robotics.\n\nHelp shape the future of manufacturing automation.\n\nInfluence both commercial growth and product strategy.\n\nJoin a well-funded, fast-growing company with global ambitions.\n\nCollaborate with experts in robotics, AI, and industrial automation.\n\nBuild a role that combines business development, strategic discovery, and market intelligence.\n\nJoin Us\nIf you enjoy opening doors, understanding complex customer problems, and helping shape what a company builds next, we would love to hear from you.\nAt Trener, business development is more than pipeline generation. It is how we discover where the market is headed and how our technology can create the greatest impact.","description_format":"text","description_chars":5013,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":[],"hiring_locations":[],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Robotics","Industrial Robotics"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-11T03:41:43Z"}],"liveness":{"score":8,"band":"cold","label":"Long shot","p_open":1,"p_active":0.278,"p_room":0.28,"age_days":126,"expected_fill_days":24,"reasons":["conf:0","win:tail","crowd:"],"computed_at":"2026-09-23T05:45:00Z"},"pay":null,"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/trener-business-development-manager-lead-or-director","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/trener-business-development-manager-lead-or-director.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-23T20:12:00Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers"}}