At Wave Photonics, we are building a platform to enable and accelerate the development, mass production and adoption of integrated photonics technologies. Integrated photonics can be crucial in enabling a host of applications ranging from energy-efficient communications, wearable healthcare sensors, rapid diagnostic tools, optical tensor processors, on-chip LiDAR, quantum computing and communication, and many more. We believe that many obstacles in developing these technologies can be removed using a combination of simulation, statistical modelling and optimisation techniques.

Founded in 2021, we have backing from great investors in Silicon Valley, the UK, and the EU, and are leading/contributing to multiple projects funded by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK. We were also successful in winning a prestigious European Innovation Council Accelerator project to develop solutions for frontier applications of integrated photonics.

We are seeking a highly driven and enthusiastic Business Development Manager to join our team and contribute to our aim of accelerating the growth and adoption of integrated photonics technologies.

This role provides an exciting opportunity for a technical candidate to branch out and develop skills in a business-focused and customer-facing role.

The ideal candidate for the Business Development Manager position will have a technical background, a keen interest in business development/sales, and knowledge of the semiconductor and/or photonics industry!

This customer-facing role provides an excellent opportunity to improve the adoption of Wave Photonics’ products. The role will involve engaging with potential customers to utilise our components and other offerings, technical marketing such as through representing Wave Photonics at events, as well as partnership building.

Responsabilities:

Wave Photonics has developed a core computational design technology to accelerate integrated photonics design cycles and will now deploy this technology commercially, targeting customers with varied requirements from large semiconductor companies to start-ups and research groups.

In this role, you will work closely with the Head of Business Development (who has over 25 years of experience, including R&D, business development and venture capital), to engage with potential customers and partner organisations such as foundries and Research and Technology Organisations (RTOs), and help to build long-term customer and partner relationships. You will identify potential customers/partners, conduct research on organisations, reach out to various organisations and put together presentations and proposals for potential clients. You will help shape the business approach for different customer categories and enable customers to design in Wave Photonics’ components.

You will engage in discussions with customers, gather customer requirements and feedback on our products, and then provide insights from customers to the technical team. You will take a structured approach and track customer interactions in an organised manner.

You will also provide support to users of Wave Photonics’ platform and respond to enquiries. 

You will stay on top of market trends and seek business opportunities across relevant markets such as telecommunications, quantum technologies and sensing.

You will attend tradeshows, conferences and other events, where you will represent Wave Photonics, promote the organisation’s products and boost visibility.

You will be a core member of our small but growing team. You will be immersed in the fast-paced environment of a start-up that has ambitions to change the integrated photonics industry. We value enthusiastic people who bring a willingness to learn new things and challenge existing ideas.

Requirements:

Desired skills and experience:

Keen interest in business development/sales Strong technical background with a desire to move into a more commercial-focused role in a technical environment, combining both technical and commercial skills Knowledge of semiconductor and photonics integrated circuit market Experience designing photonic integrated circuits is a bonus Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with an ability to build and maintain relationships and work with different teams A bias for action Willingness to travel locally and internationally for business events and meetings

Salary Range:

£40k – £60k pa

Benefits:

Salary and compensation:

£40k – £60k pa., depending on experience Company share options plan Enhanced annual leave (25 days + bank holidays) In-person working with flexible working options available where possible

Work environment:

At Wave Photonics we see a brighter future. We strive towards that goal not only in the technology we develop, but as a dedicated and welcoming team who are passionate about working together to make it happen. We see the huge value in creating a team with people from all backgrounds and experiences. Equity, diversity, and inclusion are vital to our aim, and we strongly encourage people of all backgrounds and identities to apply.

Our office in Cambridge serves as the dynamic hub where brilliant minds converge to redefine the future of integrated photonics. Nestled in one of the world’s most renowned academic and technological cities, our workspace embodies the spirit of collaboration, creativity, and cutting-edge exploration. We strive to create an environment where open communication and cross-disciplinary thinking are not just encouraged but celebrated.