Business Development Project Manager - Europe
2026-09-24
Semiconductor supplier KD provides innovative high-speed optical networking for harsh environments. Making gigabit communications over fiber optics a reality, KD technology supplies multi Gb/s optical links for automotive, industrial, and home networks.
Founded in 2010 in Madrid, Spain, KD offers its cost-effective technology as either ASSP or IP (Intellectual Property) integrated in SoCs (System-on-Chips).
KD has about 80 employees, we are in full expansion due to the development of innovative products in the sector and the creation of a unique factory in Spain.
As a result, we are looking for a Business Development Project Manager.
Please find below the responsibilities, profile, conditions and other details of the position:
These are your tasks:
Business Development
Build and maintain an up-to-date picture of the European market: players, value chain, competitors, technologies, and our advantages and disadvantages against the competition. The position owns the competitive positioning document for Europe; the FAE counterpart supplies the technical content, and our automated competitive-intelligence pipeline feeds both.
Define an annual working plan for Europe covering OEM and Tier 1 accounts, so that business development activity can be deployed against it.
Keep the European lead portfolio qualified and up to date in the CRM. Qualifying European leads is this position’s own responsibility, not a support function’s.
Report periodically on the state of Europe: current opportunities and future ones. Build and maintain a dynamic forecast so that the potential can be reported to the Board.
Analyse adjacent markets beyond automotive.
Contribute to the plan of trade shows, congresses and events to attend in Europe. Coordinate the logistics with Marketing and with FAE — in particular the messages to deliver, what will be demonstrated, and the objectives —and produce a post-event recap covering contacts made and follow-up actions.
Answer customer RFQs and RFIs with budgetary pricing, sample delivery timing and maturity. Pricing follows a set path: Operations provides the cost first, and a pricing scheme is then worked out with Finance. The pricing decision is taken jointly by Finance, the CEO and this position is not any one party’s call alone.
Deliver customer and event presentations and product demonstrations together with the FAE counterpart and build trusted customer relationships.
Bring customer feedback back into the company: performance, price and product timing. Functionality feedback is communicated jointly with the FAE. Requests for new functionality reach R&D through a single channel, the FAE; this position supplies the commercial driver and the priority and does not open a parallel route.
Project Management
Set up PoC collaboration projects with customers interested in the technology, defining timing, deadlines, objectives and metrics. Technical aspects are handled through the FAE counterpart.
Track the project with the customer, making sure agreed deadlines and objectives are met. This requires coordinating the internal functions involved— FAE, R&D, Operations and Finance — communicating progress and deviations to the customer regularly and negotiating any necessary changes with them.
Secure the successful closure of PoCs so they can be converted into Design-Ins. Successful closure is evidenced by a customer report that clearly states the TRL level assigned.
Boundary with the FAE counterpart
Technical work is not part of this position; it belongs to the FAE. Specifically, the FAE owns:
Technical matters with the customer: applying the technology to their case, and any modifications required.
Agreeing how the PoC will be executed and solving and supporting any technical problems that arise during it.
Preparing the demonstrators and setting them up and explaining them at events.
Producing the underlying technical material later used to write papers, white papers and articles.
Answering customers’ technical questions, and interfacing with R&D on customer questions and new functionality. The FAE is the single channel to R&D; this position passes on the commercial driver and the priority rather than approaching R&D in parallel.
Technical analysis of the competition and of our value proposition against it. That analysis is the technical input to the competitive positioning document owned by this position — there is one document, not two.
Technical analysis of market technology trends.
Company principle: every topic has one identified owner, even when it requires coordination across several functions. Each half of the pair is expected to understand the other’s ground and flag anything that looks wrong, without taking it over.
Reporting
Weekly meeting with the Head of Marketing, Sales & Business Development on the European pipeline: account status, closed actions and open actions. This is also where priorities are resolved when tracking a live PoC collides with prospecting activity.
BD–FAE coordination meeting every 2–3 weeks with the global Head of FAE and the European FAE: a brief run-through of leads, status, next steps and difficulties, to keep everyone on the same page.
Input for the Board: the dynamic forecast and the status of European opportunities feed the executive updates to the Board.
What you bring with you:
BSc or PhD degree in electronic engineering, hardware, software, embedded or systems. Experience with communication systems is desirable.
At least 5 years of experience with automotive OEM/Tier 1customer cycles (RFQ, SOP, product maturity) is required; a background in semiconductors or electronic components is desirable.
Experience in modeling communication systems, with a preference for expertise in optoelectronics and optical channel modeling.
Languages: English is essential; German is desirable.
Travel: occasional — 1 to 2 trips per month within Europe, 1 to 2 days each, for events and customer visits.
Personal Profile:
A critical and constructive mindset.
Proactive, problem-solving attitude.
Attention to detail.
Team-oriented mindset and ability to collaborate effectively.
With us you can expect:
Development and growth: We offer development and training opportunities in a fast-growing start-up company.
Financial stability: With us you receive performance-related pay, health insurance as well as other company benefits.
Work-life balance: An essential part of our company culture. We offer the possibility of hybrid work and flexible working hours and the opportunity to work in a modern workplace in an excellent location in Madrid (Tres Cantos).
Working together: we are a friendly team with a shared passion for technology. We focus on building personal connections through team events and networking activities between teams.
Flexible working hours, intensive working hours on Fridays and the three summer months.
10 hours of telework per week.
Free Medical insurance for the employee and discounts for family members.
English/Spanish classes free.
Ticket Restaurant option.
Company social events.
Training plan and development opportunities.
Indefinite full-time contract.
24 working days holiday.
Dynamic and collaborative work environment, with ambitious and innovative projects.
Flat hierarchies and open communication.
A very good working atmosphere with competent, motivated and friendly colleagues, open to the international level.
Location: Madrid (Tres Cantos).
Salary: To be negotiated based on candidate´s experience.
Variable compensation: according to KD’s existing bonus scheme, discussed individually with each candidate.
- Location
- Madrid (Tres Cantos)-Spain
- Contract type
- Full-Time Regular
- Experience
- >5 years
- Education
- Bachelor’s degree