Director of Business Development - DACH… at Rainmaker… · Zurich

Rainmaker is pioneering a modern cloud seeding system to solve water scarcity and inclement weather problems. We develop and incorporate radar validation, weather-resistant UAS, numerical weather modeling, and sustainable cloud seeds into an effective precipitation enhancement solution.

The Rainmaker Business Development team identifies and pursues new domestic and international cloud-seeding opportunities and fosters relationships with key officials and organizations focused on water and sustainability. If you are interested in working in an extremely innovative and fast-paced environment where your work directly impacts our mission to position Rainmaker as a global leader in water abundance, apply here.

About the Role

After successfully expanding across the U.S. and Middle East, Europe is Rainmaker’s next major expansion. We are hiring three market leaders to open Europe, and this is the anchor role: you will own Rainmaker’s commercial and government strategy across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland (DACH), and drive deals to signature from the Swiss hub our European team will operate from.

This is an ambitious, founder-style role with significant opportunities for growth. Beyond national and cantonal or state governments, you will need to understand how Brussels moves money and writes rules: which EU funding instruments are real for a company like ours, which regulations shape drone operations, and which EU entities matter. You will work closely with our advisors in Brussels on all of it.

This is not a representative office job. We expect more outbound, more travel, and more direct selling than a typical corporate development position. You will be the link between Europe and Rainmaker’s HQ in El Segundo, California, representing the company to customers and feeding back signals so that product, science, and policy decisions reflect on-the-ground conditions. The role is expected to grow as the market matures.

What You'll Do

• Build Rainmaker’s go-to-market and account strategy for Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, owning every deal from qualification to signature.
  • Build trusted relationships at federal, state, cantonal, and local levels, including water and agriculture ministries, meteorological services (MeteoSwiss, DWD, GeoSphere Austria), hail defense associations, agricultural insurers, ski resorts, and alpine hydropower operators.
  • Map the EU and national funding landscape with our Brussels advisors, spanning research, agriculture, and climate adaptation instruments, and make the call on which are worth our time.
  • Coordinate with Rainmaker’s international teams to establish the Swiss hub and direct the region’s regulatory and legal workstreams, including entity formation and UAV airspace access with national aviation authorities under EASA frameworks.
  • Hire and lead the team that follows you, and build the playbooks the rest of Europe reuses.
  • Represent Rainmaker in ministerial meetings, industry forums, and media across the region.

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years across business development, government affairs, commercial sales, or strategy, with material experience in both public-sector and fast-growing commercial settings.
  • Professional fluency in German and English. French or Italian is a strong plus given the linguistic range of the Swiss hub.
  • Strong existing industry and trade association relationships across one or more of Rainmaker’s adjacent sectors: water, agriculture, insurance, energy, environment, airspace or infrastructure.
  • Track record of building something from zero: first deals, first regulatory clearances, first contracts in a new market or category.
  • Comfortable operating at both strategic and operational altitude. You can write the market entry thesis on Monday and run the negotiation on Friday.
  • Proven public communicator: panels, high-level roundtables, and on-record national media.
  • High tolerance for ambiguity and willingness to travel frequently across the region, to Brussels, and to the U.S.

Preferred Qualifications

• Working knowledge of the EU funding and regulatory landscape: Horizon Europe, LIFE, EIC, EASA drone regulation, and how Brussels actually allocates money.
  • Existing network in Swiss climate and research circles, such as ETH Zurich, MeteoSwiss, or the Zurich reinsurance ecosystem.
  • Experience crafting and closing novel contracts.
  • Sufficient scientific literacy to hold credible conversations with water officials, meteorologists, hydrologists, etc., or strong enough curiosity to get there quickly.

Using AI in Your Application

Fluency with modern AI tools is an expectation for this role, and we encourage you to use them as you prepare your application. We are evaluating your own judgment, experience, and perspective, so human inputs should be the foundation of what you submit.