About Niron

Niron Magnetics is commercializing the first new magnetic material in decades powered by its breakthrough material formulation and advanced manufacturing process. The company’s proprietary magnet technology based on Iron Nitride enables magnets that are inherently high magnetization, free of rare earths and other critical materials, and solve supply chain reliability challenges, will drive innovation in various industries. Headquartered in Minneapolis, MN, Niron Magnetics is comprised of a team of professionals with a desire to make a positive impact on the global community. We were named one of “America's Top GreenTech Companies” for 2024 and 2025 by TIME Magazine and the “Innovation of the Year” at the 2025 mHUB Fourth Revolution Awards.

Our team is made up of people who think big, dare to innovate, and strive to impact the planet through technological innovation for our customers. Ready to work alongside amazing people, solve complex problems, and leave a legacy? Join our team.

About the role

We’re hiring for a Director of Business Development to serve as Niron’s commercial lead in Japan or South Korea. In this role you will be responsible for building strategic, long‑term partnerships that accelerate adoption of a transformational deep‑technology platform across the Asia‑Pacific region. This role will play a key part in establishing and scaling Niron’s long-term presence across APAC.

This role focuses on closing high‑impact enterprise agreements and establishing trust‑based relationships with global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers. You will sit at the nexus of technologies underpinning electric vehicles, robotics, industrial automation, heating and cooling, defense technology, sound, and more—introducing a new magnetic material that enables new system designs.

The successful candidate will operate as the commercial lead on major opportunities, coordinating engineering, quality, operations, and executive teams to guide complex engagements through phased evaluation, negotiation, and execution. This role is supported by Customer Enablement and Applications Engineering teams, enabling strong focus on deal strategy, partnership development, and executive engagement.

This position plays a vital role in executing Niron’s growth plans and is expected to originate and lead eight‑digit‑plus strategic opportunities, serving as a core contributor to the company’s global scale‑up.

What you'll do

Lead Strategic Commercial Engagements

• Lead development and closure of major commercial agreements with APAC‑based global OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
• Guide opportunities from early executive engagement through structured negotiation and contract execution.
• Manage complex, multi‑stakeholder sales cycles involving engineering, procurement, legal, finance, and executive leadership.
• Navigate environments where close customer–supplier collaboration is required to allocate future production capacity, recognizing that Niron is operating a pilot production site and building its first high‑volume manufacturing facility.
• Balance extended qualification and validation cycles typical of Japanese and Korean industrial organizations with near‑term pilots and long‑term production commitments.

Architect Transformational Partnerships

• Structure commercial frameworks including:
• • Long-term supply agreements
  • Joint development agreements (JDAs)
  • Licensing and royalty arrangements
  • Strategic technology partnerships
  • Win-win creative solutions to navigate the intersection of pre-production, novel customer hardware design and marketing navigating short- and long-term priorities for your customers.

• Ensure agreements align with both near-term commercialization and long-term strategic positioning.

Executive-Level Relationship Development

• Develop trusted relationships with senior engineering leadership, procurement executives, and C‑suite stakeholders at major global companies headquartered in Japan, South Korea, and across APAC.
• Represent Niron in strategic discussions related to technology adoption, platform integration, and long‑term collaboration.

Cross-Functional Deal Leadership

• Act as the central orchestrator for strategic opportunities, coordinating internal stakeholders including:

o   Engineering and product leadership

o   Manufacturing and operations

o   Finance and legal teams

o   Executive leadership

• Provide clear structure and direction to advance complex negotiations toward closure while maintaining operational discipline and partnership integrity.

Influence Go-To-Market Strategy

• Provide insights from customer and industry engagement to refine commercial positioning and partnership strategy in APAC markets.
• Help identify high‑impact opportunities where Niron’s technology can deliver system‑level performance advantages and long‑term differentiation.

You might be a great fit if you have:

• 10–20 years in business development, strategic partnerships, or commercial leadership.
• Proven experience closing multi-million-dollar enterprise agreements with global OEMs or Tier 1 suppliers.
• Background selling technical components, materials, or hardware platforms into engineering-driven organizations.
• Experience negotiating global commercial agreements, joint development frameworks, and long‑term supply partnerships.
• Experience working within Japanese or Korean industrial ecosystems is strongly preferred.

Technical Fluency

Candidates should be comfortable engaging in technical discussions involving:

• Electromagnetic systems
• Electric motors and generators
• Magnetic materials
• Sensors and actuators
• Advanced manufacturing technologies

Language Requirements

• Japan: Native or fluent Japanese; professional working fluency in English required.
• South Korea: Native or fluent Korean; professional working fluency in English required.
• Candidates must be able to conduct executive negotiations and technical discussions in the local language and collaborate effectively with U.S. based teams.

Characteristics of Successful Candidates

The most successful individuals in this role tend to demonstrate the following capabilities:

Strategic Deal Leadership

Ability to guide complex commercial engagements from early executive alignment through final contract execution. Creative in finding win-win outcomes.

Executive Presence

Comfortable engaging with senior engineering leaders, procurement executives, and C-level decisionmakers in relationship driven business environments.

Cross-Functional Influence

Skilled at aligning diverse internal stakeholders across geographies and functions.

Structured Negotiation

Experienced in shaping and steering sophisticated commercial agreements that balance technical collaboration, strategic partnership, and long-term value creation.

Technical Credibility

Capable of engaging deeply with engineering teams while translating technical advantages into clear business value.

What Success Looks Like of Successful

Within the first 2 years, the successful candidate will have:

• Led the execution of multiple lighthouse agreements with major global customers across priority APAC segments, aligned to Niron’s scaling roadmap.
• Established strategic partnerships that accelerate platform‑level adoption and reduce customer reliance on rare‑earth supply chains.
• Effectively translated customer feedback and market insight into actionable guidance for product, manufacturing, and corporate strategy.

Location and Travel

• Primarily based in‑country (Japan or South Korea), with flexibility for customer engagement and collaboration across time zones.
• Candidates must have the legal right to work in the country of hire. Visa sponsorship may be limited depending on location and EOR capabilities.
• Travel up to 50%, primarily within Asia‑Pacific, with periodic travel to the United States and Europe.

Compensation & Equity (APAC)

This position will be employed through an Employer of Record (EOR) partner in the candidate’s country of residence. Employment terms—including benefits, leave, and statutory protections—will align with local country requirements and, where applicable, may be subject to local labor requirements.

This role offers a competitive, market-aligned total compensation package benchmarked to senior commercial leadership roles in Japan and South Korea. Compensation includes a strong base salary consistent with local market norms, along with meaningful long-term equity participation. Niron’s equity program is designed to reward leaders who help build enduring enterprise value through long-term partnerships and global scale-up.

Data Privacy & Equal Opportunity

Candidate data will be processed for recruitment purposes and handled in accordance with applicable data privacy laws.

Niron Magnetics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive workplace and consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.