Business Development Director (Automotive Europe)

Location: Germany; focus on automotive business development across Europe and major German OEMs.

Company

hirify.global is expanding its automotive business across Europe.

What you will do

• Lead automotive business development across Europe, creating and developing opportunities before formal RFQs.
• Build senior-level relationships with major German and European OEMs across ADAS, autonomous driving, engineering, purchasing, sourcing, vehicle architecture, and executive management.
• Drive opportunities from early customer engagement and technical evaluation through RFQ, negotiation, nomination, and commercial closure.
• Develop account strategies, competitive strategies, and multi-year pipelines covering probability, timing, volume, revenue, competition, and decision milestones.
• Lead commercial discussions covering pricing, NRE, development agreements, volumes, contracts, and other key terms.
• Coordinate with product, engineering, application engineering, program management, and headquarters teams; lead or coordinate a small European commercial team as required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• 12+ years of relevant automotive business development, sales, or commercial experience preferred; candidates with 10+ years and an exceptional record of winning complex OEM business may also be considered.
• Established senior-level network within major German and European automotive OEMs, with strong relationships in ADAS, autonomous driving, vehicle architecture, engineering, purchasing, or other advanced automotive organizations strongly preferred.
• Proven personal track record of creating and winning new automotive business with European OEMs.
• Experience taking opportunities from initial engagement through technical evaluation, RFQ, nomination, and production.
• Strong commercial and negotiation skills, including pricing, NRE, contracts, RFQs, and complex customer negotiations.
• Strong understanding of European OEM decision-making structures, sourcing processes, vehicle development cycles, and organizational dynamics.
• Experience in ADAS, autonomous driving, lidar, radar, cameras, sensors, semiconductors, automotive electronics, or other advanced automotive technologies strongly preferred.
• Experience commercializing complex hardware or integrated hardware/software products in the automotive industry preferred.
• Ability to engage credibly with senior executives and highly technical customer teams; proactive, hands-on, results-driven, and accountable.
• Comfort working in a fast-moving, international, cross-functional environment, with excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Fluent English required; German strongly preferred.

Nice to have

• Experience in ADAS, autonomous driving, lidar, radar, cameras, sensors, semiconductors, automotive electronics, or other advanced automotive technologies.
• Experience commercializing complex hardware or integrated hardware/software technology products within the automotive industry.
• German language proficiency.

Culture & Benefits

• Customer-facing, hands-on role with strong commercial ownership.
• Fast-moving, international, and highly cross-functional working environment.
• Opportunity to represent hirify.global in strategic customer meetings, technical workshops, industry events, and automotive forums.
• Role may include leading or coordinating a small European commercial team with responsibility for priorities, execution, and accountability.