Business Development Director Jobs in California
Business Development Director jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in technology, life sciences, enterprise software, and professional services, with openings at every level from senior manager stepping into a first director role through seasoned VP-track executives. The largest hiring activity is in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, where employers like Salesforce, Google, and Thermo Fisher Scientific consistently maintain business development leadership teams. The most in-demand specialties are strategic partnerships, enterprise sales expansion, and healthcare and biotech commercialization. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Innoviz Technologies supplies safety-critical, high-performance LiDAR solutions to the automotive market, enabling autonomous robotaxis, self-driving trucks, and assisted driving systems in consumer vehicles. Recently, we expanded into transportation and security markets to enable intelligent intersection management, highway monitoring, automated tolling, and protection of critical infrastructure such as airports, power plants, data centers, and more. Now, we’re expanding into the defense market to equip AGVs and UGVs for autonomous missions within the military and bring laser-based counter-UAS (cUAS) solutions to protect our warfighters from rapidly evolving drone threats.
We are looking for a highly motivated individual-starter mindset to join our business team in North America and help convert a growing list of defense sector leads into sales and revenue. Reporting to the VP of Sales North America, your mission would be to identify, develop, and advance opportunities across multiple defense organizations, including the US Air Force, US Marine Corps, US Navy, and US Special Operations Command (SOCOM), as well as industry partners.
Responsibilities:
- Represent Innoviz in defense customer meetings and build strong relationships with decision makers and senior leadership
- Attend key defense trade shows including AUSA, Sea Air Space, SOF Week, Modern Day Marine, and cUAS Summit to expand Innoviz’s defense funnel through partners and sales channels
- Maintain visibility into the overall DoW pipeline and provide business development updates, defense market intelligence, and strategic recommendations to Innoviz HQ, including opportunities that span multiple services, commands, and programs across the DoW
- Schedule road shows to conduct onsite sales pitches leveraging Innoviz’s field engineers for product demonstrations at customer sites including the DoW’s preferred test locations (White Sands, Parsons cUAS of Excellence, Richmond cUAS Testbed, Pendleton UAS Range, Yuma Proving Grounds, etc)
- Provide defense market feedback to product development teams at Innoviz HQ to impact the roadmap and future innovations while monitoring DoW priorities, budgets, grants, acquisition activities, technology requirements, and competitive trends
- Negotiate long-term contracts, product pricing, payment terms, and annual support packages with private defense customers and federal agencies in the end-to-end deal cycle
- Manage key account information in Salesforce including meeting notes, key contacts, qualified opportunities, revenue forecast, and distributor information to track sales from capture to closure
- Collaborate with Innoviz marketing team to influence messaging, social media posts, and press releases for the defense ecosystem
Requirements:
- Must be located in the DC Metropolitan Area (Washington, DC, Northern Virginia, or Maryland)
- Must be a U.S. citizen
- Must have an existing security clearance (Secret, Top Secret, or higher)
- Bachelor’s or Master’s Degree in Business, Engineering, Physics, or related field
- 7+ years of experience selling high-tech products with a strong understanding of DoW acquisition, procurement, budgeting, and contracting processes
- Willingness to travel (up to 30%) within US & Canada and 1-2 trips to Israel (HQ) per year
What We Need to See:
- Familiarity with existing C2 systems such as Lattice, CoT, XML, etc
- Familiarity with sensing devices used in the defense sector such as acoustics, sonar, cameras, thermal, night vision, radars, and/or lidars
- Strong communication skills with a structured problem-solving mindset to quickly identify hurdles in the sales cycle
- Broad network and established relationships with decision makers across DoW and defense community
Ways to Stand Out from the Crowd:
- Prior BD experience for cUAS solutions, including sensors and/or effectors, including electronic warfare
- Prior BD experience for sensing & compute technologies for AGVs / UGVs
- Strong technical foundation in optronics components, including lasers & detectors (VCSELs, EELs, Fiber Lasers, SPAD, SiPM, APD, etc)
Sub Department:
Sales
City:
D.C Metropolitan Area
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Find JobsBusiness Development Director Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Business Development Director Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring



Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Consulting & Professional Services
- Staffing & Recruiting
- Electronics & Hardware
- Biotechnology & Pharmaceuticals
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in business development director jobs across California.
- Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related field required by most California employers
- Seven or more years of progressive business development or enterprise sales experience
- Demonstrated ability to build and close complex multi-stakeholder partnerships or deals
- Experience operating within California's technology, life sciences, or professional services sectors
- Strong proficiency with CRM platforms and data-driven pipeline management
- Executive-level presentation and negotiation skills for C-suite and board-level audiences
Business Development Director Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a business development director in California?
There is no state-issued license or board registration required to work as a business development director in California. The typical path begins with a bachelor's degree in business, marketing, or a related discipline, followed by progressive experience in sales, partnerships, or account management. California employers in technology and life sciences strongly favor candidates who have grown into the director level through measurable revenue or partnership results within those industries.
Which companies hire business development directors in California?
Employers hiring business development directors in California right now include EPAM Systems, サイネオス・ヘルス, and Syneos Health Commercial Solutions, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. California's concentration of technology headquarters, biotech firms, and enterprise software companies means demand for this role remains consistent throughout the year rather than peaking seasonally.
Which California cities have the most business development director jobs?
San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego account for the most business development director openings in California. San Francisco leads because of its density of technology and SaaS headquarters, Los Angeles draws volume from media, entertainment, and healthcare services, and San Diego's strength in biotech and defense contracting anchors demand in that market.
Are there remote business development director jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields, because business development work is relationship- and strategy-focused rather than tied to a physical production environment. About 70% of business development director openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how broadly the role adapted to distributed work. The most fully remote arrangements tend to involve national or global partnership roles where the director manages a book of accounts rather than a local territory.
How can I get hired as a business development director in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a business development representative or account executive role at a California technology or life sciences company, then building toward director over several years. Large Bay Area employers such as Salesforce and Oracle run structured sales development and associate partnership programs that accelerate this progression. A demonstrated record of closing deals, an MBA from a California institution, or a portfolio of named partnerships provides the edge most hiring managers require before considering a first-time director candidate.
Where can I find and apply to business development director jobs in California?
You can find and apply to business development director jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings updated regularly. Find the roles that fit your experience and target industries and apply directly to the ones that match.
See All 188+ Business Development Director Jobs in California
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