Business Development & Partnerships Lead - Detroit, US

About Nethermind

Nethermind is a blockchain research and software engineering company building high-performance infrastructure, security tooling, and cryptographic systems across the Ethereum ecosystem and beyond. We work closely with protocol teams, L2s, and ZK projects to help design, review, and secure cutting-edge decentralized systems.

We are looking for a Midwest Business Development & Partnerships Lead to build commercial relationships across Michigan and the broader Midwest. This role becomes especially important after demo readiness. The goal is to turn a working product demonstration into pilots, customers, and regional partnerships.

A strong candidate could grow into a regional GM or US launch leadership role.

Responsibilities:

• Build the Midwest commercial pipeline.

• Develop relationships with operators, convenience retail groups, payment partners, venue owners, industrial campuses, hospitals, universities, logistics centers, and workplace service providers.

• Identify high-quality pilot opportunities.

• Turn demo interest into pilot agreements, letters of intent, partnerships, and customer commitments.

• Lead meetings, demos, customer discovery, and partner conversations.

• Gather market feedback and translate it into product and deployment requirements.

• Help define pilot economics, customer success metrics, and the regional launch playbook.

Required Experience:
Direct experience in at least one of the following is required:

• Vending machine industry

• Micro-markets

• Convenience stores / c-store industry

• Payments / merchant acquiring / POS / payment terminals

• Unattended retail

• Retail automation

• Self-service kiosks

• Office coffee service

• Route-based operations

• Food service automation

• Workplace services

• Industrial site services

• Strong network in Michigan, the Midwest, or the US vending / convenience / payments / unattended retail ecosystem.

• Ability to sell into traditional industries and build trust with operators and location owners.

• Ability to understand machine economics, payment workflows, service operations, inventory, uptime, and operator concerns.

• English fluency required.

• Willingness to travel across the Midwest and occasionally to company or investor meetings.

Must Haves:

• Experience with vending operators, micro-market operators, c-store groups, payment providers, industrial campuses, hospitals, universities, logistics centers, or workplace service companies.

• Experience selling or launching hardware-plus-software products.

• Experience with field pilots, route operations, retail tech, or machine deployments.

• Experience building a new territory from scratch.

Success in the first 90 days:

• You map the Midwest market and identify priority pilot targets.

• You create a qualified list of partners and customers.

• You secure decision-maker meetings.

• You help turn the product demo into serious pilot conversations.

Success in the first 6-12 months:

• The company has active or contracted pilots in Michigan or the Midwest.

• The company has strong operator, venue, and payment partner relationships.

• You are on track to become a regional commercial leader.

What We Offer/ Benefits

• Flexible Work Options: Remote-first culture with the opportunity to work from anywhere.

• Global and Diverse Workforce: You'll work with people from various backgrounds and cultures.

• Learning and Development: You'll work on innovative, challenging projects and have access to experts and mentors to enhance your skills.

• Career Growth: Access to training, mentorship, and opportunities to contribute to open-source initiatives.

• Global Events and Conferences: Opportunities to attend the industry events.

• Collaborative and Innovative Culture: We foster teamwork and encourage new ideas.

• Unlimited Time Off: Enjoy the freedom to structure your working hours in a way that suits you best, with the flexibility to take unpaid time off whenever needed to maintain a healthy work-life balance.

• Equity participation allowing you to benefit directly from the company's success.

Our Commitment to Diversity

At Nethermind, we celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. We believe a variety of perspectives drives innovation and leads to better solutions for the blockchain community.

Ready to Join Us?

If you're passionate about blockchain and eager to make an impact, we’d love to hear from you. Click [Apply Now] to start your journey with Nethermind.