Senior Business Development Representative (French-Speaking)

PNO Innovation

JOB SUMMARY (SHORT PROMOTIONAL TEXT) We are looking for a Senior Innovation Consultant to join our team in Lyon, supporting industrial clients in optimizing their R&D funding through the French Research Tax Credit and public grants. This role is suited for an experienced consultant who can quickly become operational, combine strong analytical and writing skills with a client-focused mindset, and contribute to business development. YOUR MISSION (WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO IN TEXT) SUMMARISED DOWN BELOW Your mission is to support innovative companies in identifying, structuring, and securing R&D funding. You will act as a trusted advisor to your clients while actively contributing to the growth of the business and the development of long-term client relationships. YOUR TASKS 1ST PART (IN MAX 4 BULLETS) * Manage a portfolio of industrial clients * Analyze their projects and identify relevant funding opportunities * Interact directly with clients to collect and challenge technical information * Prepare and structure high-quality technical and financial documentation YOUR TASKS 2ND PART (IN MAX 4 BULLETS) * Ensure compliance with regulatory and audit requirements * Advise clients on their R&D funding strategy * Identify upselling and cross-selling opportunities within existing accounts * Collaborate with internal teams on complex funding projects YOUR PROFILE 1ST PART (IN MAX 4 BULLETS) * 4–6 years of experience in R&D tax credit – mandatory * Experience with French grants is a plus * PhD preferred, or engineering degree with relevant experience * Proven experience working with industrial clients (industry, energy, chemistry, etc.) YOUR PROFILE 2ND PART (IN MAX 4 BULLETS) * Strong analytical and scientific writing skills * Experience in consulting and client-facing roles * Native or near-native level of French (written and spoken) – mandatory * Professional level of English (minimum B2) WHY US? (WHAT DO WE OFFER) 1ST PART (IN MAX 4 BULLETS) * Join a highly skilled, close-knit team with strong growth ambitions * Work on impactful innovation projects across diverse industrial sectors * Gain exposure to both tax incentives and public funding mechanisms * Entrepreneurial environment with autonomy and direct impact WHY US? (WHAT DO WE OFFER) 2ND PART (IN MAX 4 BULLETS) * Hybrid working model (3 days in office, 2 remote after probation period) * Clear development path towards more complex funding projects (including European programs) * Collaborative, quality-driven, and client-focused culture * Competitive benefits package including €42,000–€45,000 fixed salary, meal vouchers (~€200/month), 50% transport cost coverage, 5 weeks of paid leave, and up to 12 additional days off (RTT)

The Exploration Company

Here at The Exploration Company, we are developing, producing, and operating Nyx, a modular and reusable space orbital vehicle that can eventually be refuelled in orbit and that can carry cargo - and potentially humans in the longer run. The Lead – European Institutions & French Public Affairs is responsible for designing and executing the company’s public affairs strategy at EU and French levels, in close coordination with the Chief Government Officer In a fast-growing startup environment, this role combines strategic policy leadership, direct institutional engagement, and hands-on execution. The position requires strong autonomy, political judgement, and the ability to translate complex regulatory developments into clear business and strategic implications for executive leadership.   KEY RESPONSIBILITIES STRATEGY & EXECUTIVE ADVISORY * Co-define EU and French public affairs strategy with the CGO, aligned with the company’s growth, funding, and market-access objectives. * Act as a trusted advisor to the CEO and executive team on political, regulatory, and institutional matters. * Identify policy-driven risks and opportunities (regulation, funding, industrial policy, sovereignty, public procurement). * Anticipate regulatory roadmaps and translate them into actionable business recommendations. EUROPEAN INSTITUTIONS LEADERSHIP * Lead engagement with EU institutions (European Commission, European Parliament, Council of the EU) and key ecosystem stakeholders. * Own priority EU policy files end-to-end: monitoring, analysis, positioning, and advocacy execution. * Draft and validate position papers, consultation responses, and strategic briefings for senior leadership. * Represent the company in EU forums, industry coalitions, and strategic alliances. FRENCH PUBLIC AFFAIRS LEADERSHIP * Lead relationships with French ministries, Parliament, regulators, agencies, and institutional partners. * Drive French public affairs actions in close alignment with EU-level strategy. * Support CEO and CGO in high-level French institutional meetings, including preparation of messaging and briefings. HANDS-ON EXECUTION IN A STARTUP CONTEXT * Personally execute key public affairs actions (no large team or heavy hierarchy). * Build lightweight but effective public affairs processes adapted to a startup environment. * Contribute to funding-related policy work (EU programs, national schemes, public support mechanisms). INTERNAL ALIGNMENT & COMMUNICATION * Work closely with future projects, legal, business development, and communications teams. * Ensure consistent messaging across EU and French public affairs activities. * Provide concise, decision-ready updates to leadership (CEO, CGO, ExCom when relevant).   REQUIRED EXPERIENCE & PROFILE * Master’s degree in European Studies, Political Science, Law, Public Policy, or equivalent. * 5-7+ years of experience in EU and/or French public affairs, ideally with exposure to startups, scale-ups, or fast-moving regulated sectors. * Proven experience engaging directly with EU institutions and French public authorities at senior level. * Track record of advising executives and operating in politically sensitive, ambiguous environments. * Strong understanding of how public policy impacts business models, funding, and market access.   KEY SKILLS & MINDSET * Strategic thinker with a builder’s mindset: comfortable creating structure from scratch. * Highly autonomous, pragmatic, and execution-oriented. * Excellent political judgement and stakeholder management skills. * Clear, concise communicator able to brief effectively. * Comfortable switching between big-picture strategy and detailed policy work.   LANGUAGES * French: native or fluent * English: fluent * Additional EU languages are a plus   WHY JOIN US * Direct impact on the company’s strategic positioning and growth * High visibility role with the CEO and leadership team * Opportunity to shape public affairs in a fast-scaling startup environment * Exposure to EU and French policymaking at the highest level Why you should join us! What makes us special here at The Exploration Company and why we think you will enjoy working here is:   * We’re Agile - we make decisions fast whilst keeping our goals and systems in mind  * We’re Open and Collaborative - we are transparent about risks and obstacles, so that we can cooperate to overcome them   * We have a lot of Fun - we refuel our energy knowing we are democratising space. It’s a wonderful and rare opportunity, are YOU up for the challenge?   We'd love to hear from you if you wish to be a part of our journey. Please submit your CV now for immediate consideration and we will be in touch shortly.    The Exploration Company is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status or disability status. Relocation assistance is provided for those willing to relocate including visa sponsorship where applicable.   All offers are contingent upon the successful completion of a background check, which will be subject to the country, role, and project you applied for. By submitting your application, you acknowledge and agree that any offer of employment may be conditional upon successful condition of this check. The Exploration Company partners with Zinc Work Limited located in the UK (Zinc), a third-party provider, to ensure this process as efficient and transparent as possible. If applicable, you will receive an email from Zinc upon acceptance of your offer with a link to a secure portal where you can provide the required information to Zinc.

Pigment

Join Pigment: The AI Platform Redefining Business Planning   Pigment is the AI-powered business planning and performance management platform built for agility and scale. We connect people, data, and processes in one intuitive, feature-rich solution, empowering every team—from Finance to HR—to build, adapt, and align strategic plans in real time.   Founded in 2019, Pigment is one of the fastest-growing SaaS companies globally. Industry leaders like Unilever, Snowflake, Siemens, and DPD use Pigment daily to make more informed decisions and confidently navigate any scenario.   With a team of 600+ across Paris, London, New York, Toronto, San Francisco and Austin, we've raised nearly $400M from top-tier investors and were named a Visionary in the 2024 Gartner® Magic Quadrant™ for Financial Planning Software.   At Pigment, we take smart risks, celebrate bold ideas, and challenge the status quo—all while working as one team. If you're driven by innovation and ready to make an impact at scale, we’d love to hear from you. 🚀 The Opportunity:   Join our Product Community team as a Frontend Software Engineer and play a key role in shaping cutting-edge user experiences! You'll work on exciting, high-impact projects ranging from AI-powered features to rich data visualizations while collaborating closely with talented backend engineers and product managers.   Here’s why this is an exciting opportunity:   ✨ Innovate with AI: Implement intelligent features that guide users and streamline complex workflows. 📊 Visualize Complex Data: Build and optimize advanced data visualizations like charts, maps, and real-time dashboards. 🎨 Shape the Design System: Influence and maintain our proprietary design system to deliver consistent, high-performance UIs.🔍 Tackle Real Challenges: Solve complex problems involving large datasets, real-time updates, and system performance. 📈 Drive the Future: Be part of a forward-thinking team that embraces new technologies and continuous learning.   If you're passionate about building elegant, scalable UIs and enjoy collaborating across teams, this is the perfect place to grow your career!   Who You Are:   We value strong software engineering skills and a proactive mindset. You should be able to translate complex functional requirements into elegant designs and high-quality code. You are also comfortable working across teams to ensure the frontend experience aligns with backend capabilities.   In any case, you have:   Strong experience as a software engineer working on production systems. Proven expertise in building scalable UIs with React and TypeScript. A track record of collaborating with backend engineers to shape API design and optimize data consumption. Experience working with design systems, performance optimization, and handling large datasets. Strong communication skills and a problem-solving attitude. A good dose of humility and the willingness to grow (no matter your seniority!). A fluent level in English (French is not required).   Your Responsibilities:   Build and maintain user interfaces for client-facing features, ensuring high-quality and performant UI delivery. Collaborate with backend engineers and product managers to design, develop, and deliver new features while offering technical input on API design and data handling. Implement and enhance AI-driven capabilities that assist users with complex workflows (e.g., generating actionable insights). Develop advanced data visualizations (charts, maps, dashboards) that provide users with real-time, interactive insights. Contribute to and maintain our internal design system, including custom caching mechanisms and advanced state management solutions. Continuously balance delivering new features with ongoing maintenance and performance optimization. Proactively identify and resolve issues while ensuring continuous delivery and improving technical processes.   Current Projects You'll Work On:   AI Capabilities: Implementing intelligent features that guide users and enhance their workflows. Data Visualizations: Building and optimizing rich, interactive views to present complex datasets clearly and efficiently. Design System: Maintaining and evolving our proprietary design system to improve development speed and UI consistency. Technology Migration: Evaluating and adopting new technologies to keep our platform modern and efficient.   Technical Challenges:   Balancing feature delivery with system maintenance and performance improvements. Implementing real-time updates and managing large-scale data visualizations. Collaborating across teams to influence API design and ensure seamless frontend-backend integration.   Our Tech Stack:   Languages & Frameworks: React (TypeScript) Testing Tools: Vitest (unit testing), Cypress (E2E testing) Build Tools: Vite (for local development and production bundling) Custom Solutions: Internal design system, advanced caching mechanisms, and proprietary state management built on top of open-source technologies.   About the Team:   Mission: Deliver client-facing features that enhance the user experience while providing technical leadership and guidance on UI decisions. Structure: Product Community is a collaborative group of teams (e.g., AI, Views) responsible for different areas of the product. Engineers are encouraged to share knowledge and can move across squads based on their interests. Size: Approximately 30 engineers across the Product division, working in small, focused squads with a mix of frontend and backend specialists. Collaboration: Regularly engage with backend engineers, product managers, and designers to deliver robust, user-centric solutions.   #LI-REMOTE #LI-CK1