Director of Partnerships

Reports to: VP of Commercialization

Close collaboration with: CEO, CTO, VP of Engineering, deal counsel

Location: Kenilworth, NJ; hybrid is possible

Salary range: Starts at $197,000

Equity participation reflecting the scope and impact of this role

Competitive Benefits

Position Summary

Still Bright is bringing the first viable hydrometallurgical alternative to copper smelting to market at a moment when global copper demand is outpacing supply by historic margins. Our proprietary RACER (Rapid and Complete Electrochemical Reduction) process delivers fast, complete copper extraction while recovering precious and critical co-products, and as a closed-loop system it offers precise control over outputs and radically reduces environmental impact. Backed by top-tier investors including Breakthrough Energy Ventures and Material Impact, the team is moving from pilot execution into the next stages of commercial deployment.

This role operates at a distinctive commercial frontier: helping bring agreements to close at commercial scale before a commercial system has been built. The Director of Partnerships converts RACER’s technical breakthroughs into signed agreements by driving deals from term sheet to signature: advancing negotiations, structuring staged commitments and performance milestones, and working fluently with counsel on both sides to turn commercial intent into executed contracts. Please note this role is not a typical business development role but rather focused on finalizing contracts and managing those contracts.

The VP of Commercialization owns the counterparty relationship: building early relationships with prospective partners, defining the commercial offering, and advancing each opportunity to the point of negotiation. From there, the Director of Partnerships spearheads finalizing the deal, working directly with the mining partner and its counsel to move from term sheet to a binding agreement. The VP of Commercialization and CEO facilitate as appropriate; that support is hands-on for the first deals and tapers as the Director builds a track record.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and pressure-test the deal architecture for each opportunity across options including offtake, joint venture, tolling, licensing, services, and hybrid structures, with a clear thesis on why a given structure creates more value than alternatives; bring recommendations to the CEO and VP of Commercialization.

• Take phased commercial deployment agreements from term sheet to signature, working closely with deal counsel on documentation: staged commitments, performance milestones, off-ramps, and mechanisms for adjusting terms as technical and commercial maturity evolves.

• Articulate value creation for both Still Bright and mining partners at each phase of deployment, placing particular focus on local community buy-in as a core commercial input rather than an afterthought.

• Run day-to-day deal execution with mining counterparties and their counsel, and own finalizing the deal: progressing terms, managing the negotiation calendar, and bringing agreements to signature, with the VP of Commercialization and CEO facilitating as appropriate and CEO involvement tapering after the first deals.

• Assist in finalizing term sheets, working with the VP of Commercialization and CEO and coordinating with Still Bright’s counsel and the partner’s counsel so that documents reflect Still Bright’s commercial and technical realities.

• Develop and maintain deep fluency in commercial dynamics across copper and critical minerals—including how mining companies evaluate new technology, common partnership archetypes, and the economics that make deals work for both sides.

• Support the VP of Commercialization in sustaining trust-based counterparty relationships over extended timelines, recognizing that early-stage partnerships often develop over many quarters before becoming binding agreements.

• Uphold excellence in pipeline tracking, opportunity documentation, and CRM hygiene.

• Working mostly in-person will be preferred to ensure effective collaboration with the VP of Commercialization and the CEO and cross-functional leadership. If relocation is not possible, frequent and/or prolonged travel to the NJ headquarters will be required.

• Travel as required for counterparty meetings, site visits, and industry engagement.

Definition of Success

In the first 18 months, success looks like: 10+ qualified introductions from the Director’s network connecting the VP of Commercialization with prospective mining partners; 3–5 active Letters of Intent or Memoranda of Understanding moving from term sheet toward signature; and the first demonstration-scale commercial deployment agreement signed or near-signed.

Qualifications & Experience

Expected Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, engineering, or a related field.

• Minimum of 8–12 years of experience, including time at the Director, Senior Manager, or equivalent level, in business development, commercial, or corporate development roles within mining, metals, energy, industrials, or a related sector.

• Demonstrated ability to move deals from term sheet to close: comparing commercial frameworks, structuring terms, and driving execution in coordination with legal counsel.

• Fluent reading and drafting of commercial contract language: able to translate negotiated business terms into precise term sheet and agreement text, and to identify issues in counterparties’ drafts.

• Track record of helping close complex, multi-stakeholder commercial agreements of $100M+ in lifetime value, with hands-on involvement throughout the term-sheet-to-signature process.

• Credible at the table with mine General Managers, Chief Officers, and executive committees; writes term sheets that mining counterparties receive as fluent and fair.

• Comfortable operating in ambiguity, where the right process is still being discovered, and able to bring structure to a developing business development function.

• An active network within copper or critical minerals mining, including counterparties who take the call.

Strongly Preferred Experience

• An active network among copper majors, mid-majors, and strategic intermediaries.

• Direct experience structuring offtake agreements, joint development arrangements, tolling deals, licensing agreements, or strategic partnerships in mining, metals, or critical minerals.

• Experience structuring phased or milestone-based commercial agreements where commitments scale with technical maturity, demonstrated performance, or staged deployment.

• Experience commercializing novel technology in industrial or resource-intensive sectors where partner education and trust-building are central to the work.

• Familiarity with multiple commercial levers—price, volume, term, exclusivity, milestones, equity components—and how they trade off across deal types.

• Experience working with or alongside operating mine sites, industrial processing facilities, or industrial offtakers.

Nice-to-Have

• Contribution to early-stage commercial strategy, market entry studies, or business model development for a novel technology.

• Experience supporting flagship strategic partnerships through to signing.

• Spanish-language proficiency.

This job description is not intended to be a comprehensive list of the duties and responsibilities of the position. Still Bright provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Still Bright complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Still Bright expressly prohibits and will never tolerate any form of workplace harassment based on race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or veteran status. Still Bright especially encourages applicants from historically marginalized communities to join our mission of sustainable metals extraction.