Technical Sales & Funding Expert (m/f/d)

About PFASuiki GmbH PFASuiki is a deep-tech startup based in Oberhaching, south of Munich, developing electrochemical oxidation technology to destroy PFAS and other contaminated water challenges at the source. The team works to eliminate forever chemicals from industrial wastewater and landfill leachate to protect the environment and maintain compliance. The Technical Sales & Funding Expert (m/f/d) turns PFASuiki’s technical results into customer decisions, non-dilutive funding and regulatory clarity within a fast-paced deep-tech startup focused on PFAS destruction. PFASuiki’s platform concentrates PFAS and then destroys them on site by electrochemical oxidation. Reporting to the Head of Business Development and sales, this role bridges R&D, customers, funding bodies and authorities. It acts as the technical counterpart in pre-sales, turns lab and pilot data into reports and communications, owns the grant pipeline, and tracks PFAS regulation, IP and competitors. It works daily with the technology team, the laboratory team and the commercial team, so that engineers can keep their time on developing the technology and the platform. Key Responsibilities: Application & Sales Engineering • Act as the technical counterpart for prospects in pre-sales: qualify water matrices, scope tests and answer technical objections. • Build and maintain an objection-and-answer playbook on unit cost, energy per m³, electrode life, by-products and plant integration. • Build techno-economic evaluations comparing PFASuiki’s technology other technologies targeting PFAS destruction. • Write feasibility study proposals and reports for landfill operators, industrial sites and water utilities. • Present the technology in customer meetings, at trade fairs and in technical webinars. Data to Narrative & Reporting • Turn lab and pilot data (destruction rates, fluorine mass balance, LC-MS/MS results, energy use) into validation reports and customer-ready visuals. • Produce a case study package for every completed pilot: validation report, technical webinar, LinkedIn and newsletter assets. • Prepare charts and KPI pages for investor, board and Steering Committee reporting. Non-Dilutive Funding & Consortium Projects • Identify, prepare and manage applications for governmental funding, public grants and related subsidies, owning the pipeline from call scouting and go/no-go to consortium building, drafting, budget and submission. • Lead PFASuiki’s applications and its role in Horizon Europe and LIFE consortia. • Run national and Bavarian programmes, such as KMU-innovativ and BayTP+, and prepare Forschungszulage claims with the tax adviser. • Project-manage the application phase and the delivery of national and EU-funded consortium projects, including all deliverables and reporting on time. Legal, Regulatory & Market Intelligence • Monitor, analyze and research EU and international PFAS regulations and policy updates, and turn them into internal briefs and customer one-pagers. • Coordinate regulatory topics across the Technology and Business Development teams. • Provide customer-facing regulatory research and support. • Lead discussions and negotiations with official agencies and environmental authorities on operational allowances, permitting and regulatory approvals for technology and system deployment. • Coordinate NDAs, consortium agreements and partner contracts with external legal counsel and keep the related documentation and filing in order. • Map competitors and alternative technologies and keep PFASuiki’s positioning current. • Run patent landscaping and monitoring, feeding R&D priorities and freedom-to-operate questions. Marketing & Communications • Support the execution of the overarching marketing, communication and content publication strategy, leading on technical content. • Drive public relations and policy-facing communication at national and European/international level to position PFASuiki as a key technological thought leader on the political stage. • Draft and publish content for LinkedIn, email newsletters and website blog posts. • Plan, organize and coordinate attendance at trade fairs and industry events. • Create marketing, presentations and external communication materials. • Manage relationships and coordinate projects with external media partners. Key Deliverables – First Six Months: By month six, every prospect conversation is backed by a techno-economic evaluation, a playbook answer and a regulatory one-pager, and the 2027 funding pipeline is running. • Months 1–2: hands-on onboarding in the PFASuiki lab on the ECO process and technology; funding map with a 12-month call calendar and a go/no-go per call. • Months 2–4: Techno-economic evaluation model v1 in use for feasibility studies; competitor and patent landscape for electrochemical PFAS destruction; first regulatory brief and customer one-pager. • Months 4–6: PFASuiki’s work package drafted in at least one EU consortium proposal; case study package delivered for the first completed pilot. Qualifications & Experience: • PhD or master’s degree in environmental, chemical or civil engineering, water science or a related field. • At least 5 years in water or wastewater treatment, including hands-on lab or pilot work on real water matrices. • A track record in EU-funded innovation: writing Horizon Europe, EIC or LIFE proposals and delivering project reports. • Experience turning technical results into market analysis, commercialization plans or techno-economic comparisons. • Confidence with data: statistics, experimental design and clear charts. • Fluent English and German. • Ease presenting to plant managers, procurement leads and C-level audiences. Desirable: • Knowledge of PFAS or micropollutant analytics, such as LC-MS/MS, TOP assay or fluorine mass balance. • Exposure to electrochemical treatment, advanced oxidation or electrode materials. • IP training, for example EPO courses, and experience with patent searches. • A network in the European water sector: utilities, research institutes, IWA. • Further European languages, such as French, Italian or Spanish. Find more English Speaking Jobs in Germany on Arbeitnow