Business Development Manager

Transient Detect is an angel-backed IoT/AI start-up helping water utilities protect their pipes by making hidden destructive forces visible. Our ruggedised TD.Edge sensors and TD.Cloud AI platform turn pressure-transient data into pipe fatigue, leak and asset-risk intelligence. Backed by a ~$2.2M Industry Growth Program grant, with live pilots across four Tier 1 Victorian utilities and a growing pipeline across Asia and the US, we're at the inflection point from proven technology to a scaled, recurring-revenue business.

As our first dedicated commercial hire, you'll build and convert the sales pipeline across ANZ and select international markets — and drive that transition. This is a role for someone energised by carrying a number and beating it: you'll own the target, with an incentive plan that pays a healthy bonus at target and up to double when you exceed it. The sale itself is genuinely technical and consultative — framing the problem of pipe bursts and shortened asset life for engineers, asset planners and network operators, then designing the pilot, building the business case, and converting it into a multi-year recurring-revenue programme. That last step is the capability at the heart of this role.

You'll own the selling motion end to end, working directly with the Founder & CEO and the Product & Growth Lead. We back that autonomy with rigour: accurate pipeline, honest forecasting and stage discipline are how you earn expanding authority here.

What’s in it for you:

- A competitive base salary in the range of $140,000–$180,000 plus superannuation, set to experience and track record.
- A highly competitive bonus on top of base, growing in Year 2 as you take further ownership of revenue — with full figures shared early in the recruiter conversation.




- A real accelerator — earnings rise faster once you pass target, up to a cap of 2x your on-target incentive. Beat the number and you are rewarded for it.
- Paid quarterly on sales performance, so achievement turns into cash in-year rather than a distant annual promise.
- A direct line to the Founder & CEO on strategy, pricing and live deals from day one.

What you’ll do:

- Build and maintain a qualified sales pipeline across ANZ water utilities and O&M; providers.
- Identify, map and engage target accounts across asset planning, network operations, digital, innovation and procurement teams.
- Generate net-new opportunities through outbound prospecting, industry events, referrals and partner channels.
- Run consultative, technically credible sales cycles from discovery through pilot scoping, proposal and close.
- Develop business cases focused on capex deferral, risk reduction, leakage reduction and asset performance.
- Maintain accurate pipeline, forecast and activity records in TD’s CRM.
- Feed market intelligence, competitive insights and voice-of-customer feedback into product planning.

Nice to have:

- Experience selling into water utilities or adjacent regulated sectors such as energy, gas, rail or mining services.
- Exposure to IoT hardware, connected devices, enterprise SaaS or technical infrastructure solutions.
- Familiarity with utility procurement,



regulatory pricing cycles and business-case-driven buying.
- Existing networks across ANZ utilities, major O&M; contractors or relevant industry bodies.
- A STEM qualification in engineering, science or an environmental discipline.

About you:

- Demonstrated success in technical solution selling across complex, multi-stakeholder B2B environments.
- Proven ability to create, maintain and grow pipeline independently from a cold or near-cold territory. You will be comfortable being held to staged commercial milestones over your first 12–18 months.
- Strong commercial discipline, resilience and a genuine hunger to hit and beat target — motivated by the incentive on offer and the ownership that comes with it.
- Demonstrated ability to convert pilots, trials or proofs-of-concept into multi-year recurring-revenue contracts — not just win one-off deals.
- Comfortable engaging with engineers, asset planners and operations teams on instrumentation, data and network performance topics.
- Able to operate with pace, ambiguity and accountability in an early-stage, mission-driven business.
- Comfortable with deal-led travel that is weighted to Australia, with occasional international trips as opportunities require. Travel is tied to live deals and pilots rather than a fixed schedule, planned in advance wherever possible, with no routine weekend travel, home-based between trips, and travel and expenses fully covered.

This role will suit a proactive, commercially driven professional with solid technical credibility, disciplined pipeline management and the ability to build trust with complex customer groups. Interested candidates are invited to apply by contacting Mina Jafari at TESS Search Partners on (08) •••• •945 or apply via the link.

📌 Business Development Manager (Adelaide)
🏢 TESS Search Partners
📍 Adelaide