Senior Business Development Manager, AI Market Research

Location: Europe · Fully remote

Engagement: Independent contractor · Commission-based compensation, with potential for equity

About Foresenta

Foresenta is rethinking how companies understand consumer behaviour.

We use AI and synthetic populations to help businesses predict how consumers may respond to new products, concepts, pricing, and marketing claims. Our approach delivers market research insights in minutes, using ready-to-use synthetic populations that do not require client data to get started.

Our mission is to make high-quality consumer insights faster and more accessible, helping businesses make better-informed decisions while reducing the time and effort required by traditional research approaches.

We are a Lausanne-based team combining advanced research expertise with practical commercial ambition. We value initiative, intellectual curiosity, and ownership. As an early-stage company, we offer the opportunity to work closely with the founder, contribute ideas, and directly influence how our product and business evolve.

About the role

We are looking for a Senior Business Development Manager to drive new business across Europe and help bring an emerging AI-powered market research approach to the market.

This is a hands-on, new-business role for an experienced commercial professional who knows how to open doors, navigate complex B2B sales processes, and turn promising conversations into paying customers.

You will work directly with the founder and own the commercial process from prospecting and initial outreach through discovery, product demonstrations, negotiation, and closing. You will also play an important role in shaping our go-to-market strategy, identifying the strongest use cases, and helping us refine our positioning based on real customer feedback.

This is an opportunity for someone who wants more than an established sales playbook: you will help build it.

What you will do

• Build a new-business pipeline: Identify, research, and engage prospective customers across Europe through targeted outbound outreach and relationship building.
• Develop customer relationships: Open conversations with Heads of Consumer Insights, Consumer Insights Directors, Market Research leaders, and other relevant decision-makers at mid-sized and large companies.
• Focus on the right markets: Prioritize consumer goods companies while exploring opportunities in adjacent sectors such as retail and pharmaceuticals.
• Own the sales process: Lead discovery conversations, qualify opportunities, deliver product demonstrations, manage follow-ups, and drive deals towards closing in collaboration with the founder.
• Translate customer needs into value: Connect Foresenta's capabilities to concrete business problems, research needs, and decision-making processes.
• Build market knowledge: Gather customer feedback, identify objections and adoption barriers, and share insights that help improve our product, messaging, pricing, and commercial strategy.
• Help shape our go-to-market approach: Test outreach strategies, refine target customer profiles, and identify the use cases and segments with the strongest commercial potential.

Who we are looking for

We are looking for a commercially driven, self-sufficient professional who combines strong B2B sales fundamentals with the ability to sell something new.

Essential experience and skills

• 5+ years of B2B sales experience, including experience selling market research, consumer insights, research services, or similarly complex B2B solutions.
• A proven track record in new-business development. You have opened new accounts, built your own pipeline, and converted prospects into customers rather than focusing primarily on managing existing relationships.
• Experience with complex sales. You can engage senior stakeholders, uncover business needs, communicate value, handle objections, and navigate a multi-step sales process.
• Commercial independence. You are comfortable taking ownership of your targets, organizing your own outreach, prioritizing opportunities, and moving deals forward without close supervision.
• The ability to sell an emerging research approach. You are curious about AI and can explain synthetic populations and AI-based market research clearly, including the methodology's strengths, limitations, and appropriate use cases.
• Excellent English communication skills, both written and spoken.

Strong advantages

• An established network of consumer insights, market research, or innovation leaders.
• Experience selling research methodologies, analytics platforms, AI solutions, or other innovative products that require customer education.
• Existing relationships with decision-makers in consumer goods, retail, pharmaceuticals, or related industries.
• Experience working with an early-stage company or helping bring a new product to market.

The right mindset matters. You are proactive, persistent, intellectually curious, and comfortable with ambiguity. You enjoy opening new doors, learning from the market, and taking responsibility for commercial results.

Why join Foresenta?

• Shape a new market opportunity. Help bring AI-powered consumer research to companies looking for faster, more accessible ways to understand their markets.
• Work directly with the founder. Have a direct influence on sales strategy, positioning, product feedback, and commercial decisions.
• Own your impact. Take responsibility for business development and see a direct connection between your work and the company's growth.
• Grow with the company. Help build Foresenta’s commercial function, with the opportunity to progress into a Chief Revenue Officer (CRO) role and, as the business grows, build and lead a sales team.
• Enjoy flexibility. Work remotely from Europe and organize your working hours around your responsibilities and results.
• Work at the intersection of AI and research. Gain hands-on exposure to an emerging approach to consumer insights, supported by PhD-level expertise.
• Explore long-term alignment. Equity may be possible, depending on the arrangement and mutual fit.

Compensation and engagement

This is a commission-based independent contractor role, rather than a salaried employment position. Compensation is linked to business development and commercial results. Equity may also be considered.

We are looking for someone motivated by the opportunity to build a business, develop valuable customer relationships, and contribute directly to the company's commercial success.

How to apply

Apply through LinkedIn Easy Apply and submit your CV.

A short note outlining the markets you know best, the types of solutions you have sold, and the companies or decision-makers you could help us reach would be especially welcome.

We look forward to hearing from you.