Business Development Manager - Japan

About Nearfield Instruments
Nearfield Instruments (NFI) is a fast-growing high-tech scale-up that designs, develops, integrates, markets, and services advanced semiconductor metrology solutions. Our instruments enable the world’s leading chipmakers to improve production yield and device performance—powering smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient electronics.

Founded in 2016, Nearfield brings together top scientific and engineering talent to deliver a unique, high-throughput Scanning Probe Microscopy platform for next-generation semiconductor manufacturing.

As we continue to expand globally, Japan is a key strategic market with strong opportunities for long-term business growth and partnership development.

The Role
As Business Development Manager Japan, you will lead Nearfield’s commercial development in Japan and play a critical role in building our market presence.

This is a remote, Japan-based role with a strong senior stakeholder focus, where success depends on your ability to build trusted, long-term relationships with key decision-makers in leading semiconductor manufacturing organizations.

While the role carries a manager title, the scope and impact are senior in nature, requiring a high level of autonomy, strategic thinking, and executive engagement.

You act as the primary commercial interface between Japanese customers and Nearfield’s global organization, ensuring alignment between customer needs, business opportunities, and our technology roadmap.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development & Strategy

• Define and execute Nearfield’s growth strategy in Japan

• Identify and develop new opportunities within semiconductor manufacturers and ecosystem partners

• Establish Nearfield as a trusted, long-term partner in the Japanese market

Executive Relationship Management

• Build, develop, and maintain relationships at senior and executive level (Director, VP, C-level)

• Engage stakeholders through consistent, trust-based interactions

• Navigate complex, consensus-driven decision-making processes

Opportunity Development & Sales

• Translate customer needs into tailored value propositions

• Lead discussions on technical solutions, timelines, and commercial terms

• Manage complex, high-value and long-cycle sales processes

• Support and lead negotiations to secure strategic deals

Customer & Market Impact

• Act as the voice of the customer within Nearfield

• Strengthen long-term partnerships with key accounts

• Provide market and competitive insights

• Contribute directly to revenue growth and strategic positioning

Internal Collaboration

• Work closely with Product, Engineering, Applications, and Marketing teams globally

• Ensure alignment between customer requirements and Nearfield’s roadmap

• Facilitate communication between Japanese customers and international teams

Who You Are

• A senior business development professional with a strong track record in the semiconductor industry

• Experienced in building long-term, trust-based relationships at executive level

• Comfortable operating with high autonomy in a market-facing role

• Skilled in navigating Japanese business culture and relationship dynamics

• Strong communicator, able to bridge technical depth and commercial value

• Results-driven and resilient, with patience for long sales cycles

Required Experience & Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Business Development Manager, Sales Manager, or Account Manager in the semiconductor industry

• Demonstrated track record of engaging and influencing executive-level stakeholders within leading semiconductor manufacturers

• Strong network and credibility within the semiconductor ecosystem

• Experience in semiconductor equipment, metrology, or high-tech capital equipment environments

• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder sales processes

• Deep understanding of Japanese business culture

• Strong commercial and negotiation skills

• Fluent in Japanese and English (business level required)

• Based in Japan (remote role with regular customer engagement)

What We Offer

• A high-impact role in a fast-growing deep-tech company

• Opportunity to shape Nearfield’s growth in a strategic market

• High degree of ownership and autonomy

• Close collaboration with international teams and leading customers

• A dynamic and entrepreneurial working environment