Business Development and Commercialization Specialist at Mintek

Introduction

Mintek seeks a technically credible Business Development Specialist to originate, shape, and position opportunities for the Mineral Processing & Characterisation (MPC) Cluster and, where appropriate, for the broader Mintek platform. This is a science-and-engineering business development role in an R&D environment, not a generic sales or finance post.

Duties & Responsibilities

Key Performance Indicators

• Proactively identify, originate, pursue, and help mature business, partnership, investor, and funding opportunities on behalf of the MPC Cluster.
• Scan the market for opportunities aligned with MPC capabilities and identify higher-value opportunities that can be positioned through broader Mintek integration.
• Work closely with ACD, MND, and MPD technical teams to extract, interpret, and package key technical insights into externally relevant value propositions.
• Integrate capabilities across MPC and, where relevant, across EXT and MMA into coherent solution offerings that address real client and sector needs.
• Shape opportunities into structured programmes, projects, concept notes, proposals, and partnership initiatives with clear scope, deliverables, and commercial logic.
• Contribute to appropriate scoping, costing, and pricing so that the full value of Mintek's technical capability is reflected.
• Engage mining companies, industrial partners, government stakeholders, development finance institutions, funding agencies, and investors in a credible and well-structured manner.
• Support the positioning and communication of techno-economic scenarios and investment cases prepared by technical specialists, including discussion of metrics such as NPV, IRR, payback, discount rate, sensitivity, and scenario-based cases.
• Build and manage an opportunity pipeline that supports funding growth, revenue generation, and strategic partnerships for MPC and, where appropriate, for the wider Mintek platform.

Job Knowledge And Experience

• Demonstrated ability to work credibly with technical specialists and translate complex technical content into partner-facing opportunity narratives.
• Proven exposure to opportunity origination, proposal development, programme shaping, commercial scoping, costing, pricing, or strategic partnership development.
• Experience in business development, technology commercialisation, innovation management, programme development, or opportunity development in a science-based, engineering, mining, minerals, or industrial R&D environment.
• Working familiarity with techno-economic concepts and the ability to engage in discussions involving NPV, IRR, payback, discount rates, sensitivities, and scenario-based investment cases.
• Sound commercial reasoning and sufficient financial literacy to engage with business cases and pricing logic.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare clear business-facing and investor-facing material.
• Integrated solution development across divisions and clusters.
• Stakeholder engagement and relationship development.

Important Note: This role requires a strong appreciation of the science-and-engineering

R&D environment and its relationship to the mining and minerals industry. Candidates with purely finance or generic commercial qualifications, without sufficient technical grounding or demonstrated ability to operate in a science-led R&D context, are unlikely to be suitable.

Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years industrial experience in technical, R&D, or consulting environment within the mining, minerals, materials or process control sectors.
• A relevant degree (BSc, BEng, or equivalent) in science or engineering is required. An MSc/PhD will be advantageous.
• Relevant academic backgrounds may include mineral processing, metallurgy, chemical engineering, chemistry, mineralogy, process engineering, mining-related engineering, or closely aligned scientific and engineering disciplines.
• Strong technical grounding and the ability to operate credibly in a science-led R&D environment linked to the mining and minerals industry are essential.
• Experience in business development, technology commercialisation, innovation management, programme development, strategic partnerships, or opportunity development in a relevant technical environment will be advantageous.
• An MBA or postgraduate business/commercial qualification, supported by strong technical grounding, will be advantageous.

Behavioural Competencies

• Be able to work in a team.
• Excellent communication, presentation and organisational skills.
• Attention to detail, ability to follow up and take initiative.
• Initiative, judgment and delivery focus.

Desired Experience & Qualification

Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years industrial experience in technical, R&D, or consulting environment within the mining, minerals, materials or process control sectors.
• A relevant degree (BSc, BEng, or equivalent) in science or engineering is required. An MSc/PhD will be advantageous.
• Relevant academic backgrounds may include mineral processing, metallurgy, chemical engineering, chemistry, mineralogy, process engineering, mining-related engineering, or closely aligned scientific and engineering disciplines.
• Strong technical grounding and the ability to operate credibly in a science-led R&D environment linked to the mining and minerals industry are essential.
• Experience in business development, technology commercialisation, innovation management, programme development, strategic partnerships, or opportunity development in a relevant technical environment will be advantageous.
• An MBA or postgraduate business/commercial qualification, supported by strong technical grounding, will be advantageous.