Strategic Business Development Lead, Continental Europe

About Second Front Systems Second Front is a venture-backed company on a mission to strengthen global security by accelerating access to emerging technologies for the U.S. and our allies. Founded by Marines who saw firsthand how outdated government acquisition systems held back frontline personnel, we help commercial software companies get mission-critical technology into the hands of government users faster — backed by FedRAMP High, DoD IL2–IL6/JWICS, GovRAMP, UK MOD, and NATO authorizations. Our team is mission-obsessed, collaborative, and decisive, and we’re proud to be Great Place to Work® certified. About the Role Second Front Systems is seeking a hunter-oriented, market-signal-driven, highly disciplined Strategic Business Development Lead to anchor our EMEA commercial organization as our inaugural dedicated hire for continental Europe. This is an individual-contributor role reporting directly to the Head of EMEA. You’ll be operating in a nascent market with no inherited playbook. You will be responsible for creating qualified pipeline, opening target accounts, qualifying buying paths, and closing net-new deals across commercial software vendors, government customers, and regulated enterprises. You’ll pressure-test our target customer profile and buying paths through direct prospecting, named-account work, and live opportunities — identifying the lighthouse customers that establish credible European proof points and unlock a repeatable commercial motion across priority continental markets. We’re looking for a zero-to-one player who can map mission needs, buyers, budgets, procurement routes, and decision criteria in government and defense pursuits; who can tell the difference between genuine revenue opportunity and mere access or activity; and who brings real discipline to pipeline management, account planning, and forecasting. In short: you’ll be the organization’s primary route to European market entry and scaled commercial revenue. Work authorization & location: This position requires EU residency with existing, valid work authorization. Second Front cannot sponsor candidates at this time. We’re hiring EU-wide for this role (candidates based in the Netherlands or Denmark are of particular interest, but we welcome applicants anywhere in the EU). Employment type & schedule: This is a full-time, remote position based in the EU, with compensation designated in EUR. Regular travel across continental Europe should be expected. What You’ll Do - Own opportunities from initial contact through contract signature. The hard part: qualifying budget and procurement authority before investing in discovery. - Build a qualified pipeline across commercial software vendors, government entities, and regulated enterprises. The hard part: telling procurement-ready leads apart from exploratory inquiries. - Run named-account coverage through direct prospecting, referrals, and partner channels. The hard part: keeping account discipline across overlapping routes to the same buyer. - Map government and defense pursuits — mission needs, buyer roles, budget cycles, procurement vehicles, and decision criteria. The hard part: validating those criteria before discovery even begins. - Identify the lighthouse customers in Europe that establish accreditable proof points and unlock adjacent accounts. The hard part: qualifying replicability before committing to a pilot. - Validate ideal customer profiles, pricing, and buying paths through live opportunities. The hard part: separating real signal from noise in early-stage feedback. - Assess routes to revenue via hyperscalers, sovereign cloud providers, primes, and systems integrators. The hard part: mapping technical fit to what a given market actually needs. - Coordinate with ou