BDM - Automotive - Tier 1

Location: US – Midwest / Southeast preferred, with easy access to a major airport
Travel: Regular customer travel required
Industry: Automotive / Industrial Manufacturing / Engineered Solutions

Are you a commercially driven Business Development or Sales professional with experience selling technical products or engineered solutions into the automotive supply chain?

We are supporting a growing organisation as they look to appoint a Business Development Manager – Automotive / New Business Development to identify and win new customers, applications and revenue opportunities across the Tier 1 automotive market.

This is a hands-on, new-business-focused role for someone who understands automotive manufacturing, is confident developing relationships with technical and commercial stakeholders, and has the drive to turn opportunities into long-term customer relationships.

The OpportunityThe organisation already has a strong presence within the Tier 1 market and is targeting significant growth over the coming years.
The successful candidate will play a key role in identifying new opportunities and helping expand the business by:

• Prospecting for and developing new Tier 1 automotive and adjacent manufacturing customers.
• Building relationships with purchasing, engineering, operations, quality and plant-level stakeholders.
• Identifying customer requirements, applications and opportunities where engineered solutions can add value.
• Developing opportunities from initial prospecting and qualification through to quoting and commercial follow-up.
• Building and maintaining a strong new-business pipeline.
• Conducting market and competitor research to identify potential customers and emerging opportunities.
• Developing long-term relationships with new customers and turning initial opportunities into sustainable revenue.
• Working closely with Engineering, Operations, Inside Sales, Customer Service and Leadership to develop appropriate customer solutions.
• Managing CRM activity, opportunity progression, forecasting and follow-up.
• Representing the organisation professionally at customer meetings, plant visits and industry events.

About You:
We're looking for a proactive, confident and commercially minded sales professional who enjoys opening doors and developing new business.
You will ideally have:

• Experience in business development, sales, account development or technical sales.
• Experience selling into automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers or the wider automotive supply chain.
• A strong understanding of automotive manufacturing environments.
• Experience selling fabricated parts, engineered components, technical products, engineered solutions or similar B2B offerings.
• Proven experience prospecting and developing new customer relationships.
• The ability to engage comfortably with both technical and commercial stakeholders.
• Strong relationship-building and communication skills.
• The technical aptitude to understand customer requirements and identify appropriate solutions.
• Commercial confidence and the ability to progress opportunities through a potentially long sales cycle.
• A proactive, self-motivated approach with the energy and persistence required for new business development.

Experience within the Heavy Truck / Commercial Vehicle sector or other Tier 1 automotive environments would be particularly advantageous.
We would also consider candidates from closely related industrial manufacturing or technical product environments who have experience selling into automotive customers.
The PersonThis role would suit someone who is still relatively early or mid-way through their sales career and is ready to take the next step.
We're looking for someone who is:

• Charismatic and confident when dealing with customers.
• Naturally curious and able to understand customer challenges.
• Comfortable initiating conversations and developing new relationships.
• Commercially hungry and motivated by winning new business.
• Able to work with engineers and purchasing teams and translate technical requirements into commercial opportunities.
• Organised and disciplined when managing a sales pipeline.
• Comfortable operating independently while working closely with internal teams.

Location & Travel:
Candidates based across the Midwest and Southeast US will be considered, with particular interest in areas such as Michigan/Detroit, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Candidates located within easy reach of a major US airport will also be considered.

Regular customer travel will be required, so you should be comfortable travelling as part of the role.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to join an organisation with an established presence in the automotive supply chain and play a key role in its next phase of growth.
You'll have the opportunity to build new customer relationships, develop new applications and directly influence revenue growth, working alongside engineering and commercial teams to deliver solutions to major automotive manufacturers and suppliers.
If you're an ambitious technical sales or business development professional who enjoys winning new business and building something for the long term, we'd be keen to hear from you.


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Orion Group was founded in 1987 and is now one of the largest, independent, international recruitment companies. We have a network of 200 employees working from 24 offices, delivering a range of services – Talent Acquisition, Recruitment Outsourcing Services, Retained Search, Global Workforce Solutions, Completions & Commissioning and Materials Management – across 68 countries. As a global leader in workforce solutions, we recruit personnel across the Engineering & Technical, Office & Commercial, Scientific and Skilled Trades disciplines, for sectors including Oil & Gas, Life Science, Power & Utilities, Constructions & Infrastructure, Manufacturing and Renewables.