Business Development Director

S&C Electric Company•Chicago, IL

6d•Remote

About The Position

The Business Development Director spearheads long-term strategic pipeline development, promoting the large-scale adoption of S&C’s innovative and disruptive solutions for the electrical grid. Through expert technical knowledge and business insight, the Business Development Director leverages extensive market insight and detailed customer knowledge to strategically pinpoint target customers and proactively uncover new opportunities for the uptake of S&C’s grid automation solutions. Their work is pivotal in driving market growth, ensuring S&C remains at the forefront of grid automation adoption and enhancing S&C’s ability to achieve order entry goals. The Business Development Director partners with internal stakeholders across various teams to serve as a compelling advocate for the customer’s voice, shaping product features and enhancements. They are instrumental in facilitating strategic customer engagements and nurturing key relationships to guide and influence capital investment decisions regarding S&C's solutions.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field
Valid driver's license in good standing and clean driving record
Typically ten (10) years of progressive experience in a high-level business development role, preferably within a utility or related industry.
Proven track record of success in business development and partnership with sales teams to drive the adoption and large-scale deployment of company solutions.
Expert knowledge of electrical power systems and distribution networks, including medium voltage switchgear and lateral automation solutions.
Comprehensive understanding of S&C’s solutions with the ability to assess and synthesize S&C solutions with customer needs to develop integrated solutions.
Proven ability to identify and prioritize business opportunities, develop compelling business cases, and influence high-level decision-making processes.
Able to prioritize the buyer's voice, understand their drivers and anticipate their behavior through active listening, cognitive decoding and perspective-taking.
Advanced business acumen, entrepreneurial approach, and analytical skills with the ability to use and analyze data to drive informed decisions, problem-solve complex issues, and leverage data and learnings to drive continuous improvement.
Advanced financial acumen and numerical ability to understand the financial landscape of S&C’s competitive environment.
Excellent communication skills, (written, verbal, listening, and presentation) able to liaise with internal and external stakeholders at all levels, from senior executives to support staff.
Creative, persuasive, and compelling in communicating how solutions meet the needs of customers and comfortable presenting to a variety of audiences, both small face-to-face interactions through large conferences and formal presentations.
Exceptional interpersonal skills to establish meaningful relationships built on mutual trust and respect, navigate and resolve conflict, moderate behaviors and foster collaborative working relationships amongst a diverse audience.
The ability to travel as required.

Nice To Haves

Master’s in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field
Advanced organizational, planning, and project management skills, coordinating internal and external resources, creative problem-solving when obstacles arise, and juggling a heavy volume of diverse projects, including both strategic and tactical assignments.
Demonstrated experience in CRM systems (Salesforce desirable) maintaining and leveraging data for reporting purposes.
Proficient computer skills, including experience using Oracle and Microsoft Office suite (Excel, Word, Outlook).

Responsibilities

Proactively monitor market sizing, accessibility, industry trends, competitor activities, regulatory changes, and emerging technologies and markets to evaluate risks and opportunities to maintain a competitive edge.
Utilize market insights to develop and update business development strategies that address the market, inform product development initiatives and direct sales activities.
Build and nurture a network of industry contacts to stay informed and abreast of political, economic, social, technological, regulatory, and environmental factors driving customer decision-making.
Facilitate and promote external workshops to discover customers' current and future business capabilities with the goal of identifying, prioritizing, and measuring key business value drivers.
Identify target customers and key players in the ecosystem by categorizing customers according to their relationship strength, financial robustness, appetite for innovation, and other relevant indicators. Use this information to develop strategic multi-functional offerings and initiatives.
In collaboration with sales, engage directly with customer teams, up to and including executives, to understand their challenges and goals and develop actionable strategies to address these challenges.
Prepare and present visionary business cases and educational collateral to articulate the strategic and financial value of grid automation solutions for C-suite executives.
Quantify and communicate the long-term value realized from S&C’s grid automation investments to support transformational capital decisions.
Work closely with key stakeholders to help define target customers and prioritize sales initiatives, based on value creation potential, relationship strength and opportunity size.
Influence internal buy-in for a cross-function sales capture approach that clearly identifies roles and responsibilities across S&C.
Partner with Sales & Sales Enablement teams to develop playbooks for different scenarios to move the customers forward.
Engage and collaborate with PSS as needed to facilitate streamlined change management plans for customers, ensuring they have the support and resources necessary to deploy S&C’s grid automation solutions.
Actively engage with the product development and product management team to influence product roadmaps and serve as the customer's voice by participating in various steering committees.
Provide recommendations and business cases for product features and customization based on customer insights and feedback.
Oversee and manage the pipeline for customer product trials, ensuring seamless execution and timely feedback to product teams on performance and improvements.
Partner with sales as a trusted advisor and consultant to lead the early stages of business development activities.
Lead major high-value/high-stakes business development initiatives for the assigned region/customers, acting as the owner of business development activities and a key decision maker for new development projects in the region.
Act as a direct partner to Regional Vice Presidents and Regional Directors, ensuring alignment of business development initiatives with regional sales strategies.
Collaborate across assigned regions to drive the adoption of S&C’s grid automation solutions.
Attend and present updates at regional sales meetings, providing comprehensive updates on high-priority activities, updates, etc.
Role model Salesforce best practice, maintaining timely and accurate records of business development activities, customer interactions, and pipeline management.
Represent S&C as a thought leader at conferences and industry meetings to enhance brand positioning and market reputation.
Provide training and consultative support to internal teams, fostering consultative selling capabilities across the organization.
Travel as needed (primarily domestically with some international travel) to support business development activities.
Entertain customers during and outside of business hours, as appropriate, to establish customer relationships necessary to propel relationships and opportunities forward.
Understand and comply with all applicable Company policies and rules.

Benefits

Medical & Prescription
Dental
Vision
Health Care and Dependent Care Flexible Spending Accounts
Health Savings Account (HSA)
Group Life Insurance
optional Supplemental Life and AD&D Insurance
Wellbeing Resources including Employee Assistance Program and Family Forming Benefits (i.e., Adoption and Fertility support)
Vacation Time
Sick Time
Paid Holidays and Company Shutdown days
Short-Term Disability
Long-Term Disability
Other Leaves
Paid Parental Time
Military Leave
401(k) Retirement Savings and Employee Stock Ownership Plan (KSOP) offering traditional and Roth 401(k) options and an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) component; KSOP participants can receive annual ESOP company contributions of over 11% of eligible earnings (3% Core, up to 3.5% Match, Variable Periodic).