Business Development Manager – US

GWT•Avondale, LA

About The Position

The Business Development Manager is responsible for growing GWT’s revenue by expanding business with existing customers and developing new customers across the company’s markets. Reporting to the Chief Operations Officer and working closely with division leaders, the role manages customer relationships, builds and manages the sales pipeline, and coordinates with operations, engineering, and finance to convert opportunities into profitable work. This is an individual-contributor position with no direct reports, operating independently against defined targets and with commercial authority within approved limits. It is designated safety-sensitive and requires compliance with applicable safety, quality, export-control, and information-protection procedures. The role develops new business and customer accounts, manages proposals and contract reviews, supports negotiations within delegated authority, and maintains accurate CRM records and sales forecasts. It serves as the primary commercial contact for assigned accounts, builds account plans and recurring customer programs, gathers customer and market feedback, and coordinates pursuits and awarded work with GWT’s business divisions. Travel to customer offices, project and manufacturing sites, and industry events is required, up to approximately 40% of the time, including occasional international travel. The position is primarily office-based, with regular site visits and occasional work outside normal business hours to accommodate customer schedules and events. The position is exempt under the Fair Labor Standards Act. GWT offers a competitive salary commensurate with experience and eligibility for a performance-based incentive plan tied to revenue and margin targets. Benefits include health, dental, and vision insurance, and a 401(k) plan with company match upon eligibility.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
Seven or more years of B2B sales or business development experience selling technical services, engineered products, or industrial manufacturing, with a documented record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets.
Demonstrated success growing revenue within an existing customer base through account management, upselling, and cross-selling.
Ability to complete customer site-access and safety-orientation requirements before visiting customer and project sites.
Proficiency with CRM platforms and Microsoft 365, including Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Teams.
Strong written proposal and presentation skills.
Ability to read, understand, and follow written procedures and safety instructions in English.
Authorization to work in the United States.
Must qualify as a U.S. Person under 22 CFR § 120.62 (U.S. citizen, U.S. lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)); the role requires access to information and technologies controlled under ITAR and/or EAR.
Valid driver’s license and acceptable driving record; ability to obtain a passport for international travel.
Ability to sit for extended periods and use a computer, keyboard, and monitors for most of the workday.
Ability to occasionally lift and carry objects weighing up to 25 lb (11 kg).
Ability to communicate clearly in person, by phone, email, and video conference.
Ability to work primarily in an office and to visit sites, including outdoor exposure to heat, cold, wind, precipitation, and elevated noise.
Ability to drive personal or company vehicles to customer and project sites, frequently in rural areas and over long distances.
Ability to complete pre-employment and ongoing drug and alcohol screening consistent with GWT’s drug-free workplace program for safety-sensitive positions.
Ability to travel domestically up to 40%, with occasional international travel, and occasionally work outside normal business hours to accommodate customer schedules and events.

Nice To Haves

Sales experience in heavy industrial, energy, or advanced manufacturing markets.
Familiarity with composite materials, advanced manufacturing, or technical field services.
Experience selling into government or regulated markets, including familiarity with federal procurement.
Experience negotiating MSAs and multi-year agreements.
An established professional network within GWT’s target markets.

Responsibilities

Achieve annual revenue growth targets across assigned business lines through new customers and expanded business with existing accounts, while meeting approved gross-margin thresholds.
Identify, qualify, and win new customers; maintain a qualified CRM pipeline with sufficient coverage of annual targets.
Lead preparation of quotes and proposals with operations and engineering, aligning scope, schedule, pricing, and terms with GWT’s cost structure and risk tolerance, and obtain internal approval before submission.
Review customer requirements—including scope, technical and quality requirements, schedule, and commercial terms—before accepting quotes and orders, in accordance with GWT QMS procedures and AS9100 clause 8.2.3.
Support negotiation of NDAs, MSAs, SOWs, and purchase orders within delegated authority, and hand awarded work to operations with a complete and accurate scope.
Represent GWT at industry conferences, trade shows, and customer events, and convert contacts into qualified opportunities.
Maintain accurate CRM records and provide the Chief Technology Officer with a monthly sales forecast and pipeline report.
Meet or speak with each active customer weekly or bi-weekly to review work in progress, upcoming needs, and satisfaction, documenting every contact in the CRM.
Develop account plans for key customers that identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities across GWT’s services, manufacturing, and testing capabilities.
Convert one-off orders into MSAs, framework agreements, and multi-year programs to build recurring revenue.
Serve as the primary commercial contact for assigned accounts; coordinate with project managers on schedules, change orders, and issue resolution, and promptly escalate quality or delivery concerns.
Collect customer satisfaction feedback, market intelligence, and competitor activity, and report findings to leadership to support QMS customer-satisfaction monitoring and inform pricing and service development.
Coordinate with division leaders to align pursuits with available capacity, technical capability, and company priorities before committing to scope or schedule.
Translate GWT’s technical capabilities into clear customer value propositions using each customer’s procurement and technical language.
Hand off opportunities requiring deep technical pursuit to the responsible division lead and support them through award.
Handle controlled technical information in accordance with GWT’s ITAR/EAR export-control and CUI procedures.
Track opportunities by business line in the CRM so that they are qualified, followed up, and correctly attributed.
Comply with GWT, customer, and site EHS requirements; stop work when conditions pose a risk to safety, quality, or the environment.
Follow GWT QMS procedures, including work instructions, records, and traceability requirements.
Maintain a clean and organized work area; in shop and field settings, follow tool-control, housekeeping, and FOD-control requirements.
Participate in required safety, quality, and technical training and complete assigned development requirements.
Protect company proprietary, customer, confidential, and export-controlled information as applicable.
Travel to customer offices, project and manufacturing sites, and industry events, domestically and occasionally internationally, up to approximately 40% of the time.
Perform other duties as assigned to support business needs.