Business Development Manager

Thorpe Specialty Services Corporation•The Woodlands, TX

12d•Onsite

About The Position

The Business Development Manager is responsible for driving revenue growth, expanding market presence, and developing strategic customer relationships for the organization’s industrial services offerings, including refractory solutions, corrosion protection, rubber lining, scaffolding, and related specialty services. This role focuses on identifying new business opportunities, supporting strategic account development, and collaborating closely with Operations, Estimating, Engineering, and executive leadership to support sustainable growth and operational alignment.

Requirements

Proven business development, sales, account management, or customer relationship experience within industrial services, energy, construction, manufacturing, or project-based operational environments required.
Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
Ability to communicate technical and non-technical concepts effectively to customers and internal stakeholders.
Strong organizational, analytical, strategic thinking, and time management skills.
Self-motivated with the ability to work independently, prioritize competing demands, and meet deadlines in fast-paced operational environments.
Ability to adapt to evolving technologies, customer requirements, market conditions, and operational priorities.
Willingness and ability to travel regularly to customer sites, industrial facilities, conferences, and operational locations.
Must be able to safely operate a motor vehicle and maintain a valid driver’s license in accordance with company requirements.
Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Marketing, Communications, Business Administration, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field preferred; equivalent work experience may be considered.
Familiarity with heavy industrial, petrochemical, refinery, power generation, manufacturing, or construction environments preferred.
Strong understanding of industrial maintenance services, turnaround work, specialty contracting services, and project-based operations preferred.
Experience utilizing CRM systems, reporting tools, business intelligence platforms, or sales analytics software preferred.
Experience utilizing automation technologies, market analytics tools, predictive analytics, or AI-assisted business development platforms preferred.

Responsibilities

Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities within petrochemical, power generation, mining, manufacturing, and other industrial markets.
Conduct market research and competitive analysis to understand customer needs, maintenance cycles, asset integrity initiatives, and emerging industry trends.
Develop and execute business development strategies aligned with company growth objectives, operational capabilities, and market priorities.
Monitor competitor activity, pricing trends, market conditions, and customer buying behaviors to strengthen competitive positioning.
Build and maintain strong relationships with customer decision-makers, procurement professionals, operations personnel, engineers, reliability teams, and executive leadership.
Conduct regular customer visits, technical discussions, planning meetings, and executive-level interactions to maintain engagement and strengthen customer partnerships.
Represent the company at industry events, conferences, networking functions, and customer meetings to enhance market visibility and brand recognition.
Position the company as a trusted partner by understanding customer operational drivers, business pressures, and long-term goals.
Serve as the voice of the customer internally to support alignment between customer expectations and operational execution.
Qualify leads, support proposal preparation, and coordinate tendering activities in collaboration with estimating, engineering, operations, and safety teams.
Lead opportunity development efforts from early-stage engagement through proposal coordination, pricing discussions, negotiation support, and contract award.
Support contract negotiations, pricing strategies, and scope development while ensuring compliance with company approval processes.
Maintain a structured sales pipeline and provide regular reporting regarding pursuits, forecasts, market conditions, and progress against business development goals.
Utilize reporting tools, dashboards, analytics platforms, and AI-assisted forecasting technologies to improve sales visibility, forecasting accuracy, and strategic planning.
Identify opportunities to improve sales processes, customer engagement workflows, reporting consistency, and operational coordination through automation and technology enhancements.
Develop understanding of technical services involving refractory systems, corrosion protection, rubber lining, coatings, scaffolding, and specialty industrial services.
Coordinate with Operations, Engineering, Estimating, Safety, and Project Management teams to ensure proposed solutions are technically feasible, operationally executable, and commercially competitive.
Participate in planning meetings, project reviews, and post-execution evaluations to strengthen customer relationships and future opportunities.
Provide ongoing market feedback and customer insights to support service line development, staffing strategies, operational planning, and continuous improvement initiatives.
Ensure effective handoff of awarded projects including customer expectations, scope clarity, operational requirements, and relationship continuity.
Maintain compliance with company policies, customer requirements, safety standards, and ethical business practices.
Maintain confidentiality and integrity of customer, contractual, pricing, and business-sensitive information.
Adhere to company and customer safety requirements while visiting industrial facilities, customer sites, and operational environments.
Support special projects, strategic initiatives, and additional business development responsibilities as assigned.