Director of Business Development (Industrial Manufacturing)

Location: Hartford, United States Our client is an established organization operating within the broader industrial and manufacturing sector. The business serves a diverse customer base and is focused on expanding its market presence, strengthening customer relationships, and developing new opportunities for sustainable growth. As part of this continued development, the organization is looking for an experienced business development leader to help shape and execute its commercial growth strategy. This is a senior-level opportunity for an entrepreneurial and commercially minded leader who is comfortable working in a technical environment. The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with a hands-on approach to developing new business, strengthening existing customer relationships, and building the capabilities required to support future growth. The Role The Director of Business Development will take responsibility for identifying and developing growth opportunities across selected markets and customer groups. Working collaboratively with commercial, technical, operational, and leadership teams, this individual will help translate market opportunities into actionable growth initiatives. The role will have significant exposure across the organization and will contribute to both near-term commercial priorities and longer-term business development strategy. As the function develops, the successful candidate will also have the opportunity to build additional business development capability and help shape how the organization approaches new markets and customers. Key Responsibilities Develop and execute business development strategies aligned with the organization's broader commercial objectives. Identify new customers, markets, applications, and opportunities that can support sustainable revenue growth. Build strong relationships with key customer stakeholders and develop a clear understanding of their commercial and operational requirements. Work closely with sales and other internal teams to strengthen existing accounts and pursue new opportunities. Evaluate market activity, customer feedback, and commercial information to identify emerging opportunities and potential areas for investment. Develop account and market plans for priority growth opportunities. Lead selected strategic opportunities from initial engagement through commercial development and implementation. Partner with internal technical and operational teams to ensure customer requirements are understood and appropriately supported. Maintain strong visibility across the commercial pipeline and communicate progress, priorities, and risks to senior leadership. Contribute market and customer insights that can inform broader commercial and business planning. Establish clear performance objectives and measures for business development activities. Support the continued development of commercial processes, tools, and ways of working. Recruit, develop, and lead additional business development resources as the function grows. Represent the organization with customers and industry stakeholders as required. Requirements A bachelor's degree in engineering, business, management, or a related discipline is preferred. Significant experience in business development, sales, commercial leadership, or a related discipline within an industrial, manufacturing, or technical business environment. Experience from industrial manufacturing or engineered products, with exposure to sectors such as heavy equipment, energy, natural resources, agriculture, construction, or other technically complex industrial markets. Demonstrated success developing new customer relationships and generating meaningful commercial growth. Experience working with technically oriented products, services, or solutions. Strong commercial judgment and the ability to evaluate opportunities from both strategic and practical perspectives. Experience developing market, customer, or territory growth strategies. Ability to operate effectively across sales, operations, technical teams, and senior leadership. Experience building, developing, or leading teams would be advantageous. Strong communication, relationship-building, and negotiation capabilities. Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy in a dynamic business environment. Willingness to travel approximately 25% as required. Benefits Competitive base salary of between $180k to $200k Comprehensive benefits Keller is a recruitment agency that provides services to clients ranging from startups and non profits to multinational corporations. 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