Senior Manager Business Development

Job Summary:

The Senior Manager of Business Development will work closely with the VP of Business Development to identify and penetrate new industrial markets, develop strategic customer and channel partnerships, and generate new business opportunities for Lex Innovations. A key strategic priority is to expand Lex's customer base beyond its traditional equipment rental channels by establishing direct relationships with EPC firms, electrical contractors, large industrial end users, and other previously underserved customer segments.

This is a highly proactive, hands-on role requiring an entrepreneurial mindset, strong relationship-building skills, and a results-oriented approach to business development. The position will focus on identifying and engaging new prospects, opening doors, developing relationships, and advancing opportunities, while helping establish scalable business development processes and collaborating with the existing Sales Team to drive sustainable revenue growth.

Reporting Relationship:

VP, Business Development

Key Duties & Responsibilities

•    New Market Development: Work closely with the VP of Business Development to identify, pursue, and develop new business opportunities across targeted industrial markets, including Data Centers, Energy & Power, Shipbuilding, Mining, Petrochemical, Steel, and other heavy industrial sectors.

•    Market Exploration & Target Identification: Actively explore targeted markets to identify key industry participants, prospective customers, major projects, established suppliers, distributors, and potential strategic partners. Develop and prioritize actionable prospect lists, leveraging industry rankings, market intelligence, trade associations, and other resources.

•    Proactive Prospecting & Lead Generation: Execute hands-on prospecting and outreach activities through phone calls, email, LinkedIn, referrals, networking, and other channels to engage prospective customers, establish relationships, secure introductory meetings, and generate qualified new business opportunities.

•    Distributor & Channel Development: Identify, approach, and develop relationships with established distributors, equipment suppliers, and other channel partners serving targeted industrial markets. Leverage their existing customer relationships, industry knowledge, and market presence to accelerate entry into new markets and expand sales opportunities.

•    Strategic Account & Customer Development: Identify and engage key decision-makers, influencers, specifiers, engineering teams, procurement personnel, and operations leaders within targeted organizations. Develop and manage assigned customer relationships while collaborating with the VP of Business Development and Sales Team on larger strategic accounts and opportunities.

•    Business Development Process & Execution: Collaborate with the VP of Business Development to establish and implement structured prospecting processes, outreach strategies, follow-up cadences, account assignments, and opportunity management practices to ensure consistent execution and accountability.

•    Industry Networking & Representation: Actively represent Lex Innovations at industry trade shows, conferences, association meetings, customer facilities, and networking events to expand industry relationships, identify prospective customers and partners, and generate new business opportunities.

•    Opportunity Development & Pipeline Management: Build and maintain an active pipeline of prospective customers, channel partners, and new business opportunities. Coordinate customer meetings, product presentations, technical discussions, and follow-up activities, engaging internal resources as needed to advance opportunities toward quotations, orders, and long-term business relationships.

•    Market Intelligence & Customer Feedback: Gather practical market intelligence through direct engagement with customers, distributors, and industry contacts to understand purchasing practices, competitive offerings, equipment requirements, and emerging opportunities. Share relevant insights with Product Management, Engineering, and Sales to help identify customer-driven product enhancements and new applications.

•    Cross-Functional Collaboration & Sales Coordination: Work closely with Sales, Product Management, Engineering, Marketing, Finance, and other internal stakeholders to support market development initiatives, coordinate customer engagement, develop appropriate sales tools, and facilitate the effective transition of opportunities to the existing Sales Team when appropriate.

Required Skills/Abilities: 

•    Proven track record of identifying and developing new business opportunities, penetrating new markets, establishing new customer accounts, and driving revenue growth.

•    Strong prospecting and networking skills, with a proactive, hands-on approach to identifying decision-makers, initiating contact, securing meetings, and advancing opportunities.

•    Ability to build and maintain relationships with senior-level decision-makers, key influencers, and purchasing personnel within complex organizations, including EPC firms, electrical contractors, and large industrial end users.

•    Experience developing strategic partnerships with distributors and other channel partners to expand market reach and accelerate new business development.

•    Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, interpersonal, and negotiation skills, with the ability to build trust, influence decisions, and effectively engage customers and internal stakeholders.

•    Strong organizational and follow-through skills, with the ability to manage multiple prospects and opportunities, maintain consistent outreach, and effectively utilize CRM and other business development tools.

•    Entrepreneurial mindset, self-motivation, persistence, and strong business acumen, with the ability to work independently, take initiative, and navigate unfamiliar markets and ambiguous situations.

•    Ability to understand technical products and customer applications, identify opportunities, and collaborate effectively with Sales, Engineering, Product Management, and other internal teams to advance business opportunities.

Education and Experience:

•    BA/BS in Marketing, Business Management, Engineering or related field;  MBA preferred

•    Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience in sales, business development, or strategic account development, preferably within industrial equipment, electrical products, construction, or related industrial markets.