Research Development Manager Jobs in Fort Wayne, IN

Business Development Manager
 
Job Location: Remote (Eastern Time Zone)
Reports to: Chief Commercial Officer
About PPG
Precision Products Group (PPG) is a growing global leader in converting niche engineered materials for electrical, aerospace & defense, medical, and industrial markets. As a result of our continued growth, we are seeking a Business Development Manager role to support our commercial needs and continue developing our sales and marketing strategy.  Precision Products Group operates across multiple company divisions and brands, which include Cindus Corporation, Paramount Tube, Breyden Products, Saylor Technical Products, and Euclid Medical.
Role Overview
The Business Development Manager role is a highly motivated, autonomous, self-confident, and results-driven sales partner that exhibits a strong customer-centric approach to support PPGs commercial offerings across multiple business lines.  This role will be responsible for developing and executing the sales & marketing strategy for new business growth, continued support of existing business, and overall attainment of top-line revenue and profitability targets for the annual business plan.  This is a critical role that will work collaboratively with product development and our operations team to provide customers with high value solutions, develop new capabilities, and expand product offerings into new markets.  This role will drive revenue growth by cultivating relationships with key accounts, distributors, OEM partners, and end-use customers across industrial, automative, and electrical markets.  The Business Development Manager will demonstrate a high level of business acumen, strategic selling, technical expertise, and an ability to manage multiple priorities and projects to reach successful conclusions.  This role will work with customers and prospects to develop a deep understanding of critical and unique needs and how the PPG suite of products can fulfill their needs through a consultative sales approach and the ability to collaborate cross-functionally within PPG.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development & Sales

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities in target segments utilizing a comprehensive set of selling tools, strategies, and processes that deliver results.
• Lead the development and implementation of sales growth and annual business plans to execute sales strategies in vertical market and territory business plans aligned with annual revenue and margin targets.
• Develop a prioritized list of prospects for targeted new business growth in both existing and new customers.
• Successfully lead and manage the full sales cycle to include prospecting, lead qualification, quoting and sampling, contract negotiation, closing of business, and implementation/delivery of products.
• Identifies new product opportunities and market expansion ideas by researching targeted industries, related events, and industry publications. 
• Conducts market analysis to identify trends and competitive activity to consistently improve and adjust sales strategies that drive business growth.
• Manage and grow the portfolio of existing accounts while actively expanding the customer base through new business development and acquisition.
• Identifies strategic partnerships that align with business needs and enhance business relationships that support long-term and sustained growth and strengthen customer relationships.
• Prepares proposals and presents to customers leveraging sales expertise that highlights PPG products uniqueness and competitive advantage that demonstrates value to the customer or prospect.  

Customer & Partner Relations

• Build and maintain strong relationships with decision-makers including procurement, R&D, engineering, and operations teams at customer and prospect organizations.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for strategic accounts; coordinate internal resources to ensure customer satisfaction and retention.
• Partner with distributors and channel partners to develop joint business plans and support selling opportunities through partnership development.
• Attend industry trade shows, conferences, and customer events as a key representative of the organization and build relationships through networking opportunities.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner with product development, technical experts, engineering, procurement, and operations to provide application support, product recommendations, and tailored solutions for customer requirements.
• Collaborate with marketing resources on the execution of go-to-market strategies, product launches, and promotional materials that drive customer interaction.
• Provide Voice of Customer (VOC) insights to inform product development and portfolio strategy.
• Coordinate with internal departments and resources to support key business objectives and attainment of annual business plans through pricing strategies, profitability modeling, and customer segmentation.

Reporting & Pipeline Management

• Maintain accurate CRM records including pipeline activity, account plans, and competitive intelligence.
• Provide regular forecasting updates and business reviews to sales leadership.
• Measures and tracks key sales funnel metrics, including activity metrics on a weekly and monthly basis to ensure resources are applied appropriately based prospect rankings.
• Track KPIs including revenue growth, new account wins, gross margin, and pipeline velocity.

Qualifications & Competencies

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Entrepreneurship, or related field required; Master’s degree or MBA preferred.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in business development or technical sales.
• Demonstrated experience in collaborating with existing customers and prospective customers on product design requirements, new product development, and .
• Experience with requirements based selling and consultative sales skills techniques. 
• Excellent analytical, data analysis, troubleshooting, and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong knowledge and experience with technical products and highly engineered parts, or an aptitude to quickly develop knowledge and proficiency of highly engineered technical products.
• Demonstrated ability to formulate sales strategies based on business implications and is action oriented in flawless execution that drives profitability.
• Demonstrated traits of decisiveness, creativity, strategic thinking, entrepreneurial, highly organized, detail oriented, aggressive yet tactful, and accountability.
• Highly skilled in building trust-based relationships and is focused on aligning business solutions with customer needs.
• Demonstrated technical aptitude with the ability to understand product applications and translates technical value into commercial outcomes.
• Highly adaptable in a dynamic environment that responds quickly to market conditions and customer needs with energy and enthusiasm.  
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interface across technical and non-technical teams to deliver value throughout the sales process.
• Experience working in a dynamic and growing organization that prioritizes continuous improvement, agility, and innovative solutioning.

Travel
Frequent travel, up to 50%, is required and will include travel by automobile, airplane, mass transit, and may include international travel on occasion.
What We Offer

• Competitive compensation
• Robust benefits options (PPO and HSA options)
• 401K with company match
• Highly engaged culture that recognizes and rewards high performance
• Opportunities for career progression and to make immediate impacts on our business.