Business Development - SKF Automotive Business Line Driveline

SKF Group; Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

SKF Group is seeking a strategic Business Development leader for the Drive Control portfolio in the SKF Automotive Business. The role focuses on identifying growth opportunities, evaluating opportunities, and guiding business development across steering, suspension, and brake applications in conventional and electrified platforms.

You will influence pricing, product roadmaps, and market strategies, working across regions and functions to shape the Drive Control portfolio for sustainable growth.

Qualifications

• Fluent in English, written and spoken.

Responsibilities

• Shape and drive the global Business Development strategy for Drive Control across regions.
• Lead the strategic evaluation and prioritization of global business opportunities and RFQs.
• Drive Business Development across EMEA and North America, with support for APAC and India.

Skills

Fluent in English

Education

University degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or related field

Job description

By creating bearings and solutions for everything from industrial applications to vehicles, SKF plays an essential role in our everyday lives. In Q4 2026, SKF intends to spin off its Automotive business and list it as a separate company under the name of SKF Vertevo. A company created to support the future of the automotive market, and to co-drive the future of mobility faster.

This role will be a part of that new company. Would you like to join us, and move people further?

Business Development -

SKF Automotive Business Line Driveline

In this global role, you will help to shape the growth and strategic direction of SKF Automotive Business’s Drive Control portfolio, covering Steering, Suspension, and Brake applications across conventional and electrified vehicle platforms.

You will play a pivotal role in identifying, evaluating, and securing new business opportunities that support profitable and sustainable growth. Through market analysis, customer engagement, commercial assessments, and strategic business development activities, you will contribute directly to both near-term business performance and the long-term success of the Drive Control portfolio.

Working across regions and functions, you will influence product and market strategies, guide business priorities, and help shape future portfolio direction based on customer needs, market developments, and competitive intelligence. This role offers the opportunity to directly influence business strategy, future growth, and SKF Automotive Business’s positioning in the evolving mobility industry.

Key responsibilities

• Shape and drive the global Business Development strategy for Drive Control, identifying growth opportunities, market priorities, and strategic business directions across key regions.
• Lead the strategic evaluation and prioritization of global business opportunities and RFQs, ensuring alignment with market potential, profitability objectives, business risks, and long-term strategic priorities.
• Drive Business Development across EMEA (Europ, Middle East and Africa) and North America, while providing strategic guidance and support for opportunities in APAC (Asia-Pacific) and India.
• Influence key investment and capacity decisions by developing robust business cases and assessing the strategic and financial attractiveness of new business opportunities.
• Lead business reviews and key decision-making through stage-gate and opportunity qualification processes, challenging assumptions and driving alignment across functions, regions, and global stakeholders.
• Own the commercial and profitability perspective of new business opportunities, defining appropriate pricing approaches, evaluating financial viability, and ensuring sustainable value creation.
• Shape product and market strategies by translating customer needs, market developments, competitive intelligence, and emerging industry trends into strategic priorities and future growth opportunities.
• Influence technical product roadmaps and innovation priorities by providing a strong market, customer, and business perspective and ensuring alignment with evolving market opportunities.
• Set direction and priorities for global target costing, competitiveness, and market-based pricing activities to strengthen the long-term competitive positioning of the Drive Control portfolio.
• Provide strategic direction across global manufacturing sites to align Drive Control priorities with new business acquisition, investment considerations, industrialization, and future business needs.
• Strengthen market and competitive intelligence, identifying emerging trends, benchmarking opportunities, and shifts in customer or competitor strategies to support forward-looking business decisions.
• Represent SKF Automotive Business externally with customers and at key industry events, strengthening strategic relationships, increasing market visibility, and identifying opportunities that can shape future business growth.

Requirements

• University degree in Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
• 5–10 years of automotive industry experience in Business Development, Product Management, Sales, Program Management, or related commercial or technical roles.
• Experience with automotive customers, suppliers, or applications within Steering, Suspension, Brake, Chassis, or related systems is an advantage.
• Good commercial and analytical skills, with the ability to assess market opportunities and business cases and translate customer and market insights into opportunities.
• Strong stakeholder management, communication, and presentation skills, with the ability to collaborate and influence across functions and cultures.
• Fluent in English, written and spoken.

You will enjoy working here if you …

… thrive in a dynamic international environment, enjoy influencing key business decisions, and are motivated by the opportunity to drive growth in a fast-evolving strategic market

If you want to go further

This position will be located in Saint-Cyr-sur-Loire, France or in Schweinfurt, Germany.

Regular international travel is expected, approximately once per month.

Transparency and fairness matter to us

At SKF, we see diversity in our workforce as an asset that supports better business results. We are committed to having a fair and inclusive recruitment process where all hiring decisions are based on objective, job-related criteria, ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates.

To support a fair and transparent recruitment process, the process may include assessments, and before hiring, we may also carry out background checks and verify application information. We will discuss your salary expectations during the first interview, and our final offer will be based on an objective evaluation of your experience, skills, and potential, aligned with the scope of the role and our internal salary guidelines. Our recruitment process may differ from country to country and will always be in line with applicablecountry-specific laws and regulations.

Come as you are – just be yourself. #weareSKF