Sales Engineer / Business Development Manager - Lifting & Industrial Services

Thomas Lee Recruitment Limited; Kettering; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Thomas Lee Recruitment Limited is seeking a commercially minded professional with proven experience in lifting equipment, cranes, or material handling to develop new business and grow relationships within the engineering sector. You will identify opportunities, manage key accounts, and work with engineering and manufacturing clients to convert opportunities into tangible contracts.

The role emphasizes strategic development over high-volume sales and offers a broad salary range with car/allowance

Qualifications

• Industry experience in lifting equipment, cranes or material handling.
• Background in engineering markets or industrial equipment.
• Ability to build relationships and identify commercial opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Develop commercial opportunities across new and existing customers.
• Identify projects, support quotations and tenders.
• Strengthen market presence and nurture client relationships.
• Engage with engineering and manufacturing clients to win business.

Skills

Lifting equipment

Cranes

Hoists

Material handling

Industrial equipment

Commercial mindset

Customer relationship

Job description

Kettering / Northamptonshire

£45,000-£60,000 basic + car or allowance + commission/bonus

Permanent

If you already understand lifting equipment, cranes, hoists, material handling or a closely related industrial market, this could be a very interesting opportunity.

We are recruiting for an established engineering business that wants to strengthen its commercial capability and bring in someone who can genuinely help develop new business.

This is not about finding somebody with the perfect job title.

It is about finding someone with the right experience, credibility and commercial instinct.

You might currently be a Sales Engineer, Business Development Manager, Area Sales Manager or working in another commercially focused role within lifting, cranes, hoists, material handling, industrial equipment or a related engineering sector.

What matters is that you understand the type of customers involved, can recognise genuine opportunities and are comfortable building relationships that ultimately turn into business.

What you'll be doing

You will take responsibility for developing commercial opportunities across both new and existing customers.

That will include identifying and developing new business, building relationships with engineering and manufacturing companies, recognising project opportunities, supporting quotations and tenders, and helping the business strengthen its presence within the market.

There is also scope to look at existing and lapsed customers and identify where relationships can be rebuilt or developed further.

This is not simply an account-management role and it is not a high-volume transactional sales position.

The business wants someone who can understand a customer's requirement, ask the right questions and develop the opportunity properly.

What we are looking for

The most important thing is relevant industry experience.

You should have a background connected to areas such as:

• Lifting equipment
• Cranes
• Hoists
• Material handling
• Machinery movement
• Industrial equipment
• Technical engineering services
• Closely related capital equipment or engineering markets

You do not need to come from exactly the same job title.

We are much more interested in whether you understand the market, can communicate credibly with customers and have the commercial ability to develop business.

You will need to be comfortable creating opportunities rather than simply waiting for enquiries to arrive.

The package

The basic salary is expected to be in the region of £45,000-£60,000, alongside a company car or allowance and a performance-related bonus or commission structure.

The range is deliberately broad.

The business has made it clear that experience is more important than trying to force the right person into a predetermined salary bracket.

If you have particularly strong experience within lifting, cranes, hoists, material handling or a closely related market and your expectations sit slightly outside this range, it is still worth having a conversation.

The wider incentive package will be shaped around attracting and rewarding the right person.

Why consider it?

This is a chance to join an established engineering business where the person appointed will have genuine influence over how the commercial side of the company develops.

You will not simply inherit a rigid sales process and be expected to follow it.

There is room for someone experienced to bring ideas, relationships and their own understanding of how this market should be approached.

If you know this industry and believe you can help an established engineering company win more business, we would like to hear from you.