Business Development Manager - Power Generation Europe

Ecolab; Vimercate; On-site; EUR 75,000 - 112,000; Full time

Job summary

Ecolab is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive profitable growth in the power generation segment across Europe. You will identify opportunities, build a robust pipeline, and coordinate technical validations and pilots to advance deals through long sales cycles.

The role requires collaboration with Sales, Marketing, RD&E, Regulatory, and Supply Chain, plus travel up to 50% across Europe. A technical degree and strong English are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, business, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of lead-generation, sales-development, business-development, technical sales, or relevant field experience in power, industrial water treatment, ion exchange, utilities, or a related technical market.
• Experience working with power-industry customers, technical stakeholders, plant operations, utility accounts, or related Purification Technologies applications.
• Demonstrated ability to identify customer needs, develop opportunities, and move complex work through a sales process
• Ability to communicate technical and commercial concepts to customers and internal stakeholders
• Ability to travel as required for the assigned market and customer portfolio
• Fluent English and willingness to travel regularly across the defined European territory, anticipated to be up to 50% based on customer, project, and business needs.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute business development plans for the market segment described above, application, customer portfolio, or geography.
• Identify, prioritize, qualify, and pursue new customer and application opportunities aligned with business growth objectives.
• Build and manage a qualified opportunity pipeline, maintain accurate opportunity data, and provide timely sales forecasts.
• Lead customer discovery to understand technical, operational, economic, and commercial requirements.
• Apply working knowledge of ion exchange technologies, chemistry, and customer processes to establish credibility and connect customer needs with appropriate solutions.
• Coordinate pilots, product evaluations, specifications, and technical validation activities to advance opportunities through the sales cycle.
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, RD&E, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Applications, and other partners to develop solutions and address barriers to commercialization.
• Develop customer value propositions and business cases that clearly articulate solution impact and support opportunity conversion.
• Support pricing, proposal development, and commercial negotiations in partnership with sales and business leadership.
• Provide voice-of-customer and market feedback to inform product, marketing, and commercial priorities.
• Build productive relationships with customers, channel partners, OEMs, and other stakeholders relevant to the assigned opportunity portfolio.
• Transition won opportunities to the appropriate account management or field sales team with clear documentation and continuity.
• Manage complex, long-cycle opportunities that may require multiple stakeholders and extended technical validation.

Skills

Lead-generation

Business development

Technical sales

CRM

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/science/business

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Ecolab Purification Technologies is seeking a Business Development Manager (f/m/d) to drive profitable growth through the identification, qualification, and conversion of new business opportunities within the power generation market segment. This includes fossil, nuclear, combined-cycle, CHP, district heating and emerging applications. The successful candidate will combine technical credibility, commercial judgment, and disciplined execution to develop customer relationships, advance complex opportunities, and accelerate adoption of Purification Technologies solutions throughout Europe.

This role focuses on new customer acquisition and market expansion through active pipeline management, technical consultation, and long-cycle opportunity development. The Business Development Manager works closely with Sales, Marketing, RD&E, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Applications, and other partners to develop customer solutions and deliver profitable growth.

How You'll Make An Impact

• Develop and execute business development plans for the market segment described above, application, customer portfolio, or geography
• Identify, prioritize, qualify, and pursue new customer and application opportunities aligned with business growth objectives
• Build and manage a qualified opportunity pipeline, maintain accurate opportunity data, and provide timely sales forecasts
• Lead customer discovery to understand technical, operational, economic, and commercial requirements
• Apply working knowledge of ion exchange technologies, chemistry, and customer processes to establish credibility and connect customer needs with appropriate solutions
• Coordinate pilots, product evaluations, specifications, and technical validation activities to advance opportunities through the sales cycle
• Collaborate with Sales, Marketing, RD&E, Regulatory, Supply Chain, Applications, and other partners to develop solutions and address barriers to commercialization
• Develop customer value propositions and business cases that clearly articulate solution impact and support opportunity conversion
• Support pricing, proposal development, and commercial negotiations in partnership with sales and business leadership
• Provide voice-of-customer and market feedback to inform product, marketing, and commercial priorities
• Build productive relationships with customers, channel partners, OEMs, and other stakeholders relevant to the assigned opportunity portfolio
• Transition won opportunities to the appropriate account management or field sales team with clear documentation and continuity
• Manage complex, long-cycle opportunities that may require multiple stakeholders and extended technical validation

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, business, or a related field.
• Minimum 3 years of lead-generation, sales-development, business-development, technical sales, or relevant field experience in power, industrial water treatment, ion exchange, utilities, or a related technical market. This is a MUST.
• Experience working with power-industry customers, technical stakeholders, plant operations, utility accounts, or related Purification Technologies applications.
• Demonstrated ability to identify customer needs, develop opportunities, and move complex work through a sales process
• Ability to communicate technical and commercial concepts to customers and internal stakeholders
• Ability to travel as required for the assigned market and customer portfolio
• Fluent English and willingness to travel regularly across the defined European territory, anticipated to be up to 50% based on customer, project, and business needs.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with ion exchange power-generation water treatment, including condensate polishing, demineralization, steam-cycle chemistry, and nuclear water treatment applications. resin-based separation, water treatment, or an adjacent technical market.
• Knowledge of power-plant chemistry, water treatment, condensate polishing, waste treatment or ion exchange resin applications.
• Several years of experience with complex B2B sales cycles involving pilots, specifications, technical validation, OEMs, or multiple decision-makers.
• Experience in relationship management, value-based selling, pricing, and negotiation.
• Strong commercial acumen, analytical problem-solving skills, and disciplined use of CRM and forecasting tools.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively in a matrix environment and coordinate across functions without direct authority.

About Ecolab

At Ecolab, we prioritize our talent-first philosophy by creating the most capable and diverse team to excel at our nearly three million customer sites. Building on a century of innovation, our 48,000 associates help deliver comprehensive science-based solutions, data-driven insights and world-class service to advance food safety, maintain clean and safe environments, and optimize water and energy use, and improve operational efficiencies and sustainability for customers in the food, healthcare, life sciences, hospitality and industrial markets in more than 170 countries around the world. Our solutions not only enhance operational efficiency but also contribute to sustainability and public health, making a positive impact on the world. We are committed to eliminating unnecessary complexities and embracing a beginner's mindset, continuously seeking new perspectives and innovative solutions to stay ahead in a rapidly changing world.

Ecolab’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion (DE&I) reflects our longstanding value of working together to integrate diverse perspectives to challenge ourselves, reach our goals and do what’s right.

Compensation Range

The annual total compensation range for this position is 74.500 - 111.800 which includes base pay and target incentive based on performance, per plan terms.

Benefits

Ecolab strives to provide comprehensive and market-competitive benefits to meet the needs of our associates and their families.

Collective Agreement Information (Italy)

In Italy, Ecolab applies the National Collective Labour Agreement for the Chemical Industry (CCNL Industria Chimica).

Our Commitment to a Culture of Inclusion & Belonging

Ecolab is committed to fair and equal treatment of associates and applicants and furthering the principles of Equal Opportunity to Employment. We will recruit, hire, promote, transfer and provide opportunities for advancement based on individual qualifications and job performance in all matters affecting employment, compensation, benefits, working conditions, and opportunities for advancement. Ecolab will not discriminate against any associate or applicant for employment because of race, religion, color, creed, national origin, citizenship status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expressions, genetic information, marital status, age, or disability.