Associate Director - New Business Design

BMW Group - Germany; Santa Monica (CA); On-site; USD 123,000 - 159,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance

401(k) with Company match and退休 plan

Employee vehicle program

Bonus eligibility

Paid Parental Leave

Generous PTO and Company paid holidays

Voluntary Benefits to fit your needs

Job summary

BMW Group's Designworks in Santa Monica seeks an Associate Director, Partnering to grow external business. This sales leadership role owns a book of client relationships, targets, and closes six- and seven-figure engagements with senior stakeholders.

You will lead pitch teams, craft capture strategies, and align account plans across LA, Munich and Shanghai studios, driving design and innovation consulting at executive levels.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or design.
• 7+ years in business development or sales in professional/creative services.
• 1–2 years of team leadership.
• Record of closing six- and seven-figure engagements.
• Fluency in pricing, scoping and margin management.
• Knowledge of sectors outside automotive is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage a portfolio of external client accounts with an annual booked sales target.
• Research target markets and clients, craft capture strategies and outreach plans.
• Lead end-to-end client acquisition: prospecting, CEO-level pitches, scoping, contracting, and PO securing.
• Develop sales assets and project plans with budgets and approvals.
• Coordinate with legal and internal stakeholders on contracts and go/no-go decisions.
• Lead pitch and proposal teams and maintain relationships across LA, Munich and Shanghai studios.

Skills

New business development

Sales leadership

Executive stakeholder management

Contract negotiation

Pricing & margin knowledge

Cross-cultural collaboration

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration or design

MBA or related master’s degree

Job description

Associate Director - New Business Design

Posting Start Date: 8/7/26

Santa Monica, California United States

Job Description

Designworks is the design innovation studio of BMW Group. For 25 years, we have been stimulating our parent company, as well as a select group of companies with ambitious visions for the future. We inspire and challenge the companies we work with to be at the forefront of their industries - in design, technology and innovation. We are the architects of future – designing systems that impact and improve the world we live. If you share our vision and view yourself as an independent, creative thinker, we invite you to join our team in this exceptional role located in Santa Monica, CA.

We are hiring an Associate Director, Partnering to grow the external business. This is a sales role. You will own a book of new and expanding client relationships, carry a sales target, and be measured against it. You will sell design and innovation consulting at an executive level — chief executives, chief product officers, and heads of innovation — with the credibility of the BMW Group behind you.

WHAT AWAITS YOU.

• Developing and managing a portfolio of external client accounts and opportunities, carrying an individual annual booked sales target.
• Researching and prioritizing target markets and clients, creating tailored capture strategies, and outreach planning for the sectors in which the studio seeks to grow.
• Managing end-to-end client acquisition process for their own opportunities: prospecting, pitching up to and at CEO level, scoping, commercial negotiation, contracting, and securing purchase orders.
• Contributing to and developing sales assets (case studies, value modules, proposals) and preparing project plans, budgets, and internal approval documentation.
• Interfacing with legal and internal stakeholders for contracts, conducts go/no-go decisions, and coordinating handover to Strategy, Interaction and Industrial Design with kickoff planning and risk assessment.
• This is a leadership role, leading pitch and proposal teams throughout the sales process, and maintaining client relationships beyond project completion, aligning account strategy across the Los Angeles, Munich and Shanghai studios.

WHAT YOU SHOULD BRING.

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration or design.
• 7+ years of business development or sales experience in professional services, consulting or creative services, including demonstrable performance against an individual annual booked sales target.
• 1 – 2 years of team leadership.
• A record of closing six- and seven-figure engagements with senior client-side stakeholders, including procurement, legal and multi‑stakeholder approval processes.
• Commercial fluency in the pricing and economics of consulting engagements, including rate construction, utilization, scoping and margin management.
• Substantive industry knowledge in at least one sector outside automotive.
• Well-developed verbal and written communication skills, including proposal writing, executive‑level presentation, and the composure to represent commercial requirements within a creative studio environment.
• Deep understanding of business context (structures, market, structures and technology implications).
• Preferences:
  • Direct experience in the aviation or aerospace sector, including airlines, airframers, cabin interiors or business aviation, or a similar mobility industry.
  • Master’s degree (MBA or hybrid business degree).

WHAT YOU CAN LOOK FORWARD TO.

• Medical, Dental, and Vision insurance
• 401(k) with Company match and Retirement Income Account
• Employee vehicle program
• Bonus eligibility
• Paid Parental Leave
• Generous PTO and Company paid holidays
• Voluntary Benefits to fit your needs

Relocation assistance is not available for this position.

The expected salary range for this position is $122,547.00 – $158,590.00.

The selected candidate’s education, skills, experience, and location will be used to determine the final salary offer. All pay ranges are based on a full-time work schedule. This statement is in accordance with state and local pay disclosure requirements.

Even more so than the generous compensation and benefits, the culture and values of BMW of North America makes it the ultimate working environment. These values are Responsibility, Appreciation, Transparency, Trust, and Openness. We allow these values to guide the way we conduct ourselves and our business.

BMW complies with all applicable U.S. immigration laws and regulations. The Company does not provide employer support or sponsorship for any immigration-related employment benefit for this role.

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis without the need for employer support or sponsorship now or in the future. This includes having the legal right to work in the United States without the need for BMW support or sponsorship for any immigration-related employment authorization (e.g., H-1B, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, TN, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, F-1 CPT, etc.) now or in the future.

If you will require BMW to provide immigration support or sponsorship now or in the future, you should not apply for this position.

BMW in the United States is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy of BMW Group in the United States to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all qualified persons regardless of age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or veteran status.