Business Development & Capture Manager

GENERAL TOOL COMPANY; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

General Tool Company in Ohio seeks a strategic Business Development and Capture Leader to grow order intake and win opportunities across assigned accounts. You will guide cross-functional teams from qualification through contract award, shaping strategies and customer engagement to maximize win probability and profitability.

You will develop Voice of the Customer insights, build executive relationships, and ensure a smooth transition to Program Management after award.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or related discipline.
• Seven+ years in aerospace, defense, or complex manufacturing.
• Experience with cost estimates, bids, or capture activities.
• Experience leading cross-functional, customer-facing teams.

Responsibilities

• Serve as primary business development and capture representative for assigned strategic customer accounts.
• Develop strategic account plans that drive profitable growth and provide forecasts for planning.
• Build executive-level customer relationships and identify opportunities to expand programs.
• Capture and communicate Voice of the Customer to improve competitiveness.
• Own capture strategies from qualification through contract award with cross-functional teams.
• Lead bid development, pricing strategies, and competitive proposals.

Skills

Executive communication

Cross-functional leadership

Analytical thinking

Problem solving

Pricing strategy

Government contracting

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, or related discipline

Job description

You’re Not Just an Employee. You’re an Owner. We believe that everyone who helps build this company should share in its success. That’s why we created Ownership For All — giving every eligible full-time employee an ownership stake in the business. From day one, you’re not just joining a team — you’re becoming an owner. At GTC, your wins aren’t just good for the company. They’re good for you.

FUNCTION

Serves as the business development and capture leader for assigned customers, programs, and opportunities, accountable for leading pursuits from qualification through contract award by developing winning capture and business strategies, integrating cross-functional teams, strengthening strategic customer relationships, and ensuring a seamless transition to successful program execution.

KEY RESULTS AREAS

• Achieve annual order intake objectives while maintaining a healthy, qualified opportunity pipeline
• Maintain accurate short- and long-range order intake forecasts based on customer engagement, demand signals, and opportunity status, supporting business, capacity, and financial planning
• Drive profitable growth across assigned strategic accounts and capture opportunities
• Improve proposal quality and competitiveness while reducing response and proposal cycle time
• Ensure successful transition from contract award to program launch
• Increase customer satisfaction

PRIMARY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Strategic Account Management

• Serve as the primary business development and capture representative for assigned strategic customer accounts.
• Develop and maintain strategic account plans that drive profitable growth, proactively identify opportunities to improve commercial and contractual terms, and provide accurate short- and long-range order intake forecasts for business planning
• Build executive-level customer relationships and identify opportunities to expand existing programs.
• Capture and communicate Voice of the Customer to improve competitiveness and customer satisfaction

Bid, Capture & Commercial Leadership

• Own capture strategies for assigned opportunities from qualification through contract award
• Develop bid strategies, win themes, Price-to-Win, and commercial approaches that maximize win probability and profitability
• Lead the development of competitive, compliant bids and proposals through cross-functional integration of Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Contracts, and Program Management
• Drive early customer engagement to shape opportunities, influence requirements, and strengthen competitive positioning
• Develop commercial strategies including pricing recommendations, contract terms, risk mitigation, execution approach, and negotiation strategy
• Ensure technical, pricing, contractual, supply chain, schedule, and execution risks are understood and reflected in the bid strategy
• Support customer negotiations through contract award and successful transition to Program Management

Program Transition

• Lead the transition from pursuit through contract award into program execution, ensuring the As-Sold position is clearly established and successfully transferred to Program Management
• Ensure all customer commitments, pricing assumptions, contractual obligations, risks, and execution strategies are successfully transitioned to Program Management.
• Support contract kickoff and establish the "As-Sold" baseline

REQUIRED EXPERIENCE AND SKILLS

• An engineering or manufacturing background with demonstrated commercial aptitude is strongly preferred
• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering or related discipline
• A minimum of seven years of experience in engineering, estimating, manufacturing, program management, or business development within aerospace, defense, or complex manufacturing
• Experience preparing manufacturing cost estimates, leading competitive bids/proposals, or supporting capture activities is strongly preferred
• Demonstrated success leading cross-functional teams in a customer-facing environment

Technical & Commercial Skills

• Strong technical aptitude with the ability to understand complex manufacturing processes, machining, fabrication, assembly, and engineering requirements
• Demonstrated experience developing manufacturing cost estimates, bills of material, labor standards, and basis of estimate documentation
• Ability to evaluate manufacturing methods, should-cost drivers, capacity constraints, and technical risk to develop competitive commercial strategies
• Strong understanding of pricing strategy, Price-to-Win methodologies, commercial negotiations, and Government contracting (FAR/DFARS)
• Ability to translate technical solutions into winning commercial proposals and customer value propositions

Leadership & Business Skills

• Exceptional customer relationship and executive communication skills
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional bid and capture teams across Engineering, Supply Chain, Operations, Finance, Contracts, and Program Management
• Exercises sound business judgment to make informed commercial decisions that balance customer requirements, competitiveness, profitability, and execution risk
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills
• Highly organized with the ability to manage multiple complex pursuits simultaneously
• Demonstrate leadership, professionalism, and executive presence through conduct, communication, and personal presentation