Director of Business Development

Motivo; California (MO); On-site; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) match

Vacation time

Mon–Thu 4/10 work week

Profit-sharing bonuses

Job summary

Motivo is seeking a Director of Business Development to lead a nimble growth team and drive new client acquisition across automotive, industrial automation, aerospace/defense, and AgTech sectors. You will translate client visions into actionable product stories, manage cross-functional handoffs, and expand Motivo's market footprint through targeted outreach and strategic partnerships.

Reporting to the Chief Business Officer, you will own the end-to-end growth process, from discovery to deal

Qualifications

• Stay current with industry and competitive research to align with client objectives.
• 5+ years of experience within Automotive, Robotics, AgTech, Industrial Automation, or Aerospace with account management or project management in engineering services.
• Foundational engineering/technical literacy to navigate conversations with founders, board members, and PMs.
• Proven ability to demonstrate complex technologie and articulate the value of specialized technical solutions.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, data-driven.

Responsibilities

• Lead and oversee a small growth team (marketing, research, outbound) to run industry-specific campaigns.
• Drive new business by sourcing, qualifying, and winning partnerships to hit growth targets.
• Collaborate with internal Product Managers to understand capabilities and enable a smooth transition of new accounts.
• Generate new opportunities by identifying industry trends and new entrants ahead of the curve.
• Lead ROM cost estimates with engineering to balance risk and high-value entry points for new clients.
• Represent Motivo at national industry events and conferences while maintaining CRM-driven forecasts.

Skills

Industry insights

Proven track record

Technical literacy

Product development mindset

Business acumen

Travel readiness

Job description

About Motivo

Motivo is a project-based company delivering excellence in mechanical and electrical system design and prototype builds. We have a history in successfully taking concepts through to actual finished solutions. Our work spans a wide range of market segments including mobility/automotive, aerospace, robotics, and clean energy, to name a few. Every team member will experience a wide variety of challenging projects, offering rich opportunities for professional growth. We are passionate about solving complex engineering challenges, striving for excellence within every unique project constraint, and believe in having fun while we do it!

About the role

We are looking for a Director of Business Developmentwho will report directly to our Chief Business Officer and serve as an operational anchor for our growth efforts. In this role, you will lead a nimble, dedicated business development and execution team (including marketing and outbound support) to expand Motivo's market footprint. We're looking for experience selling in one of our core industries (automotive, industrial automation, aerospace/defense, AgTech) and an entrepreneur’s mindset that adopts our clients’ vision as your own.

Responsibilities

• The responsibilities for this role require a balance of independent execution and cross-functional leadership. You will be 100% responsible for driving and capturing our new client growth (accounting for roughly 30% of our business), while simultaneously collaborating with and influencing our internal Product Management (PM) teams who manage our active clients and drive current client pipeline growth (the remaining 70%).
• With new client development, you will identify and engage potential clients with targeted outreach to excavate the heart of their challenges, qualifying the company and the project during this discovery phase. You will work with the client to craft and develop a vision for the product, grounding an execution plan with data from industry-specific research. The role requires developing and refining concepts, creating presentations to communicate ideas, leading brainstorming sessions, and crafting the right verbal and visual story to align all stakeholders-bridging the gap seamlessly between early-stage client commitment and our internal PM handoffs.

What you’ll do

• Lead and Mentor: Oversee and coordinate a small, high-impact growth team (including marketing, research, and outbound roles) to direct targeted, industry-specific campaigns each quarter.
• Drive New Business: Take primary accountability for sourcing, qualifying, and winning new client partnerships to hit dedicated growth targets.
• Collaborate Internally: Work closely with Motivo's internal Product Managers to deeply understand our technical capabilities, cross-pollinate pipeline opportunities, and ensure an exceptionally smooth transition of new accounts.
• Generate and Nurture Leads: Generate new business opportunities by identifying early-stage industry trends, technological investments, and new entrants ahead of the curve.
• Storytelling & Estimation: Lead the creation of Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimates, working with the engineering team to build a compelling narrative that balances technical risk with high-value entry points for new clients.
• Represent Motivo: Serve as a key point of contact between Motivo and target institutions, and represent Motivo at major national industry events and conferences.
• Maintain Sales Rigor: Effectively utilize CRMs to track capture rates, lead generation, and metrics, providing leadership with data-informed sales forecasts.

Qualifications

• Industry Insight: Stay current with industry and competitive research to enable rich client dialogue; maintain an understanding of client business challenges, industry trends, and markets; demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge to position and map company capabilities that align to client business objectives.
• Proven Track Record: 5+ years of experience within the Automotive, Robotics, AgTech, Industrial Automation, or Aerospace industry-ideally blended with account management or project management experience within an engineering services environment.
• Technical Literacy: A foundational baseline in engineering and technology to confidently navigate complex conversations with startup founders, enterprise board members, and highly technical PMs.
• Product Development Mindset: Proven ability to effectively demonstrate complex technology, teach new clients about the product development lifecycle, and articulate the value proposition of specialized technical solutions.
• Strong Business Acumen: Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable using data and metrics for continual improvement.
• Ability to Travel: Regular domestic travel to attend key national conferences, evaluate client facilities, and network to bring in high-quality leads.

Benefits

We’re convinced that the team and the projects are hands-down the best part of working at Motivo. To support that, we offer a solid benefits package including high-quality insurance, a 401(k) match, generous vacation time, and our Monday-Thursday 4/10 work week. We offer profit-sharing bonuses, which are tied to overall company performance, because we believe in winning together; we’re transparent about the company’s numbers, and when our hard work drives financial success, employees may share in the upside.

• Base Salary Range: $140,000 - $160,000
• Salary is dependent on experience, knowledge, and interview performance