Head of Business Development

Terminus Industrials, Inc.; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Terminus Industrials, Inc. is seeking a Head of Business Development in Austin, TX, to convert market demand into qualified customer commitments.

Initially an individual contributor, you will own the active pipeline, originate opportunities, and negotiate through to definitive orders while shaping future commercial teams. The role requires 8+ years in complex, capital-intensive sales, a strong network in utilities and data centers, and a hands-on approach across engineering, manufacturing, and

Qualifications

• 8+ years of customer-facing sales or business development in complex, capital-intensive products or infrastructure.
• Proven ability to originate, qualify, advance and win multi-million-dollar, long-cycle opportunities.
• Experience in power/electrical industries with relationships in utilities, EPCs or data-centers.
• Active network with utility, power-producer, EPC and data-center buyers in the U.S.
• Strong consultative selling: access to senior/technical stakeholders, uncovering requirements.
• Fluency in power/electrical concepts for discussions with engineering/procurement.
• Disciplined pipeline management with CRM, forecasting, and proposal coordination.
• Willingness to work hands-on in a development-stage company and travel regularly.

Responsibilities

• Own the commercial plan, account priorities, and full opportunity pipeline with forecast by units/value/next actions.
• Develop senior relationships across utilities, data centers, EPCs, and developers; originate business via outreach and partners.
• Lead early requirements capture, product fit, and navigate qualification processes.
• Own bid/no-bid decisions; coordinate RFI/RFQ/RFP responses and indicative pricing.
• Drive negotiations to definitive purchase agreements as the company scales.
• Coordinate progress updates, technical reviews, and qualification evidence; communicate milestones.
• Build CRM, forecasting, pricing-approval, and account-review processes; represent at industry events.

Skills

8+ years sales experience

Originating opportunities

Qualified pipeline management

Executive relationship building

Technical discovery & qualification

CRM & forecasting discipline

Travel to customer sites/events

Commercial negotiation

Job description

Commercial Austin, Texas, with regular travel to customers and industry events. Relocation within a few months is required if not already local; relocation assistance is available. Full-time

Job Summary

The Head of Business Development is a senior, hands-on seller and early commercial leader responsible for turning market demand into qualified customer commitments. This is initially an individual-contributor role. This person will inherit Terminus’s active pipeline and personally originate, qualify, advance, and negotiate opportunities while building the foundation for a future commercial team. The role covers account development and technical discovery through proposals, Production Slot Reservation Agreements, customer qualification, commercial negotiation, and eventual definitive purchase agreements. Working across engineering, manufacturing, finance, legal, and partnerships, this person will build customer trust, align demand with product and future capacity, and establish a repeatable sales process. Success will be measured by qualified pipeline created, customer-backed commitments, signed reservations, forecast accuracy, and credible conversion paths to definitive orders.

Key Responsibilities

• Commercial Strategy & Pipeline Ownership: Own the commercial plan, account priorities, and full opportunity pipeline; establish clear stage and qualification standards; maintain a forecast by units, GVA, indicative value, delivery need, probability, and next action; and remain accountable for qualified demand, signed reservations, and eventual orders.
• Account Origination & Executive Relationships: Build senior relationships across investor-owned and public utilities, cooperatives, power producers and developers, data centers and other large-load customers, EPCs, and engineering firms; originate business through direct outreach, referrals, conferences, RFQs, representatives, and strategic partners.
• Technical Discovery, Qualification & Market Entry: Lead early requirements capture for application, voltage, MVA, quantity, configuration, delivery window, standards, site, and transportation constraints; partner with engineering on product fit; and navigate approved-vendor, factory-audit, testing, and new-manufacturer qualification processes.
• RFQs, Proposals & Commercial Execution: Own bid/no-bid decisions and coordinate RFI, RFQ, RFP, indicative-pricing, and proposal responses; convert qualified interest into technically supportable Production Slot Reservation Agreements; lead commercial and legal negotiations; and drive the path toward definitive purchase agreements as Terminus becomes ready.
• Customer Stewardship & Cross-Functional Alignment: Remain the executive commercial owner after signature; coordinate progress updates, technical reviews, facility diligence, and qualification-readiness evidence; communicate milestones and risk candidly; and translate customer demand into product, pricing, capacity, factory-planning, and financing decisions.
• Commercial Systems, Market Presence & Team Building: Build disciplined CRM, forecasting, follow-up, proposal, pricing-approval, and account-review processes; maintain accurate customer data and competitive intelligence; represent Terminus at industry events; manage external representatives; personally run the commercial cadence today; and help recruit and lead a lean commercial team as demand and capacity justify it.

Required Qualifications

• Typically 8+ years of customer-facing sales or business development experience involving complex, engineered, capital-intensive products or infrastructure. Demonstrated sales results matter more than employer pedigree or a rigid tenure requirement.
• A record of personally originating, qualifying, advancing, and winning multi-million-dollar, long-cycle opportunities. Candidates should be able to explain their individual role, deal size, sales cycle, obstacles, and outcome.
• Customer-facing sales or business development experience in the power or electrical industry, including utility power-delivery equipment, substations, EPC services, or power development.
• An existing, active network of relationships with utility, power-producer, EPC, and data-center buyers in the U.S., built through personal selling; Texas and Southeast relationships are especially valuable.
• Strong consultative selling ability, including gaining access to senior and technical stakeholders, uncovering customer requirements, building internal champions, and keeping complex opportunities moving toward a defined next step.
• Current conversational fluency in power and electrical concepts, sufficient to discuss applications, specifications, lead times, qualification requirements, and commercial tradeoffs with engineering and procurement teams. Transformer engineers will support detailed technical discussions; candidates must have the electrical foundation to contribute immediately.
• Disciplined pipeline management, including strong CRM habits, realistic forecasting, proposal coordination, commercial negotiation, written communication, and consistent follow-through.
• Comfortable operating as a hands-on individual contributor in a development-stage company, working across engineering, manufacturing, finance, and legal, and traveling regularly for customer meetings and industry events.
• High integrity and sound commercial judgment, with a commitment to accurate forecasting, clear customer expectations, and commercially supportable commitments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Direct experience selling large power transformers, or secondarily medium power transformers or transformer components and monitoring systems (bushings, tap changers, dissolved-gas analysis), to North American utilities, power producers, or large-load customers.
• Experience as an independent manufacturer’s representative, or with a transformer or transformer-component manufacturer, regional or specialty equipment manufacturer, transformer service or remanufacturing company, EPC, or power or data-center developer.
• Familiarity with utility supplier qualification, factory audits, IEEE or ANSI standards, factory acceptance testing, RFQs and RFPs, and heavy-equipment transportation constraints.
• Active participation in the forums where utility and transformer buyers gather, such as the Southeastern Electric Exchange, DistribuTECH, the IEEE Transformers Committee, or CIGRE.
• Experience launching a new manufacturer, product line, or territory; building sales processes; and managing external representatives or a small commercial team.