Industrial Automation Business Development Leader

Schneider Electric; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 115,000 - 173,000; Full time

Job summary

Schneider Electric in the United States seeks a Business Development Leader for the South region to drive new portfolio opportunities, manage early-stage engagement, and align with customer needs. You will lead discovery sessions, present Schneider Electric capabilities, and advance deals with EPCs and end-users.

The role emphasizes hunter sales, strategic account development, and cross-functional collaboration to build a sustainable opportunity pipeline and capture long-term value.

Qualifications

• 5+ years in industrial automation, business development, or technical sales.
• 5+ years’ experience in engineering, project management, or operations within Heavy Industries.
• Direct experience with competitor automation players (Emerson, Honeywell, Yokogawa, ABB, Siemens, Rockwell).
• Familiarity with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure and related automation solutions.

Responsibilities

• Market development and opportunity identification in key industry segments.
• Position EcoStruxure as the preferred industrial automation solution.
• Lead cross-functional engagements with sales, engineering, and service teams.
• Track pipeline, forecast sales, and report key metrics to management.

Skills

Hunter sales

Strategic thinking

Communication

Negotiation

Presentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Business

Job description

The Business Development Leader for the South region of the United States is responsible for selling Schneider Electric Industrial Automation portfolio like open control systems, safety systems and industrial drives to new customers and segments in industrial facilities. The role is highly customer focused, driving opportunity identification, qualification and closure of new portfolio opportunities.

Location

Must be sufficiently mobile and flexible, and willing and able to travel up to 60% throughout Texas, with occasional travel to other locations as business needs require.

What will you do?

Market Development & Opportunity Identification

• Identify and target opportunities in key industry segments (e.g., power generation, oil & gas, petrochemicals, specialty chemicals, water treatment, pulp & paper manufacturing).
• Develop and execute account strategies to position Schneider Electric - EcoStruxure as the preferred solution.
• Build and nurture relationships with customers’ decision-makers and influencers.
• Lead discovery sessions to understand pain points, drivers, and business objectives.
• Prospect for new users/sites, focusing on high potential for Schneider Electric adoption.

Solution Positioning & Sales Execution

• Articulate the unique value proposition of Schneider Electric - EcoStruxure for Industry, including technical, operational, and business benefits.
• Lead customer engagements, presentations, and workshops to demonstrate Schneider Electric’s capabilities.
• Drive the sales cycle from opportunity identification through proposal, bid, and closure, ensuring alignment with customer requirements.

Collaboration & Leadership

• Work cross-functionally with sales, engineering, and service teams to ensure successful project delivery.
• Interface with regional sales and business leads to implement and develop account-specific strategies.
• Engage with EPC or end-user leaders and executives to develop relationships, understand their business, and formulate business solutions to create value.

Reporting & Performance Management

• Track pipeline, forecast sales, and report on key metrics to management.
• Ensure customer satisfaction and long-term relationship development.
• Support development of the business case for strategic initiatives and drive implementation of selected strategies.

What qualifications will make you successful?

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or related field.

Experience

• 5+ years in industrial automation, business development, or technical sales.
• 5+ years’ experience in engineering, project management, or operations within Heavy Industries segments.
• Direct experience with competitor industrial automation business (Emerson, Honeywell, Yokogawa, ABB, Siemens, Rockwell).
• Familiarity with Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure and related automation solutions.

Technical Skills

• Deep understanding of industrial automation architectures and value chain.
• Ability to compare and contrast Schneider Electric with competitor solutions.
• Experience with project scoping, execution, and risk management.

Soft Skills

• Thrives in a hunter sales environment, proactively pursuing and converting new customers and opportunities where no installed base exists.
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Self-motivated, results-oriented, and able to work independently and as part of a team.
• Ability to develop rapport and credibility across the organization and with clients, including C-level executives.
• Analytical thinking, strong project management, and sound judgment.

Other Requirements

• Exposure to Strategy & Business Development in the North American market space.
• Ability to convert strategies into implemented business solutions driving sales and revenue.
• Ability to develop sustainable opportunity pipeline based on business plans.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience leading greenfield and brownfield projects.
• Knowledge of key verticals for the South region (power generation, oil & gas, petrochemicals).
• Experience in owner/operator environment in process automation, process engineering, operations, and maintenance.

At Schneider, we believe that every employee is a talent who deserves equal opportunities. This means you matter. Every individual needs to feel valued, supported, and treated fairly to do their best work.

Our Total Rewards is our way of saying: “We see you. We value you”. It’s more than just pay and benefits- it’s a meaningful investment in you. It is designed for you to perform, grow, feel safe, and elevate your potential to shine as an impact maker.

For this U.S. based position, the expected pay range is USD 115,200 - USD 172,800 per year. This pay range includes base pay and short-term incentives. The compensation range for this full-time position applies to candidates located within the United States. Our pay ranges are determined by reviewing roles of similar responsibility and level. Within the pay range, individual pay is determined by several factors including performance, knowledge, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

Schneider Electric is there when it matters most to you

Our Total Rewards package outlines all the benefits and support you’ll enjoy as part of the Schneider Electric team:

Care for Yourself and Your Family. We ensure you feel secure with benefits that help you and your family thrive: medical (with member reward points), dental, vision, and basic life insurance, Benefit Bucks, flexible work arrangements, paid family leaves, well-being programs, 12 holidays per year, and 15 days of paid time off per year.

Invest and Plan Your Future. We help you plan and invest for the future with competitive pay and programs including base salary, incentives, company share ownership, and 401(k) with match.

Grow Your Skills and Career. We support development through performance discussions, global opportunities, the Schneider Career Hub, and learning platforms like Coursera.

Team Up in the Workplace. We encourage collaboration, recognition, sharing your voice, and an inclusive workplace.

Support Your Community. We make a difference through volunteer leave, programs with the Schneider Electric Foundation, youth education initiatives, and military leave benefits.

If you believe this job posting is not compliant with applicable state pay transparency laws in the U.S., please notify the Company as soon as possible upon discovery by completing this form.

Looking to make an IMPACT with your career?

When you are thinking about joining a new team, culture matters. At Schneider Electric, our values and behaviors are the foundation for creating a great culture to support business success. We believe that our IMPACT values – Inclusion, Mastery, Purpose, Action, Curiosity, Teamwork – starts with us.

IMPACT is also your invitation to join Schneider Electric where you can contribute to turning sustainability ambition into actions, no matter what role you play. It is a call to connect your career with the ambition of achieving a more resilient, efficient, and sustainable world.

We are looking for IMPACT Makers; exceptional people who turn sustainability ambitions into actions at the intersection of automation, electrification, and digitization. We celebrate IMPACT Makers and believe everyone has the potential to be one.

€40 billion global revenue +9% organic growth 150 000+ employees in 100+ countries

Schneider Electric aspires to be the most inclusive and caring company in the world, by providing equitable opportunities to everyone, everywhere, and ensuring all employees feel uniquely valued and safe to contribute their best. We mirror the diversity of the communities in which we operate, and ‘inclusion’ is one of our core values. We believe our differences make us stronger as a company and as individuals and we are committed to championing inclusivity in everything we do.

At Schneider Electric, we uphold the highest standards of ethics and compliance, and we believe that trust is a foundational value. Our Trust Charter is our Code of Conduct and demonstrates our commitment to ethics, safety, sustainability, quality and cybersecurity, underpinning every aspect of our business and our willingness to behave and respond respectfully and in good faith to all our stakeholders. You can find out more about our Trust Charter here.

Schneider Electric is an Equal Opportunity Employer. It is our policy to provide equal employment and advancement opportunities in the areas of recruiting, hiring, training, transferring, and promoting all qualified individuals regardless of race, religion, color, gender, disability, national origin, ancestry, age, military status, sexual orientation, marital status, or any other legally protected characteristic or conduct.