Sales Director - Medical - Metal Fabrication IA, WI, MN

Gradel Professional Search; Minnesota; On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous base salary plus commissions

Job summary

Gradel Professional Search is seeking a Director of Business Development in Minnesota to drive growth within the Medical and Life Sciences market for a precision metals fabrication organization. The role involves building OEM relationships, developing market strategies, and leading growth initiatives. Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree and 7+ years of experience in business or technical sales. This position offers a generous base salary plus commissions.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of business development or strategic sales experience in manufacturing.
• Proven ability to engage with Medical Device and Life Sciences sectors.
• Strong understanding of regulated manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic business development plans.
• Build and manage a robust pipeline through networking and outreach.
• Lead customer engagements from contact to commercial award.
• Partner with teams to align solutions with customer requirements.
• Drive project proposals and account strategy development.

Skills

Business development

Strategic sales

Technical sales experience

Negotiation

Relationship building

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field

Job description

Director of Business Development | Medical & Life Sciences | Precision Metals Fabrication

Open to residents of Minnesota, Iowa, or Wisconsin. National sales territory.

Our client is seeking a Director of Business Development to drive strategic growth within the Medical & Life Sciences market for a precision metals fabrication organization supporting highly regulated manufacturing environments. This role will focus on building new OEM relationships, developing market strategy, and leading commercial growth initiatives tied to precision fabrication, stamping, welding, and complex assemblies.

The position requires a true hunter mentality with responsibility for identifying, developing, and securing new business opportunities while partnering cross‑functionally with engineering, operations, and quality teams to support manufacturable solutions and successful program launches.

Generous base salary plus commissions.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute strategic business development plans focused on Medical & Life Sciences OEM growth opportunities
• Build and manage a robust pipeline through prospecting, networking, and targeted outreach to engineering, sourcing, and operational stakeholders
• Lead customer engagements from initial contact through quotation, negotiation, and commercial award
• Partner with engineering, operations, and quality teams to align manufacturable solutions with customer requirements
• Drive project proposals, cost estimates, account strategy development, and long‑term commercial growth initiatives
• Serve as the primary customer contact through new product introduction (NPI) and production launch transition
• Support strategic market analysis including customer demand, competitor activity, emerging technologies, and growth opportunities
• Represent the organization at trade shows, networking events, and customer‑facing industry engagements

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Life Sciences, or related field preferred
• 7+ years of business development, strategic sales, or technical sales experience within contract manufacturing environments
• Proven experience selling into Medical Device, Life Sciences, or other highly regulated manufacturing sectors
• Existing network within Medical OEMs, Life Sciences manufacturers, or healthcare technology organizations preferred
• Strong understanding of regulated manufacturing environments including precision sheet metal fabrication, metal stamping, quality systems, validation, and traceability
• Experience leading customer strategy from prospecting through production launch and account growth
• Demonstrated success in a hunter‑style business development environment
• Strong presentation, negotiation, relationship‑building, and executive communication skills
• Experience working cross‑functionally with engineering, operations, quality, and sourcing teams throughout the sales cycle