Senior Business Development Manager

NewCold; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 145,000 - 155,000; Full time

Job summary

NewCold is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager in Chicago to lead strategic customer development and convert opportunities into profitable partnerships. You will guide pursuits from discovery through negotiations, crafting tailored solutions in automation, network design, and value creation.

The role requires 8+ years in BD or related fields, strong financial and analytical skills, and cross-functional leadership. Travel to client sites and industry events is expected.

Qualifications

• 8+ years in business development, consultative sales, or related fields.
• Experience managing complex customer pursuits from proposal to close.
• Strong analytical and financial assessment of revenue, costs and margins.
• Knowledge of warehousing, automation, and industrial real estate preferred.
• Excellent cross-functional leadership and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic customer development and guide opportunities through discovery, site visits, proposals, and negotiations.
• Develop tailored commercial solutions aligning customer needs with NewCold capabilities.
• Own deal strategy, pricing, contract terms, and negotiations from opportunity to close.
• Drive early-stage project development with cross-functional teams and executive alignment.
• Manage land acquisition, site strategy, due diligence, and PSA negotiations as needed.
• Maintain CRM accuracy, forecast opportunities, and lead pursuit teams through milestones.

Skills

Business development

Consultative sales

Financial acumen

Excel

PowerPoint

Salesforce

CRM management

Deal negotiation

Project leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, finance, economics, engineering, real estate, or related field

Tools

Salesforce

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Build the future of food

At NewCold, we're shaping the future of the food supply chain. Our warehouses and transport network connect the world's major food manufacturers with retailers and food service providers.

Join a collaborative team of doers, innovators, and engineers who are dedicated to making a real impact. Together with advanced robotics and cutting-edge technology, we're not just keeping up with the times -we're pioneering smarter, more sustainable operations to keep the world's food fresh and safe.

To support our rapid growth, we're constantly looking for talented people to join our team. Want to be a part of a dynamic, forward-thinking environment? Join us!

Your role as a Senior Business Development Manager

Key responsibilities:

Pay Range

The typical pay range for this role is:

$145,000 - $155,000

This position is eligible for a bonus in addition to the base pay range listed above. This pay range represents the base hourly rate or base annual full-time salary for all positions in the salary band within which this position falls. The actual base salary offer will depend on a variety of factors including experience, education, geography and other relevant factors.

Benefits

NewCold also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a full range of competitive benefit programs, generally including health insurance, retirement savings plans, life and disability insurance programs, and programs that provide for both paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition, we offer employees 4 weeks of accrued Paid Time Off as well as paid holidays throughout the calendar year. The specific programs and options available to any given employee may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, and date of hire.

Position Overview

The Senior Business Development Manager is a strategic commercial leader responsible for converting qualified market opportunities into profitable customer partnerships that support NewCold's growth objectives. This role leads customer pursuits from opportunity assessment through proposal development, pricing, negotiation, and contract execution, translating complex supply chain challenges into tailored commercial and operational solutions.

Working closely with cross-functional teams, the Sr. Business Development Manager develops business cases, evaluates opportunity fit, and drives early-stage project development to advance strategic customer opportunities. The ideal candidate thrives in ambiguous environments, builds strong customer relationships, simplifies complex technical and financial concepts, and applies disciplined commercial leadership to deliver successful growth outcomes.

Roles and Responsibilities

Strategic Customer Acquisition & Consultative Commercial Leadership

Lead strategic customer development efforts by identifying and advancing qualified opportunities, building trusted relationships with key stakeholders, and guiding customers through discovery, site visits, proposal discussions, and commercial negotiations.

Develop tailored commercial solutions by understanding customer supply chain needs, operational challenges, and strategic objectives, and aligning them with NewCold's capabilities in automation, network design, and long-term value creation.

Deal Strategy & Execution

Lead commercial deal development and execution by owning business case creation, proposal development, and contract negotiations from initial opportunity through close.

Develop profitable and aligned customer solutions by translating customer requirements into compelling commercial proposals, building financial models, and ensuring alignment across scope, assumptions, service commitments, and contract terms throughout the pursuit.

Project Development Leadership

Lead early-stage strategic customer opportunity development by defining project scope, objectives, milestones, risks, and cross-functional workstreams, while ensuring alignment among key stakeholders to advance strategic customer pursuits.

Drive internal planning and decision-making by partnering with Solution Design and Project Development teams, preparing executive-level business case materials, and ensuring customer requirements, project assumptions, timelines, and commercial commitments remain aligned.

Real Estate, Land Acquisition & Market Strategy

Lead land acquisition and site strategy initiatives by managing site evaluations, purchase and sale agreement (PSA) negotiations, due diligence activities, and stakeholder coordination to support strategic growth opportunities.

Drive market and development assessments by analyzing customer demand, competitive and economic conditions, and site feasibility, then translating insights into clear commercial recommendations and executive-ready decision materials.

CRM & Process Management

Drive business development execution and pipeline management by maintaining CRM accuracy, providing forecasting and opportunity visibility, improving lead qualification processes, and leading cross-functional pursuit teams through key milestones and decision points.

Influence stakeholders and develop team capability by aligning internal teams around customer and commercial objectives, managing execution risks, and mentoring team members on business cases, proposals, and deal development.

Who we are looking for:

We are seeking motivated and forward-thinking individuals who thrive in collaborative and fast-moving environments. Our ideal candidate has:

Requirements

8+ years of experience in business development, consultative sales, commercial strategy, supply chain, logistics, industrial real estate, project development, or related fields.

Proven commercial leadership skills with experience managing complex customer pursuits through proposal development, pricing, negotiation, contract execution, and business case development.

Strong analytical and financial acumen, including the ability to assess revenue, costs, margins, investment returns, risks, and commercial viability.

Deep understanding of supply chain and operational environments, with knowledge of warehousing, automation, transportation, industrial development, or related industries; experience in cold storage, 3PL, CPG, or industrial real estate is preferred.

Strong project management and cross-functional leadership capabilities, including managing stakeholders, coordinating workstreams, driving alignment, and advancing strategic initiatives.

Excellent communication and technical proficiency, including executive-level presentations, CRM and pipeline management, and advanced skills in Excel, PowerPoint, Salesforce, and commercial planning tools.

Willingness to travel for customer meetings, site visits, industry events, diligence activities, and internal collaboration.

Education/Certification

Bachelor's degree in business, supply chain, finance, economics, engineering, real estate, or a related field.

Ready to make an impact?

Our goal is to keep the world's food fresh and safe with our proprietary technologies and innovative solutions. Join our team and help build a more efficient, innovative, and sustainable food supply chain. Your next career chapter starts at NewCold.

Whether you're a seasoned expert or just starting your career, NewCold provides the opportunities and challenges that allow you to grow and excel. Ready to turn your curiosity into impact?

Explore careers at NewCold

Can we welcome you on board as our new Senior Business Development Manager and help continue our successful growth?

NewCold provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, religion, age, disability, gender identity, results of genetic testing, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), or service in the military. Equal employment opportunity applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leave of absence, compensation, and training.

NewCold expressly prohibits any form of unlawful employee harassment or discrimination based on any of the characteristics mentioned above. Improper interference with the ability of other employees to perform their expected job duties is absolutely not tolerated.