Senior Business Development Manager- USAF

Darley; Itasca (IL); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

PTO

Paid Holidays

Tuition Reimbursement

Health & Wellness Reimbursement

Medical

Dental

Vision

Life & Disability

HSA with company contribution

FSA

401K/Roth with match and profit sharing

Paid life insurance

Job summary

A leading defense solutions provider is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager. This role requires a candidate with strong military experience, particularly in Air Force operations. The position involves hunting for sales, building relationships with senior decision-makers, and ensuring compliance with government contracting regulations. Ideal candidates will possess exceptional relationship-building skills and a thorough understanding of military procurement processes. A bachelor's degree and relevant experience in government sales are required, with a competitive salary range of $140-$160k and bonuses based on performance.

Qualifications

• Military O-5 / E-9 level or above of leadership and management experience.
• 2-5 years overseeing acquisition efforts or selling to military/government.
• Thorough understanding of Air Force operations and acquisition processes.

Responsibilities

• Hunt for sales opportunities and close deals actively.
• Build relationships with senior executive decision makers.
• Research customer buying habits for procurement strategies.
• Generate quotes for customers and maintain Salesforce records.
• Professionally represent the company at trade shows and meetings.

Skills

Command presence / strong public speaking ability

Highly organized and able to multi-task

Excellent written and oral communication

Team Builder

Committed to providing exceptional Customer Service

Understanding of basic business financial concepts

Able to use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems

Leadership

Management

Communication Proficiency

Teamwork

Technical Capacity

Training

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Master's degree in business related study or Defense Strategic Studies

Top Secret Security Clearance preferred

Tools

MS Office suite

Salesforce

Job description

Description

W.S Darley and Co. is currently seeking a Senior Business Development Manager as part of the Air Force portfolio. The ideal candidate is a retired or highly experienced senior Air Force officer. This candidate must have a thorough understanding of military operations and acquisition.

The Senior Business Development Manager hunts for sales opportunities and closes deals at an aggressive pace. To succeed and generate revenue in a competitive environment, this position must be completely knowledgeable on their Customer base/assigned territory, apply the training and coaching received form the Company, create tremendous relationships with both Customers and Vendors, respond and engage with a sense of urgency, be fully compliant with the rules and regulations in Government contractual sales, contribute with passion to the Team and always be proactively prospecting for new Customers. The over-arching goal of this role is to drive deals upstream so that the Company has the best chance of winning the award. The Senior Business Development Manager reports to the Force Lead of that particular team.

About W.S. Darley & Co

Founded in 1908, W.S. Darley & Co. (Darley) remains a family owned and operated business, supplying the highest quality equipment solutions to its military and first responder customers. With origins in the equipment distribution and Midwest manufacturing, Darley offers a family of leading innovative emergency equipment brands and innovative solutions. Darley prides itself on delivering the highest quality solutions and services from its corporate headquarters in Itasca, IL and its ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing operations in Chippewa Falls, WI and Janesville, IA.

Darley Defense, a division of the W.S. Darley company, specializes in using existing contracts to distribute products and services to the Federal Government. Darley Defense specializes in special operational equipment and fire and emergency services.

Requirements

• Understand Darley products, services, contract benefits and value proposition and enthusiastically communicate these during direct sales activities.
• Consistently achieve booked order goals.
• Build instant credibility/rapport and working level relationships with senior executive level decision makers at the Program Executive Offices (PEOs), Program Management Offices (PMs), Warfare Centers and O-5 /O-6 Department heads at Major Flag Level Commands.
• Probe the customer ecosystem to find information on new contracts that may be forming so that Darley can interdict these upstream and have a high probability of winning the ones that fit our business model.
• Research buying habits of potential customers by analyzing databases with historical purchasing information.
• Interface with current and potential new customers, deliver impactful/concise overview briefs, perform needs discovery and persuade them to use Darley as their Prime Vendor.
• Once a prospect customer becomes active, and strong opportunity exists, develop engagement plan and confer with Force Lead/ VP of Sales & BD to determine if a multi-person effort should be executed.
• After customer is onboarded, build strong and deep relationships with military customers at all levels including end users, supply officers, contracting officers, decision makers and influencers.
• Creatively address customer problems, becoming a true resource and solution provider.
• Understand and be able to teach how our contracting vehicles operate. Additionally have a working knowledge of various funding methods and how they may be applied to assist customers in their procurement strategies.
• Generate quotes for customers and transition them to Inside Sales / HQ Teams to enter into system.
• Partner with suppliers to provide best products & values to meet customer requirements.
• Brainstorm and develop innovative strategies to win business.
• Enter updates and maintain records in Salesforce so that all active accounts, live opportunities, key activities on those opportunities, stages in the pipeline and other required data are all accurate.
• Professionally represent Darley at trade shows, in-person meetings and Teams meetings by researching, preparing, rehearsing and making these events about the customer, not us.
• Conduct cold calls, either face to face or via telephone, to prospect new business.
• Work with support teams (purchasing, accounting, warehouse, etc.) to ensure that all information is up to date in the system and that orders are delivered in a timely fashion.
• Follow-up on closed sales to ensure delivery and quality were as promised.
• Monitor and report on market and competitor activities.

Work Environment

This job operates in a professional office environment and/or remote environment at both the Itasca and remote offices. This role routinely uses company standard office equipment such as computer and cell phones.

Physical Demands

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; and reach with hands and arms.

Position Type / Expected Hours of Work

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or as otherwise required.

Travel

This position requires up to 40% travel.

Essential Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor’s degree
• Master's degree in business related study or Defense Strategic Studies
• Top Secret Security Clearance preferred

Required Experience

• Military O-5 / E-9 level or above of leadership and management.
• 2-5 years of experience either working / overseeing acquisition efforts while a uniformed service member or industry representative selling to military or government
• Thorough understanding of Air Force military operations and acquisition processes.
• Retired military with acquisition, government procurement or supply experience
• 5-10 years of experience selling to military / government or working in acquisition fields inside the government
• 1-2 Tours at Major Command, either in parent service or a joint assignment
• Working experience with MS Office suite of products, especially Excel to perform business analysis and reporting
• Understanding of government contracts and purchasing vehicles

Preferred Experience

• 0-6 in last military rank attained
• Experience at the Numbered Air Force (NAF) or Major Command (MAJCOM) level in the Air Force or Space Force
• DAU Level II/III Program Manager or 2-4 years of military experience working Air Force acquisition, contracting, innovation, and/or program-level initiatives

Skills

• Command presence / strong public speaking ability
• Highly organized and able to multi-task
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Team Builder
• Committed to providing exceptional Customer Service
• Understanding of basic business financial concepts
• Able to use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems
• Leadership
• Management
• Communication Proficiency
• Teamwork
• Technical Capacity
• Training

Benefits Offered

• PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Health & Wellness Reimbursement
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life & Disability
• HSA with Darley contribution
• FSA
• 401K/Roth with match and profit sharing
• Darley paid life insurance

Compensation

$140-$160k base salary; OTE is $200k+ with salary and bonus (based on performance)

AAP/EEO Statement

Darley is an equal opportunity organization. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law