Strategic Growth Director - Industrial Markets

Keller Executive Search; Hartford (CT); On-site; USD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive base salary

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Keller Executive Search seeks a Director of Business Development for a Hartford-based client in the industrial/manufacturing sector. You will identify growth opportunities, shape strategies, and collaborate with sales, operations, and leadership to turn market insights into action.

This senior role requires a proven track record in industrial markets, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to build teams and travel up to 25%.

Qualifications

• A bachelor's degree in engineering, business, management, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Significant experience in business development, sales, commercial leadership, or a related discipline within an industrial, manufacturing, or technical business environment.
• Experience from industrial manufacturing or engineered products, with exposure to sectors such as heavy equipment, energy, natural resources, agriculture, construction, or other technically complex industrial markets.
• Demonstrated success developing new customer relationships and generating meaningful commercial growth.
• Experience working with technically oriented products, services, or solutions.
• Strong commercial judgment and the ability to evaluate opportunities from both strategic and practical perspectives.
• Experience developing market, customer, or territory growth strategies.
• Ability to operate effectively across sales, operations, technical teams, and senior leadership.
• Experience building, developing, or leading teams would be advantageous.
• Strong communication, relationship-building, and negotiation capabilities.
• Comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy in a dynamic business environment.
• Willingness to travel approximately 25% as required.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute business development strategies aligned with the organization's broader commercial objectives.
• Identify new customers, markets, applications, and opportunities that can support sustainable revenue growth.
• Build strong relationships with key customer stakeholders and develop a clear understanding of their commercial and operational requirements.
• Work closely with sales and other internal teams to strengthen existing accounts and pursue new opportunities.
• Evaluate market activity, customer feedback, and commercial information to identify emerging opportunities and potential areas for investment.
• Develop account and market plans for priority growth opportunities.
• Lead selected strategic opportunities from initial engagement through commercial development and implementation.
• Partner with internal technical and operational teams to ensure customer requirements are understood and appropriately supported.
• Maintain strong visibility across the commercial pipeline and communicate progress, priorities, and risks to senior leadership.
• Contribute market and customer insights that can inform broader commercial and business planning.
• Establish clear performance objectives and measures for business development activities.
• Support the continued development of commercial processes, tools, and ways of working.
• Recruit, develop, and lead additional business development resources as the function grows.
• Represent the organization with customers and industry stakeholders as required.

Skills

Growth strategy

Business development

Sales leadership

Strategic partnerships

Negotiation

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering/business/management

Job description

Keller Executive Search seeks a Director of Business Development for a Hartford-based client in the industrial/manufacturing sector. You will identify growth opportunities, shape strategies, and collaborate with sales, operations, and leadership to turn market insights into action.

This senior role requires a proven track record in industrial markets, strong negotiation skills, and the ability to build teams and travel up to 25%.