Business Development Manager

Who are we

Auxitrol Weston Operating Unit (OU) consists of 3 manufacturing plants, Auxitrol SAS (France), Weston Aerospace Ltd (UK), Auxitrol Weston (Mexico), with 3 R&D departments in France, UK and Norwich Aero Products Inc (US) along with 4 repair capabilities in France, UK, US & Singapore.

Weston Aerospace Ltd has approximately 175 employees at Farnborough whose responsibilities are to design and manufacture temperature, speed and pressure sensors for gas turbine and airframe applications.

We have extensive environmental test facilities to verify our products’ performance, replicating and exceeding hostile operating conditions.

We have another smaller manufacturing site dedicated to analogue indicators, based in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire with 16 employees.

Job Overview/Purpose

Responsible for the delivering sales growth across the portfolio of the business highly engineered sensor products.

Develop commercial strategies that support the company’s planned strategic re‑alignment objectives for re‑positioning the business to be less reliant on historical contracts by developing new strategies and routes to market that will enhance margin and profitability whilst still proving exceptional value to the user community and the customer base.

This will require the undertaking of wide ranging “pro‑active” business development activities with a core emphasis on establishing, developing, promoting and positioning the activities of the business in order to achieve new international sales for the business unit.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop a “winning strategy” for achieving new international sales across the portfolio by identifying, developing, negotiating and closing new business opportunities in order to generate profitable new business.
• Play a leading “outward facing” role in developing new routes to market, including the collaborative opportunities that could be available with many of the leading Aerospace & Defence primes.
• Manage existing and new business relationships with customers, users and partners; in order to secure growth opportunities.
• Travel regularly across core international markets, assist customers to shape their requirements in order to develop a strong position for winning new and lasting business.
• Be involved in all steps of new business capture including identification of user needs, opportunity assessment, product positioning and closing negotiation.
• Drive added value to the customer offering, including the identification of new opportunities for the provision of a wide range of services and through life support.
• Work closely with an established network of agents to increase visibility, “grass roots” market intelligence, support commercial activities and validated opportunities.
• Build on the company’s competencies, brand and expertise in the Aerospace and Defense market to continue to seek new opportunities that generate profitable new business (from the existing and new customer base).
• Review the market and competition, gather intelligence to facilitate the development of new products, services and solutions.
• Keep updated with customer procurement and replenishment cycles; liaise with the user community, draw upon the vast technical expertise and resources available within the business to evolve the product offering, but without losing sight of the need to win new business.
• Support the engineering team with the development of new ideas and concepts to meet current and future customer needs.
• As an integral part of the team, provide support to the Business Unit Manager, take pro‑active ownership of the sales business development of the portfolio including identifying key milestones and capture plans to involve, drive and communicate with the supporting team.
• Produce and maintain an accurate list of prospects and opportunities; regularly contributing to the updating of sales forecasts and booking plans.
• Attend at trials, trade shows, conferences & PR events as required.

Intrinsic Skills Required

• Driven and ambitious : AW is looking for an individual with ambition to develop their career. This role has strong potential for future development (into a Sales Director and / or Business Unit Manager and then Vice President)
• Strong ethical and moral compass: able to work across functions within a non‑political, open and honest business culture that has an overarching commitment towards “value creation” and the on time delivery of consistently reliable engineered products.
• Credible leader, influencer and motivator of others, people orientated and able to give insight into the development of the team, making changes and improvements.
• Well‑developed inter‑personal skills: dynamic, positive and enthusiastic, with the ability to negotiate, think laterally and act through reasoned decision making.
• Results orientated, good judgement and decision making skills; able to balance the requirements to work strategically in order to meet the company’s overall business plan with the “hands on” requirement to walk the floor and think on your feet.
• Honest and open communicator who is able to prioritise information, keep colleagues informed and has a natural flair for developing strong customer relationships.
• Strong presentation skills – able to develop and confidently deliver high impact, technically focused presentations to colleagues, customers and the parent company.

Qualifications/Skills/Experience

• A strong track record of success in International Business Development gained from within an Aerospace & Defence related environment.
• The appointee must be able to identify, develop, negotiate, capture and close opportunities in order to generate profitable new business.
• An exceptional well networked user may be considered provided that a proven track record of success in a commercial/ business development role has already been obtained. An individual from outside the above sectors with extensive business development experience in “high proprietary products” may also be considered.
• Degree qualified in a business, marketing or engineering discipline; you may also now be an ambitious business development professional with a “hunter/go‑getting” approach who is now ready for the “next step up”.
• An understanding of the complex procurement process that nations adopt within an aerospace environment.
• Able to perform within in a close knit, agile, highly responsive team based environment that specialises in low volume, highly complex products with long lead times.
• A team player, with a genuine desire to work pro‑actively within a fast paced and fun team environment.
• Be self‑sufficient and able to quickly grasp sales and technical knowledge of the company’s products, capabilities and branding. The company have strong “in house” technical expertise which can be drawn upon as required.
• Experience of managing of overseas agents/representatives: – display an appreciation of cultural sensitivity.
• Strong presentation, financial & commercial skills and have a natural flair for developing strong customer relationships, combined with the intellect to fully understand their current and future needs for new capability or the replacement of existing equipment.
• Able to generate the respect of others, challenge when required and display an uncompromising approach towards business success.
• Able to understand wider market opportunities, competitors, technologies and trends and exploit these for winning new business.
• Strong commercial understanding of customer budget plans, procurement process, bid management, contractual terms, pricing and gross margin analysis.
• Able to operate effectively and remain focused on “winning business” within a matrix organisation with competing demands on time and priorities.
• Familiar with a formal sales operating process which also captures and develops emerging opportunities into defined and qualified prospects.
• A strong influencer who can demonstrate attention to detail and display a logical and disciplined determination to capture new business.
• Able to prioritise information, keep internal colleagues informed and ensure that the customer is always on board and is fully up to date.
• Demonstrate the “values and behaviours” that are important in the business. Key personal attributes sought include, drive, determination, team work, creativity, good communication skills and a winning mentality.
• An accomplished negotiator, who is responsive to the needs of customers, can close business and adhere to high ethics and codes of conduct.
• Proficient in the use of MS Office tools.
• A willingness and ability to travel within the UK and overseas at short notice.
• Hold or be able to hold UK Security Clearance.

Competencies

• Customer Focus: knows how and understand the needs of internal and external customers. Is result oriented and works hard to consistently provide exceptional service.
• Ethics and Values: adheres to an effective set of core values and beliefs and acts in accordance.
• Integrity and Trust: widely trusted and seen as direct and truthful.
• Values Diversity: supports fair and equal treatment of all.
• Problem Solving: Looks beyond the obvious to find effective solutions.
• Functional technical skills: possesses the skills to be effective in the job and has the skills to perform the job at a high level of accomplishment.
• Listening: practices active and attentive listening, able to hear others.
• Action orientated: full on energy, willing to take action.
• Composure: cool under pressure, not knocked off balance by the unexpected is a settling influence.