Business Development Manager - Energy & Process Industries

Business Development Manager - Energy & Process Industries

Houston, Texas | Full-time | Remote | Base salary: $80,000-$100,000 | OTE: $160,000-$200,000

About Drawboard

Drawboard is a PDF and collaboration company helping people and teams get their best work done without paper. Since 2011, we've helped millions of people mark up, review and collaborate on documents and drawings through Drawboard PDF and Drawboard Projects.

Drawboard Projects brings collaborative design review into one live workspace, helping teams review technical drawings, coordinate feedback, manage revisions and keep everyone working from the same information.

We're an Australian-founded software company with a growing international customer base, and we're now looking for someone on the ground to build our presence across Houston's energy and process industries.

About the role

We're looking for a Business Development Manager to become Drawboard's commercial presence in Houston, with a focus on oil & gas, petrochemical, midstream, EPC and engineering organisations where P&IDs, technical drawings and complex design reviews are part of everyday work.

This is first and foremost a new-business sales role. You'll identify prospective customers, open doors, build relationships and own opportunities from initial conversation through to close. You may have started your career in engineering before moving into account management or business development; what matters is that you understand the industry, can speak credibly with engineers and know how to create new business.

You'll have support from Drawboard's wider team, but you'll be our person on the ground in Houston- meeting customers, attending industry events, visiting EPC offices, prospecting and building a territory rather than waiting for opportunities to arrive.

What you'll do

• Own new business development across Houston's energy and process industries, particularly oil & gas, petrochemical, midstream, EPC and engineering organisations
• Build and execute a territory plan targeting high-value mid-market and enterprise accounts
• Develop pipeline through industry relationships, referrals, networking, events, targeted outbound prospecting and cold calling
• Build relationships across engineering, process, I&C, drafting, document control, project delivery and senior leadership
• Understand how prospective customers currently work with P&IDs and technical drawings, including review, markup and revision workflows
• Demonstrate Drawboard Projects and translate capabilities such as P&ID component detection and the tag register into clear customer value
• Navigate complex organisations and understand who influences and owns decisions around engineering and drawing tools
• Own the full sales cycle from initial outreach and discovery through evaluation, negotiation, procurement and close
• Represent Drawboard at relevant Houston industry events and associations and build a strong local network
• Bring customer feedback into Drawboard, helping shape our product, positioning and go-to-market approach
• Maintain a disciplined pipeline and provide clear visibility over opportunities, next steps and forecasts

About you

We're looking for someone who combines technical credibility, a strong Houston network and a genuine new-business mentality.

You'll ideally have:

• Experience working in or selling into oil & gas, petrochemical, midstream, process engineering or EPC organisations
• A degree in chemical, process, mechanical or instrumentation engineering, or equivalent experience within a plant, EPC or engineering environment preferred
• Strong knowledge of P&IDs and the ability to speak credibly with process, instrumentation and project engineers
• Experience in business development, territory sales, account management or another customer-facing commercial role
• An existing network across Houston's operators, EPCs, engineering contractors, vendors or process-industry community
• A demonstrated track record of hunting and opening new accounts rather than primarily managing an existing book
• Confidence prospecting, cold calling and creating opportunities from scratch
• Experience managing a territory independently and running opportunities through to close
• The ability to engage both technical users and commercial decision-makers and translate technical problems into business value
• A self-directed, outgoing approach and a genuine interest in getting into the market and building relationships

Experience with Bluebeam, AutoCAD, SmartPlant, AVEVA, CADWorx or similar engineering and design tools would be particularly valuable. Experience selling software or other technical products is also valuable, but previous SaaS sales experience is not essential. Active involvement in ISA, AIChE, SPE, the Pipeliners Association, ECC or similar industry groups would be highly regarded.

What success looks like

In your first few months, you'll develop a strong understanding of Drawboard's products and customers while building a clear view of Houston's operators, EPCs and engineering organisations. You'll establish a consistent pipeline through your existing network and new prospecting, while becoming increasingly visible through customer meetings, industry events, demonstrations and lunch-and-learns.

Over time, you'll become Drawboard's commercial presence in Houston: someone who knows the industry, knows the people and can help establish Drawboard as a meaningful part of how engineering teams review and work with technical drawings.

Compensation

On-target earnings: $160,000-$200,000

Commission is performance-based, with the opportunity to earn above OTE for over-performance. The package will also support the practical realities of building relationships in this market, including relevant industry memberships and events.

Why Drawboard?

You'll be joining a small, experienced team with an established product, a live customer story in Houston and a significant opportunity to grow our presence in the US. Rather than inheriting a mature territory and following an established playbook, you'll have the autonomy to help build one, with direct access to Drawboard's leadership and Product team.

If you're an engineer-turned-seller, technical salesperson or business developer who knows Houston's energy and engineering community and enjoys opening doors, we'd like to hear from you.