Technical Business Development Manager

Location: Indianapolis, IN

Employment Type: Salary Exempt

Industries: Aerospace, Medical Device, Firearms, Contract Manufacturing

Travel: 25-30% domestic and international

Education: Bachelor's required; MBA preferred

Experience: 5+ years in technical sales

Position Overview

The Technical Business Development Manager is the primary driver of revenue and margin growth and serves as the company's customer relationship leader. This is not a traditional transactional sales role - every part produced is custom, and every customer relationship is built for the long term. The right candidate will become a trusted partner and extension of our customers' teams, working closely with engineers, purchasers, designers, quality managers, and business leaders at companies that require tight-tolerance, high-precision Swiss CNC-machined components.

Beyond account development, this person will own the company's digital presence - website and social media - ensuring our capabilities are communicated clearly and compellingly to a technical and purchasing audience.

Key Responsibilities

Sales, Revenue & Margin Growth
• Develop and execute a sales strategy to drive revenue growth, expand market share, and increase profitability across target industries including medical devices, aerospace, RF connectors, and firearms.
• Meet or exceed annual revenue targets, new customer acquisition goals, and gross margin objectives through effective pricing, quoting, and value-based selling of Swiss CNC machining capabilities.
• Identify, qualify, and close new accounts while growing business with existing customers by uncovering additional machining and assembly needs.
• Manage the full sales cycle - from lead generation and RFQ response through internal collaboration, quoting, and post-sale customer representation to ensure on-time delivery.
• Define, track, and report KPIs that measure progress toward sales and marketing objectives.

Account Development & Customer Relationship Management
• Build and maintain trust-based relationships with engineers, business leaders, project managers, and procurement contacts across all customer accounts.
• Own customer communication from initial contact through the RFQ and quoting process, serve as pre-production liaison, and provide regular updates during production. Be the customer's voice inside the organization.
• Identify opportunities with prospects and existing customers based on new needs, tight-tolerance challenges, supplier failures, complex geometries, or situations where other shops have declined to quote.

Technical & Consultative Support
• Develop a working knowledge of Swiss CNC lathe capabilities, tolerances, materials, and finishing processes in order to engage credibly with engineering contacts.
• Partner with estimating and engineering teams to translate customer requirements into accurate, feasible quotes and proposals.
• Coordinate new part onboarding and quality needs internally while keeping customers informed throughout.
• Review engineering drawings and support design-for-manufacturability conversations with customers.
• Gather and analyze annual customer feedback on quality, lead time, communication, and service; identify actionable improvements with production and quality teams.

Marketing, Lead Generation & Brand Awareness
• Own and manage the company website - maintain content accuracy, coordinate with web developers or vendors, and ensure the site effectively communicates capabilities to a technical buyer.
• Develop and execute a social media strategy across LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and other relevant platforms.
• Create or coordinate content such as photography, short videos, case studies, and capability sheets that demonstrate machining expertise.
• Monitor website analytics and social engagement metrics; use data to improve content strategy and lead generation over time.
• Develop marketing collateral including capability brochures, trade show materials, and email communications.

Requirements
• Working understanding of machining processes; Swiss CNC lathe experience preferred
• Established relationship network in contract manufacturing
• US Person status; qualified to work in ITAR and FFL-compliant environments
• Experience with contract management and legal compliance
• Experience analyzing markets and forecasting sales
• Strong communication skills - able to listen to customer needs and translate them clearly to an engineering team
• Proficiency in MS Office and sales research tools

Education & Experience
• Bachelor's degree required; MBA preferred
• 5+ years of technical sales experience with a track record of results
• Experience in contract manufacturing or machining sales strongly preferred