Strategic Business Development Manager

The Opportunity

We are looking for a commercially driven, hunter-minded business development professional to help accelerate the growth of a leading certification business across North America.

This is an opportunity to move beyond transactional sales and build a more strategic, high-value sales operation focused on complex, multi-service certification contracts, long-term customer partnerships and significant recurring revenue.

The successful candidate will identify and win new business across the automotive industry and adjacent sectors, engaging senior decision-makers to develop relationships that translate into substantial, long-lasting commercial agreements.

We are particularly interested in individuals who understand third-party certification and conformity assessment, as well as commercially strong professionals from automotive OEMs who understand quality, compliance, supplier requirements and the value of certification services.

This role is built for a genuine hunter. The base salary is $100,000, with a highly attractive commission structure designed to reward individuals who back themselves, deliver new business and generate significant revenue.

Key Responsibilities

• Win strategic new business: Identify, target and secure high-value opportunities across North America, moving beyond one-off transactional sales towards complex, multi-year commercial agreements.
• Develop multi-service opportunities: Build customer relationships that create opportunities across multiple certification schemes, standards and related services, increasing account value and long-term revenue potential.
• Engage senior stakeholders: Build relationships with executives and decision-makers across automotive OEMs, Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers, manufacturing businesses and other regulated industries.
• Drive the full sales cycle: Own prospecting, lead generation, qualification, consultative selling, commercial negotiations and contract closure, taking opportunities from initial contact through to signed agreements.
• Build a strategic pipeline: Develop and execute a targeted business development strategy, identifying new markets, key accounts and opportunities where a broader certification partnership can deliver greater value.
• Leverage industry knowledge: Use an understanding of automotive quality systems, supplier compliance, ISO standards and third-party certification to identify customer challenges and position integrated solutions.
• Expand commercial relationships: Work with internal technical and operational teams to develop tailored proposals that meet customer requirements and create opportunities for repeat business and long-term growth.

The Ideal Candidate

• A proven new-business hunter: A track record of winning new customers, generating pipeline independently and closing meaningful commercial deals. We want someone motivated by results, not simply maintaining existing accounts.
• Automotive or certification industry experience: Experience within a third-party certification body is highly desirable. Equally, candidates from automotive OEMs or major automotive suppliers with strong commercial experience and knowledge of quality, compliance and certification-related services will be considered.
• Strong technical-commercial understanding: Familiarity with ISO standards, quality management systems, supplier audits, certification schemes or related assurance services, with the ability to translate technical requirements into commercial opportunities.
• Strategic sales capability: Experience selling complex solutions to multiple stakeholders, navigating longer sales cycles and building relationships that generate substantial, recurring revenue.
• Commercial confidence: Someone comfortable targeting senior decision-makers, negotiating significant contracts and taking ownership of ambitious revenue targets.

What Makes This Opportunity Different?

• Uncapped earning potential: A $100,000 base salary complemented by a highly rewarding commission structure that recognises the value of new business won.
• A strategic growth mandate: Help transform the commercial approach from transactional sales towards larger, more complex and longer-lasting customer partnerships.
• A recognised global brand: Represent DEKRA, an established name in automotive testing, inspection and certification.
• Room to make an impact: Take ownership of business development, shape the sales approach and help unlock new revenue streams across North America.

Who Should Apply?

Whether you are currently selling certification and assurance services or working commercially within an automotive OEM or supplier environment, we want to hear from you if you can demonstrate a genuine ability to win business.

If you have the relationships, commercial instinct and confidence to turn opportunities into significant contracts, this is an opportunity to be rewarded for what you deliver.