Business Development Manager - Custom Plastics

Our client is seeking a Business Development Manager to serve as the senior commercial leader at our client and support its affiliated manufacturing businesses. The mandate is to create a unified commercial strategy, develop major accounts, build a disciplined pipeline, and personally drive new business while providing external-facing sales leadership across multiple manufacturing capabilities.

This role will be employed by our client and will work for our client and will coordinate prospecting for sales opportunities with the other “sister” companies. The successful candidate should bring an established network and book of business that can create opportunities across the broader platform, not simply within one product line or location.

THE BUSINESS PLATFORM

Our client is part of a three-company manufacturing platform backed by private equity ownership. Together, the businesses provide complementary plastic molding, metal forming, stamping, roll forming, and assembly capabilities to OEM and Tier customers.

• Primary Site: Injection molding, insert molding, overmolding, precision metal stamping, and assembly. Our client has a strong automotive and industrial orientation, our client generates approximately $17 million in revenue, with a current mix of roughly 70% molding and 30% metal.
• Second Site | Roll forming and metal stamping with a strong automotive presence, including automotive glass hardware, window components, sunroof reinforcements, and related products.
• Third Site | Deep draw, progressive die, and compound stamping serving OEM and Tier 1 customers in appliance, automotive, and industrial markets.
• Across the platform, the commercial opportunity includes cross-selling capabilities, sharing customer relationships, and presenting customers with a broader manufacturing solution.

WHAT THIS LEADER WILL OWN

• Set and execute the overall business development strategy at our client with clear priorities by market, account, capability, and geography.
• Act as the one of the leaders for the platform of companies, creating accountability around pipeline development, prospect pursuit, quoting, follow-up, forecasting, and conversion of opportunities into purchase orders.
• Personally develop new business and strategic accounts while opening doors through an established network within OEM, Tier 1, Tier 2, contract manufacturing, and related industrial markets.
• Build a book of business for our client’s capabilities in plastic injection molding, insert molding, over molding, precision stamping, and assembly.
• Identify cross-selling opportunities among our client and its sister companies and coordinate a unified approach to shared customers and target accounts by leveraging the strengths of the other companies in stamping, deep draw, progressive and compound stamping, and roll forming.
• Lead complex opportunities from initial contact through technical review, quoting, negotiation, award, launch, and long-term account expansion.
• Partner closely with engineering, operations, quality, inside sales, customer experience, and ownership to ensure commercial commitments align with manufacturing capability, margin expectations, capacity, and strategic direction.
• Develop sales forecasts, pipeline reviews, account plans, market intelligence, and executive-level reporting for company leadership and private equity ownership.
• Help strengthen the commercial process and technology stack. Our client currently uses Apollo.io, several AI tools, and NetSuite as the ERP (moving to Plex in 2027) and is considering tools such as HubSpot for marketing and business development support.
• Represent the platform of companies at meetings, industry events, trade shows, and strategic account reviews. Travel is expected throughout the Midwest with occasional broader North American travel.

MARKETS & GROWTH

Automotive remains an important market and the businesses have experienced recent automotive wins. Reshoring and domestic sourcing trends create additional opportunity. Industrial, appliances, electrical/electronics, touch-screen related applications, and customers serving aerospace and military markets are also relevant. Our client is IATF and ISO certified and does currently sell into other markets requiring compliance certifications.

IDEAL BACKGROUND

• Proven sales leadership and business development success within engineered manufacturing, custom components, contract manufacturing, or a closely related environment.
• Strong existing customer relationships and a demonstrated ability to bring new opportunities into a manufacturing organization.
• Commercial experience in plastic injection molding and/or metal stamping is strongly preferred though a broader exposure to roll forming, insert molding, overmolding, assembly, or related engineered processes is valuable.
• Experience selling to OEM and Tier organizations and navigating engineering, purchasing, quality, operations, program management, and executive stakeholders.
• Strong command of quoting, pricing, margin, profitability, forecasting, pipeline management, account strategy, and complex negotiations.
• Ability to lead at a strategic level while remaining hands-on in customer development and closing business.
• Experience operating across multiple plants, business units, brands, or acquired companies is highly desirable.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Manufacturing, Business, or a related discipline preferred.

LEADERSHIP PROFILE

Our client is looking for a commercially aggressive but disciplined leader who can create structure, follow through, and drive results with a pipeline development and conversion focus. The right person will be comfortable in front of executives and engineers, understand how engineered manufacturing opportunities move from concept to purchase order, and take ownership of the full commercial cycle. This person should be able to operate with the urgency of a business developer and the broader perspective required for growth across an entire platform.