The Business Development Manager engages directly with customers to validate strategic hypotheses and convert them into real, advancing commercial opportunities. This role generates customer-level evidence by confirming problem relevance, demand signals, and willingness to engage through active account interaction. The role drives early-stage opportunity progression into deals, and ensures validated opportunities are positioned for successful transition to execution.
Essential Functions:- Identifies and engages target customers to convert market hypotheses into qualified, real-world opportunities.
- Validates customer problems, willingness to engage, and early commercial interest through direct interaction and structured testing.
- Generates evidence-based demand signals, including trials, feedback, and value reactions, to assess opportunity viability.
- Advances qualified opportunities through early stages by developing customer relationships and driving initial commercial traction.
- Provides structured customer-level insight to challenge or confirm market assumptions within the Growth system.
- Converts customer engagement into clearly defined opportunities that meet entry criteria for stage-gate progression.
- Collaborates with Market Strategy and Technical teams to ensure opportunities align with market priorities and technical feasibility.
- Maintains ownership of customer relationships throughout early-stage opportunity development.
- Transitions validated opportunities to downstream execution or the Core Engine with complete commercial and customer context.
- Global Opportunity Development & Alignment: Business Development Managers may engage in globally directed initiatives, including opportunities originating from coordination with AGC business units, AGC HQ, or regional/global strategic priorities
Qualifications and Skills:
- Bachelor's degree in business, marketing, engineering, or a related field.
- 7+ years of experience in business development, technical sales, account acquisition, market expansion, or strategic commercial roles.
- Experience opening new accounts, closing first-win business, and working across commercial and technical teams in industrial, manufacturing, or B2B markets.
- General management experience required, with exposure to sales/marketing, supply chain, and corporate strategy strongly preferred.
- Proven leadership capabilities with strong verbal and written communication skills.
- Excellent negotiation and deal-closing skills.
- Proficient in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint; experience with ERP systems required.
- Ability and willingness to travel frequently (greater than 50%), including overnight and some international travel as required.
- Strong prospecting mindset with a demonstrated ability to identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities.
- Exceptional relationship-building and networking skills, with the ability to engage professionally and effectively.
- Demonstrated resilience and persistence in overcoming objections and navigating complex sales cycles.
- Proven ability to collaborate cross-functionally to translate customer insights into actionable growth initiatives.
Physical Requirements:- Being stationary for long periods of time working on reports and presentations.
- Frequent driving to visit clients. Spending considerable time in a car.
- Work involves the operation of personal computer equipment for extended periods of time.
- May need to lift and carry sales materials or samples, usually not exceeding 15 lbs.
- Ability to adapt to different environments.
- May need to work outside of standard business hours to accommodate client meetings or deadlines.
- Frequent overnight travel required (>50%).
- No adverse environmental conditions expected.
