Director of Business Development

Summary

Sharpe Engineering & Equipment is seeking a Director of Business Development to join its Executive Leadership Team. This role leads Sharpe’s commercial growth strategy, overseeing customer acquisition, strategic partnerships, and market positioning across the food and beverage processing industry. This is a key executive role—responsible not only for leading strategic selling but also shaping broader company direction alongside other senior leaders.

The Director will lead a three-person team, including a Key Account Manager, Sales Engineer, and Inside Sales Associate. Ideal candidates bring a mix of strategic thinking, technical fluency, and a consultative sales approach, with demonstrated success in capital projects and automation for high-sanitation manufacturing environments. 

Duties & Responsibilities

Executive Leadership & Strategic Direction

• Actively contribute to Sharpe’s overall strategic plan, financial performance, and market expansion as a member of the Executive Leadership Team.
• Collaborate with cross-functional leaders to align sales strategy with operational capacity, margin objectives, and long-term growth pillars.
• Translate strategic goals into actionable sales initiatives, team KPIs, and measurable outcomes. 

Sales Strategy & Execution

• Build and execute account-based and solutions-focused sales strategies targeting food and beverage processors ($50M–$1B in revenue).
• Lead pursuit of capital projects and automation initiatives, including SCADA/AI/AR integrations.
• Drive conversion of high-margin, turnkey project opportunities and recurring revenue streams.

Team Leadership & Development

• Manage and coach a commercial team of three, focusing on professional development, role clarity (hunter vs. farmer), and performance accountability.
• Set and monitor team targets aligned with company goals, ensuring a strong pipeline of strategic opportunities.
• Establish a high-performance, growth-oriented sales culture rooted in collaboration and continuous learning.

Client Engagement & Commercial Excellence

• Cultivate senior-level relationships across target accounts, positioning Sharpe as a trusted strategic partner.
• Lead or support major proposal development, pricing strategy, contract negotiations, and solution design.
• Ensure consistent communication and alignment across customer lifecycle—from initial pursuit to project closeout and beyond.

Marketing & Positioning

• Partner with internal and external marketing resources to enhance Sharpe’s market visibility, brand identity, and lead generation.
• Guide initiatives including SEO, social media, trade shows (e.g., Pack Expo), case studies, and promotional content.
• Support messaging and storytelling that reinforces Sharpe’s value proposition as an integrator and solutions provider.

Forecasting & Reporting

• Own pipeline tracking and forecasting through CRM and reporting platforms, delivering regular updates on sales performance and growth metrics.
• Partner with the President and finance leaders on budget planning, bookings targets, and revenue forecasting.
• Identify and mitigate risks to target attainment and contribute to strategic resource allocation.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• Growth in high-margin turnkey project bookings
• Conversion of target accounts to long-term relationships
• Recurring revenue from SCADA/AI/AR platforms
• Pipeline quality, volume, and velocity
• Number and strength of strategic partnerships (OEM, AEC, PE)
• Team performance relative to individual and team-based sales targets

Strategic Growth Channels

OEM & AEC Relationship Development

• Develop and maintain strategic partnerships with key OEMs to become the preferred integrator for critical equipment categories.
• Establish and deepen relationships with AEC firms, design-build contractors, and food facility planners to ensure Sharpe is engaged early in capital project cycles.
• Build referral networks with trusted industry influencers, including compliance consultants, engineering advisors, and operations strategists.
• Represent Sharpe at industry-leading events and trade shows (e.g., Pack Expo, FPSA) to reinforce market visibility and expand network reach.

Private Equity Ecosystem Engagement

• Identify and engage private equity firms with active investments in food and beverage manufacturing.
• Position Sharpe as a value creation partner for portfolio companies seeking modernization, automation, and turnkey capital solutions.
• Develop repeatable business opportunities through cross-portfolio relationships, targeting multi-site programmatic project deployment.
• Build PE-aligned messaging and strategic entry points to support both integration and scalability goals.

Core Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or related technical discipline, MBA preferred
• Experience: 10–15 years in capital project sales, engineering services, or automation systems integration for the food and beverage industry

Technical Proficiency

• Sanitary process and packaging systems, utilities and CIP/SIP standards
• Automation/controls and HMI/SCADA platforms
• Regulatory frameworks (e.g., USDA, FDA, FSMA)

Commercial Acumen

• Demonstrated success leading solution sales of $250k–$15M+
• Comfortable structuring multi-phase or recurring revenue models
• Executive presence with strong interpersonal, negotiation, and presentation skills

Technical Tools & Platform Experience

• CRM platforms and opportunity tracking systems
• Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)
• ERP and Project Management Systems (e.g., Acumatica, Monday.com)
• Collaboration and visualization tools (e.g., Zoom, Teams, Miro, Lucidchart)

Why Sharpe?

Sharpe Engineering & Equipment is growing fast—and intentionally. We’re investing in digital transformation, smart automation, and customer-first solutions that make food production more efficient, scalable, and safe. As the Senior Business Development Manager, you’ll shape the relationships and strategies that drive our next era of growth.

If you’re ready to move beyond transactional selling and into value-driven, consultative partnership, we invite you to join our team and build the future of food production—together.