At Element, we are pushing the boundaries of innovation and excellence in Aerospace & Defence across EMEAA. We are seeking a visionary Business Development Director (m/w/d) for Germany and the Netherlands. A dynamic leader who thrives on building lasting partnerships, unlocking new market opportunities, and driving sustainable growth.
In this pivotal role, you’ll not only take charge of our most strategic accounts but also inspire, coach, and empower a high-performing business development team. With an enterprise-wide perspective, you’ll set the tone for success, fostering a culture of collaboration, ambition, and accountability. Reporting directly to the Division Sales Director, you’ll have the autonomy and influence to shape market expansion, strengthen our competitive edge, and deliver measurable impact on the future of our business.
If you’re a bold enterprise seller with the vision to navigate traditional and emerging markets and the leadership to bring others with you, this is your opportunity to lead from the front and make your mark at the forefront of Aerospace & Defence.
This role will support Mulheim, Hamburg, Breda, Amsterdam and Milan.
Responsibilities:
Strategy and Planning
* Act as a strategic business partner to the Cluster General Manager, contributing to overall cluster strategy, revenue growth, and profitability
* Co‑develop and execute the commercial strategy for the Energy sector across Europe, aligned with Element’s global objectives
* Provide market intelligence, customer insights, and competitive analysis to support strategic decision‑making at cluster level
* Participate in cluster team discussions on service portfolio expansion and key account prioritisation
Own Accounts
* Establish and proactively maintain a strong professional relationship with key decision makers and influencers within assigned accounts
* Expand business with dormant and existing accounts; prospects and develop new potential accounts
* Identify opportunities early in the sales cycle to ensure maximum share of wallet for Element
* Follow up in a timely manner on quotations for the assigned customer base
* Achieve sales goals by converting, retaining and penetrating accounts
* Actively utilize CRM to record activities, ensuring contact details are accurate, duplicates are removed, new information is added, and accurate call / visit logs are entered
Team Management
* Oversee a team which will primarily consist of Business Development Managers and Business Development Associates but may also include Application Sales Engineers and Customer Service Representatives
* Provide effective coaching and direction to their team, to achieve roll‑up sales goal
* Set clear goals for the team, that will enable the Business Unit to meet or exceed targets
* Actively lead and participate in regular pipeline reviews, ensuring all CRM records are up to date and critical success factors are identified for key opportunities
* Define expectation around response time, follow‑ups, pipeline management etc. and proactively monitor and manage these
* Assess and coach direct reports, including making joint calls/visits and provide them with the tools necessary to improve the required skills and competencies
* Ensure direct reports are prioritising highest opportunities and/or accounts, for the greatest potential impact on generating organic growth for Element
* Ensure sales team uses desired behaviours and actions to execute the sales strategy, working with the Commercial Excellence team to drive adoption of commercial excellence initiatives and processes
* Drive proactive positive enterprise sales approach through the commercial organization
* Build a competitive and motivating atmosphere of selling
* Engage other Element resources to help team members to advance opportunities
* Partner with Operations in order to have seamless execution
* Actively utilize PowerBI to monitor performance and drive activity
Skills/Qualifications:
* Degree or equivalent combination of education and experience
* Experience in interpreting testing procedures and requirements
* Experience of working with PowerBI advantageous
* Ability to analyse data and provide evidence‑based recommendations
* Interpersonal skills – particularly in dealing with senior stakeholders around the business
* Ability to read and interpret documents such as customer quotes/contracts, marketing materials, and customer testing specifications
* Ability to write routine reports and correspondence
* Ability to speak effectively before groups of customers or employees of organization
* Ability to calculate figures and amounts such as discounts, interest, commissions and proportions
* Ability to interpret a variety of instructions, data and details furnished in written, oral, diagram, or schedule form
* Proficiency in Microsoft Applications (Dynamics AX and CRM, Word, Excel and PowerPoint)
* A valid driver’s licence, with an acceptable driving record under Element’s policy, is required for driving on company business
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