Business Development Manager - Automation

About the role

Join Desoutter and help drive the growth of our automation business across the United States and Canada. As Business Development Manager, Automation, you'll combine your technical automation knowledge with business development expertise to identify new opportunities, build strategic customer relationships, and expand adoption of solutions such as automated robot guidance and advanced quality inspection. You'll collaborate with Sales, Marketing, Project, Service, and global product teams to turn customer needs into solutions that deliver sustainable growth.

Responsibilities

• Develop new automation business and strategic customer opportunities.
• Identify customer needs and recommend value-driven automation solutions.
• Lead opportunities from discovery and demonstrations through proposals and order conversion.
• Build and manage a healthy sales pipeline using CRM, forecasting, and market insights.
• Support and train sales teams through joint customer visits, demonstrations, and opportunity reviews.
• Collaborate with customers, integrators, partners, and internal teams to deliver competitive solutions.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, automation, robotics, manufacturing, business, or a related field.
• 3+ years of relevant experience in industrial automation, engineering, technical sales, product marketing, or business development.
• Working knowledge of robot programming, PLCs, MES, process control, robotics, vision systems, industrial controls, or manufacturing integration.
• Experience identifying customer needs and developing practical solutions, value propositions, and business cases.
• Strong consultative selling, presentation, communication, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across Sales, Marketing, Project, Service, and technical teams.
• Experience using CRM and digital tools to manage opportunities, forecasts, and customer information.
• Ability to travel throughout the United States and Canada up to and occasionally exceeding 50%, including overnight travel.

We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet every single requirement. We value diverse experiences and perspectives.

Schedule

This is a hybrid position with flexibility based on the candidate's experience and business needs. Preferred hiring locations are Rock Hill, South Carolina; Detroit, Michigan; and Chicago, Illinois. Candidates located in other key U.S. automation markets may also be considered. Candidates requiring additional hands-on product training may be expected to spend more time at the Rock Hill office, where automation equipment is located. Local terms and conditions apply.