Director of Business Development

About Motivo

Motivo is a project-based company delivering excellence in mechanical and electrical system design and prototype builds. We have a history in successfully taking concepts through to actual finished solutions. Our work spans a wide range of market segments including mobility/automotive, aerospace, robotics, and clean energy, to name a few. Every team member will experience a wide variety of challenging projects, offering rich opportunities for professional growth. We are passionate about solving complex engineering challenges, striving for excellence within every unique project constraint, and believe in having fun while we do it!

About The Role

We are looking for a Director of Business Development who will report directly to our Chief Business Officer and serve as an operational anchor for our growth efforts. In this role, you will lead a nimble, dedicated business development and execution team (including marketing and outbound support) to expand Motivo's market footprint.

• Sell in one of our core industries (automotive, industrial automation, aerospace/defense, AgTech)
• Adopt your client's vision as your own
• Drive and capture new client growth (roughly 30% of our business)
• Collaborate with and influence internal Product Management teams to grow current client pipeline (remaining 70%)
• Identify and engage potential clients with targeted outreach to uncover their challenges, qualify the company, and develop a vision for the product
• Create presentations to communicate ideas, lead brainstorming sessions, and craft the right verbal and visual story to align all stakeholders
• Lead the creation of Rough Order of Magnitude (ROM) cost estimates, working with the engineering team to build a compelling narrative that balances technical risk with high-value entry points for new clients
• Represent Motivo at major national industry events and conferences
• Effectively utilize CRMs to track capture rates, lead generation, and metrics, providing leadership with data-informed sales forecasts

Qualifications

• Stay current with industry and competitive research to enable rich client dialogue
• Maintain an understanding of client business challenges, industry trends, and markets
• Demonstrate breadth and depth of knowledge to position and map company capabilities that align to client business objectives
• 5+ years of experience within the Automotive, Robotics, AgTech, Industrial Automation, or Aerospace industry—ideally blended with account management or project management experience
• A foundational baseline in engineering and technology to confidently navigate complex conversations with startup founders, enterprise board members, and highly technical PMs
• Proven ability to effectively demonstrate complex technology, teach new clients about the product development lifecycle, and articulate the value proposition of specialized technical solutions
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable using data and metrics for continual improvement
• Ability to travel regularly to attend key national conferences, evaluate client facilities, and network to bring in high-quality leads