Business Development Leader

Description

Be Yourself. Build Your Career. Be Exceptional Together.

The Business Development Leader for Datacenters is responsible for cultivating strategic partnerships, identifying early-stage project opportunities, and positioning Werner as a trusted provider of products, services and solutions in the data center segment. Success in this role means developing, maintaining and influencing relationships, guiding project pursuit strategy, and fueling long-term growth.

• Develop and execute a territory growth plan targeting data center projects through contractor partners.
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with electrical contractors and reps to influence project specifications and procurement decisions.
• Review contractor bid packages, one-line diagrams, BOQs, and specifications to promote inclusion of distributor products and value-added solutions.
• Support contractors in proposal preparation, product justification, alternative solutions, pricing strategies, and presentations to end users.
• Collaborate with internal teams (inside sales, operations, product management, logistics) to ensure timely quoting, inventory availability, and delivery.
• Identify and pursue growth opportunities in the data center space.
• Develop a strong network with relationships of influence within the datacenter marketplace with customers, and vendor partners.
• Establish and maintain sales pipeline with account managers, including an accurate sales forecast within CRM, tracking of sales opportunities and the sales funnel.
• Development and coordination of commercial market strategies and messaging.
• Communicate industry market conditions, competitive activity and trending technology or services development.
• Define and clearly communicate Werner's datacenter strategy value proposition to customers and potential partners.
• Lead early-stage discussions around design-build delivery, electrical scope, and site strategy.
• Maintain accurate CRM reporting and pipeline tracking.
• Monitor industry trends and provide input on long-term growth initiatives.
• Be an ongoing resource for customers providing consultative services and insights into solutions that address their desired business outcomes.
• Identify emergent markets to datacenters to include utilities, micro nuclear, etc. Keep a pulse on where the market is going next.
• Ability and willingness to travel frequently to customer locations, attend industry conferences and meet with industry SMEs.
• Provide regular business and commercial updates to the executive leadership team reviewing success metrics, key milestones and future opportunities.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Construction Management or equivalent experience
• 7+ years of progressive business development experience in construction, data centers, or mission critical infrastructure, or related technology sectors
• Strong existing network of clients and partners in the data center sector
• Understanding of electrical systems including medium voltage, wire, generators, and power distribution
• Experience with early-stage project identification and influencing design/specification decisions
• Ability to communicate technical concepts in a clear, business-focused way
• Track record of building client trust and securing long-term partnerships
• Strong organization, CRM fluency, and follow-through on sales activity

• Master's degree in business, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field
• Involvement in industry organizations and events is a plus

Founded in 1948, Werner has grown from a small appliance store in downtown Neenah, WI into an award-winning employer and leading electrical distributor with 12 branch locations in Wisconsin and Upper-Michigan. Headquartered in Appleton, WI, we provide electrical, lighting, network, process, and inventory management solutions for a diverse group of industrial and construction customers. We are a growing, privately-held company with over 450 employees who uphold a family culture built around exceptional customer service.

As a recent New North Workplace Excellence Award winner, we’re…