Manager, Business Development

Business Development Manager

The Business Development Manager (BDM) role is a newly created and highly impactful position at Rubbercraft, critical to the company's continued growth and success. Rubbercraft is seeking a motivated "hunter" who thrives on identifying, pursuing, and securing new business opportunities within a highly technical Aerospace & Defense environment.

The BDM will take urgent ownership of proposals and bids for new business opportunities with small to mid-sized customers, driving opportunity capture and increasing win rates. Because new opportunities arise daily, the successful candidate must demonstrate strong learning agility, exceptional organization, and the ability to manage multiple customer engagements simultaneously.

Rubbercraft will also assign strategic target accounts for the BDM to assess, develop, and expand. The ideal candidate brings an established network of Aerospace & Defense customer relationships and a proven track record of growing market share and capturing new business.

The BDM will work closely with Inside Sales, Customer Service, Engineering, and Program Management teams. All customer activities and pipeline management are maintained within a state-of-the-art Salesforce CRM environment. This role offers strong visibility and significant career growth potential for candidates who consistently deliver results.

About Rubbercraft (RCC):
Rubbercraft is a trusted leader in engineered elastomer solutions serving aerospace, defense, and industrial markets. Our team designs and manufactures precision-molded seals, gaskets, and custom rubber components that perform in the most demanding environments. We take pride in craftsmanship, collaboration, and a culture built on innovation and reliability.

Our Mission:
Become a premier partner for design and manufacture of low-mid volume, high mix of engineered seals, gaskets and rubber components to the aerospace, space, defense and energy industries by providing a world-class performance to our customers.

Working Conditions:

• Travel required:
  
  approximately 50–60% to customer locations
• Onsite presence at Rubbercraft's Long Beach, California facility to integrate with the team and business operations
• Standard office and manufacturing environment
• Work requires substantial visual concentration and attention to detail
• Must be able to work from written and verbal instructions
• Manufacturing operations may require use of PPE, including safety glasses, masks, hearing protection, gowning, heel/wrist straps, and other required equipment
• May occasionally be exposed to loud noise, dust, fumes, cold temperatures, or confined spaces
• Physical Requirements (approximate and may vary by task)
  • Sitting: 70%
  • Standing: 30%
  • Lifting/Pushing: up to 20 pounds
  • Frequent computer use in an office or cubicle workspace

Main

Duties and Responsibilities:

• Proactively and urgently follow up on proposals and bids for new business opportunities, positioning Rubbercraft to improve win rates and capture additional business
• Evaluate customer "share of wallet" opportunities and recommend strategies to expand Rubbercraft's portion of customer spend
• Drive long-term growth within assigned accounts and target customers
• Introduce and communicate Rubbercraft's value proposition to both existing and prospective customers
• Develop and manage lead capture plans and customer engagement strategies within Salesforce CRM
• Continuously identify and cultivate new customer relationships and business opportunities
• Support proposal and bid development, including recommendations to improve competitiveness and increase win probability
• Lead customer negotiations with support from internal teams
• Collaborate with Inside Sales and Customer Service to ensure exceptional responsiveness and communication throughout the sales cycle
• Represent the voice of the customer internally while maintaining Rubbercraft's business interests
• Develop deep knowledge of customer organizations, including decision makers, relationships, performance metrics, and industry recognition
• Recommend and participate in trade shows and industry events
• Support development of marketing materials and customer-facing content
• Maintain accurate…