Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager – International, Relationship-Led Sales

Please only apply to this position if you can answer yes to all of the following questions:

Are you comfortable with regular international travel, including nights away from home?
Because this role covers international time zones, are you happy taking calls outside of standard UK office hours when needed?
Are you used to long lead times, some deals here take up to two years to close, and building relationships rather than chasing quick wins?
Are you happy working in a small, hands on team rather than a large corporate structure with layers of support around you?
Our client is a specialist design and manufacturing business at the forefront of bespoke vehicle transportation solutions, working with major automotive and logistics organisations around the world. Following recent investment, they're now looking for a commercially driven Business Development Manager to join their small, specialist team in Warwick and help take the company to the next level internationally. They're genuinely open on industry background, what matters far more is the ability to build long term relationships and stay the course on a long sales cycle.

What's On Offer

£60,000–£65,000 base salary, with realistic on target earnings of £70,000–£80,000
A bonus structure designed with longer sales cycles in mind, so you're supported while you build your pipeline
Genuine autonomy, working directly alongside the Managing Director and Engineering Director
The chance to work with globally recognised automotive manufacturers and major shipping lines
A small, close-knit team where your input genuinely shapes the direction of the business
Flexible working hours to accommodate international clients
Regular international travel and exposure to high-profile global projects

The Role

As Business Development Manager, you'll take the lead on nurturing long term relationships across the automotive and logistics sectors, working cradle to grave from first contact through to successful implementation. This isn't a fast-paced, high-volume sales environment, deals are built on trust and patience over months and sometimes years. You'll be selling a genuinely bespoke, engineered product, so you'll be the driving force behind identifying and converting new opportunities, coordinating internally and with manufacturing partners to bring deals to life.

Key responsibilities include:

Identifying and developing new business opportunities with OEMs, logistics providers and shipping lines
Building and maintaining strong relationships with international clients and manufacturing partners
Working with senior management to shape commercial strategies and sales approaches
Mapping customer requirements and market trends globally
Coordinating trials, demonstrations and technical processes through to sign-off
Negotiating and closing deals within agreed commercial parameters
Maintaining accurate records via CRM software
Achieving agreed sales and profit targets

What We're Looking For

A patient, relationship-first approach to sales, comfortable managing long and complex sales cycles rather than chasing quick wins
Experience engaging confidently at a senior level with large organisations, whichever industry that's come from
A relationship-builder who thrives in a small, entrepreneurial team rather than a large corporate structure
Comfortable holding a technical conversation, though no formal engineering background is required, full product training is given
Eligibility to work in the UK
Willingness to travel internationally and work flexibly, including outside standard hours, to support global clients
We're genuinely open on industry background, what matters most is how you sell rather than what you've sold.

Desirable:

Experience with in automotive, logistics, freight forwarding or another long lead time, relationship led sales environment
A degree-level qualification, though equivalent experience is equally valued
Understanding of Incoterms
Additional language skills
Key Words:
Business Development, International Sales, Relationship Management, Account Management

INDH