Senior Business Development Manager

Description

W.S. Darley & Co. is seeking a highly qualified Senior Business Development Manager to support and grow our Detroit Arsenal portfolio. The ideal candidate is a retired or senior-level ARMY Officer or NCO with deep understanding of military operations, acquisition systems, and industry engagement. This individual will serve as a key leader in expanding Darley’s presence across Detroit Arsenal mission areas, shaping strategy, identifying opportunities, and building trusted relationships across government and industry. This position is based in the Detroit Arsenal area (Warren, MI) and requires regular on-site engagement with Army acquisition, program management, and industry partners.

About W.S. Darley & Co: Founded in 1908, W.S. Darley & Co. (Darley) remains a family owned and operated business, supplying the highest quality equipment solutions to its military and first responder customers. With origins in the equipment distribution and Midwest manufacturing, Darley offers a family of leading innovate emergency equipment brands and innovative solutions. Darley prides itself on delivering the highest quality solutions and services from its corporate headquarters in Itasca, IL and its’ ISO 9001:2015 certified manufacturing operations in Chippewa Falls, WI and Janesville, IA. Darley also maintains offices is six countries worldwide. 

Darley Defense, a division of the W.S. Darley company, specializes in using existing contracts to distribute products and services to the Federal Government. Darley Defense specializes in special operational equipment and fire and emergency services.

Requirements

The Senior Business Development Manager hunts for sales opportunities and closes deals at an aggressive pace. To succeed and generate revenue in a competitive environment, this position must be completely knowledgeable on their Customer base/assigned territory, apply the training and coaching received form the Company, create tremendous relationships with both Customers and Vendors, respond and engage with a sense of urgency, be fully compliant with the rules and regulations in Government contractual sales, contribute with passion to the Team and always be proactively prospecting for new Customers.  The over-arching goal of this role is to drive deals upstream so that the Company has the best chance of winning the award. The Senior Business Development Manager reports to the Force Lead of that particular team. 

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES 

• Understand Darley products, services, contract benefits and value proposition and enthusiastically communicate these during direct sales activities. 
• Consistently achieve booked order goals. 
• Build instant credibility/rapport and working level relationships with senior executive level decision makers at the Program Executive Offices (PEOs), Program Management Offices (PMs), Warfare Centers and O-5 /O-6 Department heads at Major Flag Level Commands. 
• Probe the Customer ecosystem to find information on new contracts that may be forming so that Darley can interdict these upstream and have a high probability of winning the ones that fit our business model.
• Research buying habits of potential customers by analyzing databases with historical purchasing information. 
• Interface with current and potential new customers, deliver impactful/concise overview briefs, perform needs discovery and persuade them to use Darley as their Prime Vendor. 
• Once a prospect customer becomes active, and strong opportunity exists, develop engagement plan and confer with Force Lead/ VP of Sales & BD to determine if a multi-person effort should be executed. 
• After Customer is onboarded, build strong and deep relationships with military customers at all levels including end users, supply officers, contracting officers, decision makers and influencers.  
• Creatively address customer problems becoming a true resource and solution provider.
• Understand and be able to teach how our contracting vehicles operate. Additionally have a working knowledge of various funding methods and how they may be applied to assist customers in their procurement strategies.
• Generate quotes for customers and transition them to Inside Sales / HQ Teams to enter into system.  
• Partner with suppliers to provide best products & values to meet customer requirements.
• Brainstorm and develop innovative strategies to win business.
• Enter updates and maintains records in Salesforce so that all active accounts, live opportunities, key activities on those opportunities, stages in the pipeline and other required data are all accurate.   
• Professionally represent Darley at trade shows, in-person meetings and Teams meetings by researching, preparing, rehearsing and making these events about the customer, not us. 
• Conduct cold calls, either face to face or via telephone, to prospect new business.
• Work with support teams (purchasing, accounting, warehouse, etc.) to ensure that all information is up to date in the system and that orders are delivered in a timely fashion.
• Follow-up on closed sales to ensure delivery and quality were as promised.
• Monitor and report on market and competitor activities. 

POSITION TYPE / EXPECTED HOURS OF WORK 

This is a full-time position. Days and hours of work are Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or as otherwise required.

TRAVEL

This position requires up to 40% travel.

ESSENTIAL QUALIFICATIONS

Education

• Bachelor’s degree. 
• Master's degree in business related study or Defense Strategic Studies 
• Top Secret Security Clearance preferred

Required Experience

• Military leadership experience at the O-5 / E-9 level or above.
• 2–5 years of experience working in or overseeing acquisition efforts—either: 
  • As a uniformed service member, or
  • As an industry representative selling to the U.S. military or federal government.
• Thorough understanding of US ARMY operations, capability development, and program management, acquisition processes.

Preferred Experience

• Retired military with acquisition, government procurement or supply experience 
• 5-10 years of experience selling to military / government or working in acquisition fields inside the government
• 1-2 Tours at Major Command, either in parent service or a joint assignment 
• Working experience with MS Office suite of products, especially Excel to perform business analysis and reporting
• Understanding of government contracts and purchasing vehicles 
• O-5 / O-6 as the last military rank held.
• Experience at Detroit Arsenal, TACOM LCMC, PEO GCS, PEO CS&CSS, GVSC, ACC-DTA or HQ-level roles within the US ARMY.
• DAU Level II/III Program Management certification, or 2–4 years of military experience working: 
  • Acquisition or contracting
  • Ground Combat Systems /Ground Combat Support Systems
  • Program-level or PEO portfolio initiatives

Skills

• Leadership and senior-level management
• Excellent communication proficiency
• Team-building and cross-functional collaboration
• Technical aptitude related to defense systems or acquisition
• Training, mentoring, and stakeholder engagement
• Command presence / strong public speaking ability 
• Highly organized and able to multi-task      
• Excellent written and oral communication
• Team Builder 
• Committed to providing exceptional Customer Service
• Understanding of basic business financial concepts
• Able to use Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems

Benefits

• PTO
• Paid Holidays
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Health & Wellness Reimbursement
• Medical
• Dental
• Vision
• Life & Disability
• HSA with Darley contribution
• FSA
• 401K/Roth with match and profit sharing
• Darley paid life insurance

Compensation

On-Target Earnings (OTE): $200,000+ (combination of base salary + performance-based bonus)

AAP/EEO Statement

Darley is an equal opportunity organization. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, disability, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable federal, state, or local law