Automotive Business Development Lead
Expleo
Automotive Business Development Lead
Expleo
End-to-end engineering, tech consulting, quality services
Expleo Group USA | Troy, Michigan | In Office (not remote)
Build relationships. Open doors. Win new business.
Expleo Group USA is seeking a highly driven, results-oriented Automotive Business Development Lead to expand our automotive business in Troy, Michigan and throughout the North American automotive market.
This is a new-business hunting role, not a traditional account management position.
We are looking for a proven business developer who thrives on identifying opportunities, opening doors, building relationships with new customers, and converting those relationships into profitable business.
The ideal candidate doesn't wait for leads, incoming RFQs, or introductions. They proactively identify prospective customers, engage decision-makers, uncover business challenges, and create opportunities where none previously existed.
You will be responsible for developing new business with automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and related mobility organizations, selling Expleo's engineering, technical staffing, manufacturing, quality, validation, and technology services.
Success in this role will be measured primarily by new customers acquired, qualified opportunities created, profitable revenue generated, and business closed.
Proactively identify, prospect, and secure new customers within automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, and related automotive and mobility organizations.
Develop and execute a disciplined outbound prospecting strategy using direct calls, targeted outreach, referrals, professional networks, in-person visits, and other effective business development methods.
Independently identify key decision-makers and establish relationships with engineering, manufacturing, quality, program management, procurement, and executive stakeholders.
Generate new business opportunities rather than relying primarily on inbound leads, existing customer relationships, or published RFQs.
Identify unmet customer needs, operational challenges, resource constraints, and upcoming programs where Expleo can deliver value.
Pursue opportunities persistently and professionally, overcoming objections, navigating complex organizations, and advancing relationships toward commercial opportunities.
Own the full new-business sales cycle, from initial prospecting and discovery through solution development, proposal, negotiation, and contract closure.
Consistently achieve measurable new customer acquisition, pipeline development, revenue, and profitability objectives.
Engage prospective customers to understand their engineering challenges, operational priorities, technical resource needs, and upcoming business initiatives.
Position Expleo's engineering services, technical staffing, project-based solutions, manufacturing support, quality, validation, and digital capabilities as solutions to customer business problems.
Develop compelling business cases and value propositions tailored to customer needs rather than relying on standard capability presentations.
Build relationships across multiple levels of prospective customer organizations to establish credibility, influence buying decisions, and accelerate opportunities.
Identify both immediate staffing opportunities and longer-term engineering projects or outsourced service engagements.
Collaborate with technical and delivery leaders to develop practical, competitive solutions that meet customer requirements and profitability expectations.
Drive opportunities forward through clear next steps, active follow-up, and effective commercial negotiation.
Build and maintain a robust pipeline of self-generated, qualified new-business opportunities.
Establish and execute targeted account penetration strategies for priority automotive prospects.
Maintain consistent prospecting activity and direct engagement with prospective customers.
Track meaningful sales activities, customer conversations, opportunity progression, and expected commercial outcomes in the CRM.
Provide accurate forecasts supported by customer-validated opportunities, realistic close dates, and defined next steps.
Take ownership of individual sales performance, proactively adjusting strategies and activities to achieve results.
Demonstrate the ability to work independently, maintain momentum through setbacks, and consistently pursue new business.
Identify emerging business opportunities across automotive engineering, manufacturing, quality, validation, electrification, software-defined vehicles, and related technologies.
Monitor automotive industry developments, customer investments, competitive activity, and market changes to identify potential sales opportunities.
Develop an understanding of customer purchasing processes, supplier qualification requirements, and commercial decision-making structures.
Collaborate with leadership to identify priority target accounts and develop market penetration strategies.
Partner with recruiting, engineering, and operations teams to ensure proposed solutions align with Expleo's capabilities and delivery commitments.
Support the successful transition of newly acquired business to account management and delivery teams while continuing to identify additional growth opportunities.
Minimum of 5 years of successful business development or sales experience, preferably within automotive engineering services, technical staffing, outsourced engineering, or related technical solutions.
Experience selling to automotive OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, or comparable complex industrial organizations.
Strong understanding of automotive engineering, manufacturing, quality, validation, or technical service environments.
Proven ability to manage the complete sales cycle, including prospecting, discovery, solution development, negotiation, and closing.
Demonstrated history of achieving or exceeding measurable new-business sales targets.
Ability to navigate complex customer organizations and engage technical, operational, purchasing, and executive decision-makers.
Strong commercial judgment, negotiation skills, and understanding of profitable business development.
Excellent verbal communication, relationship-building, and consultative selling skills.
Self-directed, persistent, accountable, and comfortable operating in a performance-driven sales environment.
Proficiency with CRM systems and disciplined pipeline management.
Ability and willingness to travel regularly for customer meetings, prospecting activities, and business development opportunities.
Established professional network within the Detroit-area automotive industry, including OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
Experience selling both technical staffing solutions and project-based engineering services.
Experience developing new accounts within engineering consulting, outsourced technical services, or automotive technology organizations.
Knowledge of automotive product development, manufacturing operations, quality systems, and validation processes.
Familiarity with electrification, ADAS, autonomous systems, connectivity, or software-defined vehicle programs.
Experience working within a global engineering or consulting organization.
Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, Sales, Marketing, or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant professional experience.
In your first 90 days, you will be expected to:
Develop and execute a targeted new-business acquisition plan for the automotive market.
Identify and actively pursue qualified prospective customers and decision-makers.
Establish direct relationships with prospective automotive buyers and technical stakeholders.
Generate a measurable pipeline of qualified new-business opportunities.
Demonstrate consistent prospecting discipline, effective customer engagement, and meaningful advancement of sales opportunities.
Long-term success will be measured by:
New customers acquired.
Profitable new business secured.
Qualified opportunities created and converted.
Consistent achievement of new-business sales targets.
Sustainable expansion of Expleo's automotive market presence.
At Expleo USA, we provide the capabilities of a global engineering and technology organization with the opportunity to make a direct impact on business growth.
This position offers significant ownership of new-business development and a compensation structure designed to reward measurable sales performance.
Performance-Driven Compensation: Base salary of $75,000–$85,000, plus performance-based variable compensation with uncapped earning potential under the applicable sales incentive plan. Final compensation will depend on experience, qualifications, and geographic market considerations.
Comprehensive Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, HSA with company contributions, company-sponsored life insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, voluntary benefits, and a 401(k) plan with company matching.
Paid Time Off and Holidays: 5 weeks paid time off annually plus company-observed holidays.
Global Capabilities: Access to Expleo's international engineering, technology, quality, and manufacturing expertise.
Career Growth: Opportunities to build a meaningful automotive business portfolio and contribute directly to Expleo's expansion in North America.
Collaborative Environment: Partnership with experienced engineering, recruiting, operations, and delivery professionals who support successful customer solutions.
We are looking for someone who enjoys the pursuit of new business as much as the satisfaction of closing it.
You are energized by opening doors, meeting new decision-makers, uncovering opportunities, and turning initial conversations into long-term commercial relationships.
You take initiative without waiting for direction. You are persistent without being pushy, confident without being complacent, and accountable for the results you deliver.
If you have a proven history of creating new business and want the opportunity to build something meaningful while being rewarded for your results, we want to hear from you.
Expleo is a trusted partner for end-to-end integrated engineering, production support, MRO, quality, and digital services, with a global presence. Learn more at www.expleogroup.com.
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Expleo provides end-to-end engineering, technology consulting, and quality services to help businesses with digital transformation. It combines software quality assurance and testing with engineering and R&D capabilities to design, build, test, deploy, and maintain software-enabled and engineered systems. It stands out by integrating software quality expertise with broader engineering and digital-transformation offerings under one umbrella for industries like banking and telecommunications. Its goal is to help organizations navigate digital transformation by delivering reliable, efficient, and scalable software and systems.
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