A

American Bureau of Shipping

Maritime classification, certification, and advisory services

Business Development Representative

Full-Time
$100k - $120k/yr
Mid
Bachelor's
Houston, TX, USA
RemoteRemote role with regular travel of 50% or more to client sites, including possible domestic and international travel.
Sales & Account ManagementAccount Executive

About the job

Requirements
  • A Bachelor's degree in business or a related field is required.
  • Typically 2 to 4 years of experience in business development, sales, account management, or a related commercial function is required.
  • Ability to independently identify and qualify opportunities, build client relationships, and contribute to pursuit execution.
  • Ability to build trusted working relationships with client contacts and earn repeat engagement through reliability, relevant knowledge, and consistent follow-through.
  • Solid understanding of assigned client industries, key market trends, and competitive dynamics, with the ability to apply that knowledge in client conversations and pursuit positioning.
  • Practical knowledge of business development processes, including opportunity identification, qualification, account planning, pricing fundamentals, pipeline management, and pursuit coordination.
  • Ability to collaborate with technical, delivery, and proposals teams to shape client solutions.
  • Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively in client-facing settings, tailor messaging to the audience, and articulate the company's value proposition.
  • Ability to allocate time across accounts and opportunities based on potential value and stage of pursuit.
  • Ability to deliver against revenue and activity targets and adjust methods when they do not produce expected results.
  • Ability to persist through rejection and slow-moving sales cycles while adapting to client feedback and competitive dynamics.
  • Commitment to ethical business practices in accordance with relevant corporate policies, including identifying basic commercial risks and avoiding misrepresentation of company capabilities.
  • Working knowledge of the ABS Health, Safety, Quality and Environmental Management System.
Responsibilities
  • Independently identify and qualify business opportunities within assigned accounts and markets, apply go/no-go criteria, and maintain an organized personal pipeline.
  • Build trusted relationships with client contacts at the working and mid-management level and expand the personal network within assigned accounts.
  • Participate in developing deal strategy, contribute to pricing discussions and competitive positioning, manage pursuit activities within scope, and partner with the proposals team on submission strategy and content.
  • Take ownership of smaller or less complex accounts, drive day-to-day client engagement, develop basic account plans, and identify expansion possibilities.
  • Conduct needs assessments, map client challenges to company services, engage technical and delivery resources to shape solutions, and articulate the company's value proposition in client-facing conversations.
  • Manage a personal pipeline, track progress against assigned revenue or activity targets, and maintain current opportunity data.
  • Own data quality for assigned accounts and opportunities in the customer relationship management system, including stages, values, close dates, and next steps.
  • Apply market and competitive knowledge to support client conversations and strengthen pursuit materials.
  • Recognize cross-sell opportunities, introduce relevant service-line capabilities, and connect with business development peers to facilitate warm handoffs.
  • Apply pricing and margin awareness, discuss business value with clients, and understand how discounting, scope changes, and delivery complexity affect profitability.
  • Apply commercial discipline through clean qualification documentation, sound scoping, defensible pricing, and adherence to commercial processes and approval workflows.
  • Connect personal revenue targets and account assignments to broader sector and regional growth objectives and contribute client feedback and market observations to planning discussions.
  • Present company capabilities and the value proposition clearly in client-facing conversations and tailor communication to the audience.
  • Travel regularly to client sites, with travel expected to be 50% or more, including possible domestic and international travel and occasional visits to field sites, shipyards, and field offices.
Desired Qualifications
  • Experience in a professional services, consulting, or technical sales environment.
  • Business experience in manufacturing and/or the technical service industry.

About the company

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American Bureau of Shipping

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ABS is a maritime classification society that provides classification, certification, and technical advisory services for ships and offshore assets to ensure safety and compliance. It sets safety and environmental standards, conducts surveys and inspections, and issues approvals and certificates for vessels, manufacturers, and service suppliers across the asset lifecycle. A global team from 200+ offices in 70 countries performs asset performance, energy and environmental reviews, and lifecycle management, while collaborating with governments and industry on guidance and decarbonization efforts. Its 160-year history, non-profit mandate within IACS, and emphasis on safety and environmental protection distinguish it from many competitors, guiding customers toward safe, efficient, and low-emission operations.

Company Size

5,001-10,000

Company Stage

N/A

Total Funding

N/A

Headquarters

Spring, Texas

Founded

1862

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Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • ABS signed a September 3, 2026 MOU with JB Energy for Brazilian floating wind.
  • ABS issued Fleetzero's battery system assessment on August 11, 2026, boosting electrification credibility.
  • ABS-backed TMV Logistics launched a $200 million maritime fund on May 26, 2026.

What critics are saying

  • DNV, Lloyd's Register, and Bureau Veritas still outrank ABS on installed fleet relationships.
  • ABS's Korea-U.S. shipbuilding push depends on 2026 subsidy politics and yard execution.
  • One class failure on ammonia, hydrogen, or nuclear approval would shred trust overnight.

What makes American Bureau of Shipping unique

  • ABS is an IACS member with 200 offices across 70 countries.
  • ABS combines classification, cyber consulting, and risk services after acquiring RMC Global in April 2026.
  • ABS leads frontier approvals for nuclear, floating data centers, ammonia, and hydrogen designs in 2026.

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Benefits

Hybrid Work Options

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

0%

1 year growth

1%

2 year growth

8%
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