Position Summary

The Business Development Manager will lead growth initiatives that expand the company beyond its traditional automotive customer base into high-value, non-adjacent industries such as aerospace, defense, telecommunications, industrial equipment, and related advanced-technology markets. This role is responsible for identifying new market opportunities, building strategic partnerships, shaping go-to-market strategies, and driving early-stage revenue in new verticals.

Key Responsibilities

Market & Opportunity Identification

- Conduct strategic market assessments to identify high-value opportunities in aerospace, defense, telecommunications, energy, industrial automation, and other adjacent sectors.

- Analyze competitive landscapes, regulatory environments, and industry trends to inform diversification strategy.

- Evaluate customer needs and map company capabilities to emerging market requirements.

Strategic Business Development & Pipeline Creation

- Develop and own the go-to-market strategy for selected non-adjacent industries.

- Build, qualify, and manage a robust sales pipeline through direct outreach, networking, industry events, and strategic partnership development.

- Lead early-stage customer engagements, exploratory meetings, and technical capability discussions.

Partnership & Customer Engagement

- Identify and engage with OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, government agencies, system integrators, and technology partners in the aerospace/defense/telco domains.

- Build long-term relationships with key stakeholders, including engineers, procurement teams, and program managers.

- Collaborate with legal, engineering, and quality teams to navigate certifications, compliance, and contract requirements unique to regulated industries.

Collaboration & Internal Alignment

- Work closely with engineering, R&D, operations, and product management to translate customer requirements into feasible solutions.

- Support internal capability development by providing industry insights that guide investment and growth priorities.

- Collaborate cross business units (i.e. Winchester, Intercable Automotive Systems, HT) to optimize the overall go-to-market scope

- Partner with Market Acceleration team  on the development and execution of the go-to-market strategy

- Prepare business cases and financial models to support entry into new sectors.

Proposal & Contract Leadership

- Lead proposal development, pricing strategies, and capture activities for new opportunities.

- Coordinate cross-functional teams to ensure timely and high-quality submissions for RFPs, RFIs, and government/defense solicitations.

Performance & Reporting

- Track KPIs, market penetration, pipeline performance, and progress toward diversification goals.

- Provide executive leadership with regular insights, forecasts, and recommendations.

Required Qualifications

- Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Marketing, or related field; advanced degree preferred.

- 5–10+ years of business development, sales, or strategy experience in complex, engineered-product industries.

- Demonstrated success entering or expanding into new markets or verticals.

- Strong understanding of B2B technical sales cycles and long-lead-time program development.

- Experience developing proposals and responding to RFPs; familiarity with government contracting is a plus.

- Excellent communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.

Preferred Qualifications

- Experience working with aerospace/defense OEMs, primes, or Tier 1 suppliers.

- Knowledge of industry standards (AS9100, ITAR, ISO certifications).

- Background supporting complex manufacturing, electronics, materials, or mobility technologies.

- Existing network across targeted non-automotive industries.

Success Profile

- Strategic thinker with strong analytical and market-scanning abilities.

- Self-starter comfortable working in ambiguous, early-stage growth environments.

- Strong collaborator who can influence without authority.

- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to open doors and close early-stage opportunities.

- Travel required up to 75%

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Aptiv is an equal employment opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, protected veteran status or any other characteristic protected by law.