AutoStore Business Development Manager

The Business Development Manager strategically develops the Kardex AutoStore business within France. This role identifies attractive market segments, applications and target accounts, translating market insights into targeted business-development activities that build a sustainable pipeline of qualified opportunities and support regional growth objectives.
Working autonomously and in close cooperation with local Sales and Marketing teams and the EMEA organization, the BDM builds customer relationships, engages with key decision-makers and develops an understanding of their business challenges, assesses logistics processes and business requirements, and evaluates the strategic, technical and commercial fit of potential opportunities. The role develops preliminary solution concepts and indicative budgets to support opportunity qualification and customers’ initial investment decisions.

Once opportunities are sufficiently qualified, the BDM coordinates a structured handover to the responsible local Sales organization ensuring a clear understanding of customer requirements, commercial potential and proposed next steps, and may continue supporting their development in coordination with Sales. Close cooperation with AutoStore, other Kardex entities and selected business partners, together with regular travel throughout France, is essential to the role.

Your tasks

Success in the role comes from candidates that are dedicated to the following:

• Identify market potential and translate insights into clear business-development priorities and a measurable pipeline of qualified opportunities.
• Build trusted relationships with customers, stakeholders and decision-makers, with the ability to engage and influence at different organisational levels.
•  Understand customer logistics processes, investment drivers and decision-making criteria and translate these into potential business opportunities and preliminary solution requirements.
• Apply sound commercial and technical judgment when assessing solution fit and deciding which opportunities to pursue, balancing customer needs, feasibility, profitability and strategic value.
• Maintain current market, technology and competitor knowledge and collaborate effectively across the organization, to leverage expertise, share market insights and ensure effective opportunity development and handover.

Job Requirements (highlight in bold the “must have” criteria)

Training/Education:

• Degree in engineering, logistics, supply chain management, business administration or a comparable discipline.
• French native or full professional working proficiency.
• Excellent written and spoken English; additional languages are an advantage.

Professional Experience:

•  At least five years of relevant experience in business development, consultative sales, solution sales, intralogistics or industrial automation.
• Proven portfolio of sales projects.

Other:

• Detailed understanding of logistics and IT processes.
• Ability to work autonomously and take ownership of the assigned territory.
• Strong communication, presentation and stakeholder-management skills.

Main Accountabilities (tasks and responsibilities)

• Analyse French market trends, customer needs, competitor activities and investment patterns to prioritise target segments, applications and accounts.
• Translate market intelligence into territory-development plans with clear priorities and measurable objectives and provide insights supporting the local and EMEA AutoStore business strategy.
• Generate new opportunities and build a sustainable pipeline of qualified prospects by proactively engaging potential customers, relevant stakeholders and decision-makers.
• Independently conduct initial customer consultations, visits and site assessments to understand logistics processes, business challenges, operational requirements and the customer’s buying process.
• Develop preliminary AutoStore solution concepts and indicative technical and commercial budgets in collaboration with Solution Design and other technical experts as required. Qualify opportunities against agreed criteria and determine whether to pursue, further develop or discontinue them.
• Coordinate structured handovers to local Sales ensuring alignment on customer requirements, opportunity potential and next steps and maintain customer continuity by providing relevant customer, market and competitive information.
• Collaborate with Sales and Marketing on campaigns, lead generation, inbound leads and customer engagement.
•  Represent Kardex at customer events, trade fairs, conferences and industry forums to strengthen market presence and develop new business relationships. Travel regularly throughout France.
• Maintain relationships with AutoStore, other Kardex entities and selected business partners, and contribute to agreed EMEA projects and strategic initiatives.

Leadership

• Demonstrates ownership and initiative in developing new business opportunities and supporting the growth of the AutoStore business across France. Entrepreneurial mindset, with a proactive, self-driven and results-oriented approach to identifying and developing business opportunities.Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with sound commercial judgement and excellent communication and interpersonal capabilities.Clear focus on high quality and understanding customer needs to develop commercially viable opportunities.Ability to establish effective working relationships and influence stakeholders across functions, regions and organisational boundaries.Ability to work independently in a remote and international environment while maintaining effective collaboration and communication with colleagues and stakeholders.

KPIs

•  Identification and development of attractive French market segments, applications and target accounts.
•  Execution of agreed territory plans and market-development priorities.
•  Number and value of qualified opportunities created, and lead-to-qualified-opportunity conversion rate.
• Qualified pipeline value and coverage against the agreed budget and business plan.
• Contribution of qualified opportunities to AutoStore order intake and booking margin.
• Contribution to agreed local Marketing activities and selected EMEA strategic initiatives.

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