Sales and Business Development Manager

Salary:
£75,000 DOE

Hours:
Full-time

Location:
Aylesbury, HP19 8TD

The Sterling Thermal Technology team is fast-growing and ambitious, working together to partner and to pioneer at the forefront of our industry. What we create together matters.

We have an opportunity for an organised individual with manufacturing background to join our Business Operations Team.

The Sales and Business Development Manager role

Drive business growth within the Power Generation, Renewable, Industrial, Defence, Nuclear, and other allocated verticals by managing client accounts, generating new leads, and building strategic relationships. This role will focus on managing the full business development cycle, from opportunity identification and vendor registration to proposal submission and order realisation.

The Sales and Business Development Manager is expected to manage the complete business development cycle, from lead generation and vendor registration through to bid submission, T&Cs negotiation, and order realisation, while maintaining strong internal alignment and customer-centric experience.

You'll act as a trusted advisor to clients, engage with OEMs, EPCs, and Tier 1 contractor, and represent the company at site visits, exhibitions, and trade events, acting as an ambassador for the Sterling TT brand and fostering long-term partnerships that drive sustained revenue growth.

Who you will interact with

• Responsible to: Head of Sales & Business Development.
• Directly supervising: N/A.
• Staff relations: Applications Team, Project Management, Engineering, Production, Quality.

General Duties

• Contribute to the achievement of business objectives and revenue targets.
• Maintain strict confidentiality on all matters relating to company business
• Ensure adherence to company policies, processes, and values at all times.
• Always demonstrate company culture and values

Specific Duties

Develop and execute sales and account management strategies specifically targeted at the defence sector and any other allocated verticals.

Lead all phases of the business development process: opportunity identification, vendor registration, bidding, negotiation, and closing.

Work closely with the Head of Sales and Business Development to align strategic objectives, share market intelligence, and ensure a coordinated approach to client engagement and bid strategy.

Build strong relationships with OEMs, defence primes, procurement teams, and government entities, positioning STT as a preferred partner.

Attend industry exhibitions, conferences, and networking events to promote the company and identify new business opportunities.

Create and issue timely and compliant bids with adherence to applicable commercial policies. Personally lead the phases of the sales cycle from bid submission to order realisation.

To understand the client operations organisation, who the key decision makers are and manage the STT relationship with clients' key people.

Develop, document, and manage the shared strategy process that captures both the agreed customer and STT agenda.

Deliver the successful implementation of actions arising out of the shared strategy to customer satisfaction

Work closely with STT Project Managers and Operations Dept on project delivery status, implementing communication management (mode, frequency, and responsiveness) to ensure best-in-class customer experience. Escalate to Senior Management where there is a concern.

Identify key strategically important customers, develop direct relationships with key influencers and decision makers in those key customers.

Using the CRM and MRP systems, maintain accurate and up to date information on assigned customer account e.g. forecast, order status and VOC.

Submit customer pre and post visit report.

Maintain best-in-class customer experience through professional engagement and highest standard of work delivery.

Key Skills Required

• Exceed sales targets
• Bid submission: 100% (key accounts), 95% all others
• Best-in-class customer experience at each phase of the sales cycle
• 100% completion of strategic actions
• 100% on time completion of actions arising from VOC register
• Accurate and timely customer visit report and CRM updates

Skill requirements

• Proven heat exchanger experience in B2B sales or business development, ideally within the defence, engineering, or manufacturing sectors.
• Strong understanding of defence industry procurement processes and compliance needs.
• Experience completing vendor registrations and pre-qualification documentation.
• Experience in delivering success in a target-driven and dynamic project-driven environment.
• Confident and credible when dealing with technical queries to customers and wider business.
• Technically and commercially capable of operating independently.
• Ability to co-ordinate requirements for client visit, including extensive and execution of plan.
• Prepared to travel extensively to customers' location, locally and internationally
• Self-starter with strong planning, follow-up, and negotiation abilities.
• Comfortable working independently and collaboratively across departments.
• Ability to effectively plan and prioritise workload.
• Ability to set and maintain systems and procedures.
• Able to build strong relationships; internal and external.
• Good interpersonal, oral and written communication skills.
• Clarity of view and focus on objectives; results driven.
• Effective motivator.

How we'll support you

The training and development needs of this position will be determined in consultation with the Head of Sales & Business Development.

Benefits package

• 25 days holiday + bank holidays
• Life assurance
• Pension
• Health cash plan
• On-site parking
• On-site electric charging points
• Social events
• Seasonal flu jabs

If this feels like your ideal job, visit our website to apply with your CV.

Closing date: Friday, 7th November 2025