Now Hiring - Axillon Aerospace - Professional Services Senior Manager, Business Development in Erlanger, KY

Full description of the position

The Senior Manager of Business Development is responsible for driving growth, customer engagement, and new program capture for our aerospace composites manufacturing site in Erlanger, Kentucky. This role serves as the key interface between customers and the site, ensuring our advanced composite material and manufacturing capabilities align with emerging market needs. The ideal candidate combines strong customer acumen and sales operations leadership with an understanding of aerospace-grade composites, qualification pathways, and build-to-print or design-collaborative production environments. Customer Engagement & Relationship Management * Act as the primary point of contact for key aerospace composite customers, including OEMs, Tier 1s, and defense primes. * Build deep relationships with engineering, supply chain, and program leadership to position the site as a preferred composites supplier. * Conduct business reviews, communicate capability updates, and ensure customer satisfaction across active and emerging programs. Opportunity Management & Composite Program Capture * Own the opportunity pipeline for composite components, subassemblies, and material solutions. * Lead pursuit strategies including technical value propositions, cost and weight optimization, manufacturability insights, and proposal development. * Partner with engineering and operations to validate manufacturing concepts and qualification requirements, risk mitigation, and schedule performance. * Coordinate pricing, contract terms, and negotiation with internal contracts and finance teams. Cross-Functional Collaboration * Work closely with site leadership--engineering, R&D, operations, quality, supply chain--to align new business with composite manufacturing capabilities and capacity. * Support early design involvement, prototyping discussions, and customer technical reviews (CTRs). * Provide the site with customer and market feedback on emerging composite technologies and manufacturing trends. Forecasting & Reporting * Maintain accurate forecasts of bookings, revenue, production ramp opportunities, and long-term demand for composite components. * Prepare executive-level reporting on pipeline health, bid status, and strategic customer priorities. * Monitor key risks related to material supply, tooling readiness, qualification schedules, and rate transitions. Composite Market Growth & Strategy * Develop and execute a site-level growth strategy centered on composite structures, components, and material solutions for commercial aerospace and defense customers. * Track industry trends (lightweighting, rate readiness, sustainability, high-temperature materials) to inform technology and investment decisions. Education & Experience: * Bachelor's degree in engineering, materials science, business, or related field; advanced degree preferred. * 7-10+ years of experience in business development, program management, or technical customer-facing roles, in aerospace composites a plus. * Understanding of composite materials, processes, and manufacturing methods. * Experience capturing and managing program awards with aerospace OEMs and Tier 1 customers. * Skilled in negotiation, technical communication, and executive relationship management. * Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced, production and qualification-focused environment. Success Metrics * Growth in new composite program bookings aligned to site capabilities * New platform wins and expansion within strategic composite accounts. * Healthy, qualified pipeline with clear technical and operational alignment. * Strong customer satisfaction and repeat awards for composite structures. * Effective cross-functional alignment between BD, engineering, and operations. The position requires travel estimated at 30%+ to customers and industry events. The use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and following all safety protocol is required at Axillon manufacturing locations. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the Unites States.**This position does not offer visa sponsorship. To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this job.This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive._An employee may also perform other reasonably related business duties as assigned by his/her supervisor._