Great opportunity for an experienced Sales Manager who wants to help develop a team of technical sales professionals, lead new business development activities and develop sales strategies to carry the company forward. The Manager of Business Development will have 6 direct reports in outside sales. This person will need to travel up to 25% of the time in support of the sales team and customer development activities. This role will be based in the South Charlotte office and will interact regularly with engineering, sales, marketing, production and end customers. 

Job Functions:

• Manage the Business Development team of sales representatives and administrative personnel (six to nine employees) in order to continue to develop and motivate the team to achieve and maintain success.
• Manage the day-to-day Business Development team's operations which include tracking quotes, entering orders, scheduling lead- times, and ensuring export requirements are met.
• Work closely with the Production Control team to ensure achievable deliveries for customers and the manufacturing group.
• Oversee marketing and advertising functions.
• Travel to customer sites, both domestic and international. 
• Attend industry trade shows to expand customer base and to build strong customer relationships.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree Required Bachelor of Science degree within a STEM field is desirable
• Minimum of 5 years of experience working within a technical sales and marketing environment is required
• Proficiency using Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook) is required.
• Experience utilizing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software such as salesforce.com for tracking of customer opportunities, quotes, wins, losses.
• Basic understanding of pricing and manufacturing costs is expected.
• Experience supporting both domestic and international customers is preferred.
• Experience in the optics, laser optics, or optical materials industry is highly desirable. 
• At least 5 years of people management experience is required, managing a sales and/or marketing team is preferred.
• Knowledge of social media platforms (Linked In, Facebook, etc.) is preferred.