Market Development Associate - Flooring (5234)

Market Development Associate – Flooring & Acoustic Solutions

Company: Hira Industries / Aerofoam USA
Territory: North America
Reports To: Vice President of Sales and Business Development
Salary Range: $65,000–$80,000 annually
Travel: Approximately 50–60%, plus special customer events and trade shows

Help Us Build Something New

Hira Industries and Aerofoam USA are expanding our flooring underlayment and gym flooring portfolio across North America—and we are looking for an energetic, curious, and relationship-driven professional to help build and support that growth.

This is not a position where you simply inherit a list of accounts. You will help introduce innovative products, develop new relationships, and build a market.

Working closely with our Vice President of Sales and Business Development and global teams, you will introduce our solutions to architects, engineers, designers, contractors, distributors, and OEMs. You will help uncover opportunities, influence product specifications, and establish the partnerships that will shape our success in North America.

This opportunity is designed for an early-career professional ready to take the next step in sales and business development. You will receive direct coaching, product training, and field support while gaining hands-on experience in architectural specifications, contractor and distributor development, OEM partnerships, and market expansion.

We are looking for someone with initiative, curiosity, and the confidence to build relationships—not someone who already knows every aspect of the flooring industry.

What You Will Do

• Introduce our flooring underlayment and gym flooring solutions to architects, engineers, designers, contractors, distributors, and OEMs.
• Build relationships with the people and organizations that influence, specify, purchase, and install flooring products.
• Support the development of product specifications and track opportunities from initial design through bidding, approval, and purchase.
• Identify and develop prospective regional and national distribution partners.
• Create opportunities with flooring contractors, commercial installers, and project stakeholders.
• Identify potential OEM and private-label opportunities and assist with product evaluations, samples, testing, and qualification programs.
• Deliver product presentations and demonstrations with training and support from company leadership and technical teams.
• Participate in customer meetings, industry events, association programs, training sessions, and trade shows.
• Monitor competitors, pricing, market trends, customer needs, and emerging applications.
• Maintain an organized pipeline and accurate customer, project, and opportunity information within the company’s CRM.
• Collaborate with sales, marketing, engineering, product management, operations, and global teams to support a successful North American market launch.

What You Will Learn

This position provides hands-on exposure to several important areas of technical sales and business development, including:

• Architectural and engineering specifications
• Contractor and distributor development
• OEM and private-label partnerships
• Technical product presentations
• Project and opportunity management
• Market and competitive intelligence
• CRM and sales pipeline management
• National account and channel development
• New-product and market-launch strategies

What Success Looks Like

• Increasing awareness of our flooring portfolio within the architectural, construction, distribution, and OEM communities.
• Generating qualified product specifications, projects, and sales opportunities.
• Building an active network of contractors, installers, distributors, and industry partners.
• Advancing product trials, OEM qualifications, and strategic partnerships.
• Developing a healthy pipeline that converts market-development activity into sustainable revenue.
• Providing meaningful market intelligence that helps guide our product, pricing, channel, and growth strategies.
• Demonstrating consistent follow-through, professional growth, and increasing ownership of customer relationships and opportunities.

What We Are Looking For

• One or more years of experience in business development, sales, customer service, architectural products, construction materials, flooring, manufacturing, or a related field is preferred.
• This role is ideal for an early-career professional ready to take the next step in technical sales and business development.
• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, construction management, engineering, architecture, or a related discipline is preferred but not required.
• A confident communicator who enjoys meeting new people and building professional relationships.
• A proactive, self-motivated individual who is comfortable opening doors and starting new conversations.
• Strong presentation, organization, follow-up, and problem-solving skills.
• Curiosity and a willingness to learn technical products, market applications, and customer needs.
• Ability to translate product features and performance into clear customer value.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, priorities, and relationships across a large geographic territory.
• Familiarity with Microsoft Office and CRM systems.
• Willingness and ability to travel approximately 50–60% throughout North America, with additional travel for customer events, training programs, and trade shows.
• Valid driver’s license.

Experience with flooring, acoustic underlayment, resilient flooring, gym flooring, rubber products, architectural specifications, building materials, or commercial construction is valuable but not required. We place equal importance on potential, initiative, communication skills, and the desire to learn.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to join an established global organization while helping launch and grow a developing business in North America.

You will receive direct mentorship from the Vice President of Sales and Business Development, comprehensive product training, field experience, and exposure to customers and global teams. You will also gain practical experience in product strategy, specification sales, channel development, OEM partnerships, and market expansion.

If you are ready to build relationships, learn a technical market, create new opportunities, and make a visible contribution to a growing business, we would like to hear from you.