The Role
Drive strategic revenue growth across utility and heavy industrial markets by identifying capital projects, developing executive relationships, influencing specifications, positioning electrical power solutions, and managing long-term sales pipelines. Lead technical and commercial solution development for reactive power, substation, and grid modernization products. Support proposals, negotiations, forecasting, competitive intelligence, and account expansion while managing complex utility procurement processes and multi-million-dollar equipment deals.
Summary Generated by Built In
Job Summary:
The Senior Business Development Manager (BDM) is responsible for driving strategic revenue growth across the electrical utility and heavy industrial markets, including investor-owned utilities (IOUs), municipal utilities, renewable developers, EPC firms, mining, oil & gas, data centers, and large industrial facilities.
This role focuses on identifying new opportunities, developing key account relationships, influencing project specifications, and expanding market share for utility-class electrical equipment and engineered power solutions.
The ideal candidate has deep experience in transmission & distribution (T&D), reactive power compensation, electrical substations, MV/HV equipment, or heavy industrial power systems.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Business Development
Required Qualifications:
Preferred Qualifications:
Key Competencies:
Performance Metrics:
Thank you for your interest in Southern States LLC. At this time, we are only considering candidates who are authorized to work in the United States and who will not require sponsorship now or in the future. We appreciate your understanding and wish you success in your job search.
The Senior Business Development Manager (BDM) is responsible for driving strategic revenue growth across the electrical utility and heavy industrial markets, including investor-owned utilities (IOUs), municipal utilities, renewable developers, EPC firms, mining, oil & gas, data centers, and large industrial facilities.
This role focuses on identifying new opportunities, developing key account relationships, influencing project specifications, and expanding market share for utility-class electrical equipment and engineered power solutions.
The ideal candidate has deep experience in transmission & distribution (T&D), reactive power compensation, electrical substations, MV/HV equipment, or heavy industrial power systems.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Business Development
- Develop and execute a regional growth strategy targeting utility and heavy industrial markets.
- Identify upcoming capital projects (substations, transmission upgrades, grid modernization, industrial expansions).
- Position company solutions early in the project lifecycle (pre-specification stage).
- Track and manage project pipelines (12–36 month horizon).
- Build and maintain executive-level relationships with:
- Utility engineering & procurement teams
- EPC firms and engineering consultants
- Industrial plant managers and electrical engineers
- Act as trusted advisor on system reliability, power quality, and grid compliance solutions.
- “Best in Class” customer experience ownership.
- Lead technical solution positioning for:
- STATCOM/SVC and reactive power solutions
- HV & MV substation class capacitor bank solutions
- Sub-Cycle Transfer & Disconnect Switches
- Grid modernization products
- Collaborate with engineering teams to develop proposals and bid strategies.
- Support RFP/RFQ responses and commercial negotiations.
- Monitor interconnection queues, capital budgets, regulatory filings, and infrastructure investments.
- Identify competitive threats and market gaps.
- Provide quarterly revenue forecasts and territory reporting
Required Qualifications:
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or related field (Electrical Engineering preferred) or equivalent experience.
- 5–10+ years of experience in:
- Electrical utility sales
- Oil & Gas/Petro-Chem
- Heavy industrial power systems
- T&D equipment sales
- Proven track record of closing multi-million dollar capital equipment deals.
- Strong understanding of:
- Static & Dynamic Reactive Power Compensation
- Transmission & distribution systems
- Substation design and equipment
- Utility procurement processes
- Ability to manage long sales cycles (6–24 months).
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience selling:
- FACTS devices (STATCOM/SVC)
- HV/MV capacitor banks
- Substation automation
- Knowledge of:
- NERC, FERC, IEEE, and utility standards
- EPC bidding structures
- Interconnection processes (ERCOT, CAISO, PJM, etc.)
- CRM experience (Salesforce).
Key Competencies:
- Strategic thinker with long-range planning capability
- Strong professional & technical acumen
- Executive-level communication skills
- Negotiation & contract management expertise
- Self-driven with high accountability
Performance Metrics:
- Annual revenue growth targets
- New project pipeline development
- Win rate on strategic bids
- Gross margin performance
- Key account penetration
Thank you for your interest in Southern States LLC. At this time, we are only considering candidates who are authorized to work in the United States and who will not require sponsorship now or in the future. We appreciate your understanding and wish you success in your job search.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field, preferably Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience
- 5-10+ years of experience in electrical utility sales, oil and gas/petrochemical, heavy industrial power systems, or T&D equipment sales
- Proven track record of closing multi-million-dollar capital equipment deals
- Strong understanding of static and dynamic reactive power compensation
- Strong understanding of transmission and distribution systems
- Strong understanding of substation design and equipment
- Strong understanding of utility procurement processes
- Ability to manage 6-24 month sales cycles
- Experience selling FACTS devices, STATCOM/SVC, HV/MV capacitor banks, or substation automation
- Knowledge of NERC, FERC, IEEE, and utility standards
- Knowledge of EPC bidding structures
- Knowledge of interconnection processes including ERCOT, CAISO, or PJM
- CRM experience, preferably Salesforce
- Authorization to work in the United States without current or future sponsorship
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The Company
What We Do
Southern States, LLC is the world's largest manufacturer of high-voltage disconnect switches and a provider of essential products and services to electric utilities in the U.S. and Canada. The company specializes in high-voltage switching solutions and grid-resiliency technology designed to transfer bulk power, balance loads, and protect critical power infrastructure assets from damaging overcurrents, supporting the electric power grid for over a century.
