Business Development Manager

Title

Business Development Manager

Department

Sales & Marketing

Reports to

VP of Business Development

RPO is a global leader in precision optical components, assemblies, and electro-optical systems. RPO specializes in a full spectrum of products & services including - Design and Engineering, Visible and Infrared Components, Glass and Plastic Molded Aspheres, Thin Film Coating, Optical Assembly and Electro-Optical Systems Integration. As one of the fastest growing companies in Rochester, RPO offers exciting career paths and work on market-leading programs.

Rochester Precision Optics (RPO) is seeking a driven, results-oriented Business Development Manager to accelerate sales growth across both defense and commercial markets. As a key member of our team, this individual will lead efforts to identify, develop, and secure new business opportunities for precision optical lenses, components, and assemblies, cultivating long-term customer relationships and driving toward full-rate production sales that deliver sustainable revenue.

Job Summary:

The Business Development Manager holds a pivotal role in driving strategic business growth by identifying, engaging, and securing long-term sustainable partnerships with leading manufacturers requiring advanced precision optical solutions in both defense and large-scale commercial sectors. The Business Development Manager will identify, engage, and convert high-potential opportunities into long-term, full-rate production sales relationships-centered on advanced optical lenses, assemblies, and related components. The ideal candidate brings experience navigating complex sales cycles and demonstrates a strong grasp of precision optical solutions, their applications, and value propositions across diverse end markets. While this role includes collaborating with defense primes and understanding DoD procurement processes, it equally emphasizes the ability to penetrate commercial OEMs and integrators in markets such as industrial sensing, medical and analytical instrumentation, and autonomous systems. The Business Development Manager will lead key pursuits, collaborate cross-functionally to align customer needs with RPO capabilities, and drive sustainable, profitable recurring sales relationships.

Key Responsibilities
•   Prospecting & Lead Generation : Conducting market research to identify potential customers and key decision-makers within domestic defense product manufacturers; developing and implementing effective prospecting strategies to generate and execute upon qualified leads.
•   Engagement & Relationship Building : Establish and nurture strong relationships with key customer stakeholders to thoroughly understand their unique needs and challenges, ensuring continuous alignment and proactive engagement.
•   Account Growth & Strategy : Build and execute strategic business development plans targeting high-volume optical product sales to defense primes and commercial OEMs in imaging, sensing, and photonics.
•   Customer Engagement: Lead proactive engagement initiatives with DoD and commercial stakeholders to deeply understand mission needs, align technical capabilities with customer challenges, and drive solution adoption across sectors.
•   Opportunity Capture: Identify and qualify new business opportunities. Manage the full sales lifecycle from prospecting through proposal, negotiation, and closure.
•   Technical & Market Insight: Leverage understanding of optical products and market applications (EO/IR systems, lenses, laser optics, assemblies) to align RPO capabilities with customer needs.
•   Pipeline Development: Effectively manage and track existing opportunities, ensuring consistent progress toward closing deals, while meeting or exceeding annual bookings targets. Focus on maintaining a clear and actionable pipeline to ensure steady sales performance.
•   Collaboration & Communication: Partner with engineering, program management, contracts, and operations teams to ensure seamless handoffs and solution alignment.
•   Market Intelligence: Monitor industry trends, competitor activity, and emerging programs (both commercial and defense) to inform RPO's sales strategy.
•   Pipeline Growth: Identify and pursue new business opportunities to expand the company's reach within key markets, with a focus on the domestic defense and commercial manufacturing sectors. Drive strategic initiatives and innovative tactics to foster sustainable growth and achieve sales goals. Knowledge, Skills & Abilities:
•  Proven experience and long-lasting relationships with key decision makers within the major domestic defense and/or commercial OEM industries along with optical and/or electro-optical products manufacturers with the ability to establish and maintain strategic partnerships and collaborations.
•  Fundamental understanding of precision optical products and their applications.
•  Strong finance acumen and focus on profitable/value add customers.
•  Ability to plan and monitor key sales metrics; ability to drive to exceed annual goals while balancing long-term strategic priorities.
•  Demonstrated understanding of regional and/ or major account sales and ability to think strategically about new business opportunities, coupled with the ability to make sound - and tough - judgment calls.
•  Effectiveness in monitoring industry trends, competitor activities and emerging technologies to inform and adjust our domestic defense business strategy as needed.
•  Proven ability to fully understand customer needs and requirements.
•  Ability to conduct accurate budgetary assessments and planning experience to enable succinct forecasting at weekly, monthly, and quarterly intervals as required.
•  Highly motivated, ability to handle many competing priorities within multiple accounts.
•  Experience in the use of HubSpot, Salesforce, other Customer Relationship Management (CRM) tools (Experience with EPICOR ERP Systems highly desired).
•  Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams.
•  Ability to read, analyze and interpret complex documents.
•  Demonstrated leadership abilities and excellent written/oral communications skills are expected. Experience & Education Requirements:
•  Bachelor's degree in business administration/marketing, or a related field from an accredited institution (degrees in Optics, Physics, or a related technical discipline with the appropriate experience below in technical sales are encouraged to apply)
•  5-7 years of experience in technical sales and business development, preferably within the optics or photonics industry which has established an effective network of customer contacts and must be familiar with the customer's major programs and upcoming initiatives and market pursuits. Compliance Requirement: To comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations (including ITAR and EAR), applicants must be a "U.S. Person" as defined by 22 C.F.R. 120.15 and 15 C.F.R. 772.1. This includes U.S. citizens, lawful permanent residents (green card holders), individuals granted asylum or refugee status, and certain temporary residents under amnesty provisions.

Travel:
•   Ability to travel at least 50% of the time, as required, for RPO Business Development activities to include: customer visits, tradeshows, and other industry related events. The Ideal Candidate is:
•   Results-Oriented: Demonstrates strong initiative and clear focus on achieving objectives and delivering high-impact outcomes.
•   Curious: Never stop learning and have an insatiable desire to gain new skills and knowledge.
•   Process Oriented: Well-organized, demonstrating attention to detail.
•   Analytical: Tackles challenges with a proactive, opportunity-focused mindset-able to analyze market dynamics, identify growth barriers, and craft creative, data-driven solutions that drive business expansion.
•   Accountable: Demanding the highest quality from themselves and team members.
•   Detail-Oriented: Has excellent time management and organizational skills.
•   A Team Player: Reliable, collaborative, flexible with a positive 'get things done' attitude.
The Ideal Candidate Will Enjoy:
•   Growth : The opportunity to learn and advance their career.
•   Wealth : Competitive compensation package linked to your experience and performance, a 401(k) with company match.
•   Health , dental, vision & life insurance.
•   Balance : 11 paid holidays, generous paid vacation and sick time.
•   Culture : an energetic, caring, fun, value-driven team.
Work Requirements & Physical Demands:
•  This job involves regular standing and mobility, including walking, reaching, and performing tasks that may require bending or adjusting posture.
•  The job may involve prolonged periods of sitting/standing.
•  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and ability to adjust focus. May involve prolonged periods of magnified inspection (eye strain)
•  Requires good hand-eye coordination, arm, hand and finger dexterity, including ability to grasp.
•  The employee is frequently required to use the computer.
•  Subject to some soilage and irritation from cleaning solutions. (Lab Coats provided)
•  Generally, works in a clean environment and works to maintain the environment as such click apply for full job details