Business Development Manager - Europe

IMI plcWe are a global specialist engineering company that creates breakthrough solutions. We are curious and like to solve problems, partnering with our customers to solve the demands of today and prepare for the challenges of tomorrow. We embrace innovation and care about outcomes that are good for business, everyday life and making a better world – creating lasting impact for everyone.

We design, build and service highly engineered products in fluid and motion control applications. We focus on five market sectors: Industrial Automation, Process Automation, Climate Control, Life Science and Fluid Control, and Transport.

Valve Automation & DigitalWithin IMI’s Process Automation sector, we deliver high-integrity solutions for offshore platforms, refineries and chemical plants, enabling precise and reliable control in the most demanding environments. Our portfolio spans advanced actuation, control and monitoring technologies, supporting safe and efficient operations across critical processes.

We continue to drive innovation by bringing new smart monitoring capabilities and data-driven solutions to market, helping customers enhance performance, protect assets from pressure-related risks, and reduce environmental impact. Together, this supports safer, more efficient operations across the energy and chemical industries.

Role Overview

Reporting to the Sales Director, the Business Development Manager for IMI STI will be responsible for driving sustainable business growth across global markets for the IMI STI product portfolio, including valve actuation, positioners, and related automation solutions.

The Business Development Manager at IMI STI will be responsible for developing and strengthening the company’s strategic position with End Users and Engineering Procurement and Construction companies, driving early project engagement and long-term business growth within the Process Automation markets.

The role focuses on upstream project development, specification influence, and strategic account engagement, ensuring IMI STI solutions (actuators, instrumentation and automation solutions) are positioned, specified, and preferred in complex capital projects.

The position acts as a strategic interface between the market and IMI STI, working closely with Sales, Engineering, and Operations.

Key responsibilities

• End User & EPC Business Development
• Proactively work, develop and maintain senior-level relationships with End Users and EPCs across target regions.
• Drive early engagement during project concept, FEED, and pre-RFQ phases.
• Promote IMI STI technical capabilities, product portfolio, and engineering expertise to influence specifications and vendor lists.
• Support standardization initiatives and long-term agreements with Key End Users and EPCs.
• Project & Market Opportunity Development
• Identify and track major capital projects relevant to IMI STI across core industries (oil & gas, energy, power, process industries).
• Monitor market trends, customer investment plans, and project pipelines.
• Define and execute market development strategies aligned with IMI STI strategic priorities.
• Technical & Strategic Positioning
• Work closely with Engineering to support technical concept definition and solution positioning.
• Contribute to specification development, technical clarifications, and alignment with customer standards.
• Act as a technical-commercial reference during early project stages, before handover to Sales execution.
• Sales & Internal Cooperation
• Collaborate with regional Sales teams to ensure smooth transition from business development to project execution.
• Support Sales in complex, strategic, or high-value opportunities.
• Cooperate with internal stakeholders (Sales, Engineering, Operations, Quality) to ensure consistent messaging and delivery capability.
• Represent STI at trade fairs, customer meetings, and industry events.
• Management Reporting & Strategy Support
• Provide regular updates on strategic accounts, key projects, and market developments.
• Prepare business development reports, opportunity assessments, and presentations for management.
• Support management in defining priorities, focus accounts, and long-term growth initiatives.
• Critical

Competencies

• Demonstrable experience in industrial B2B environments, preferably within Valves or Actuation sectors.
• Demonstrable understanding of End User and EPC business models, project lifecycles, and specification processes.
• Demonstrable experience with complex, long-cycle capital projects.
• Demonstrable experience or nurturing and developing customer relationship.
• Influencing skills that are effective at all levels of management, internally and externally, in order to harness the matrix organisation across various IMI businesses.
• Ability to work comfortably with colleagues and management at all levels of external organisations to maximise sales potential.
• Ability to drive change and improvement, from concept to completion.
• Excellent understanding of the Company’s product, services and its associated markets.
• Strategic, analytical, and results-oriented approach.
• Education
• Degree in Engineering or equivalent technical descipline.
• Solid background in Sales, Business Development, or Project Sales (minimum 5 years preferred - experience to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis).
• Willingness to travel internationally as required by the role (approximately 30-40%, depending on manufacturing location).
• Fluency in English (written and spoken); additional European languages are strong advantage.IMI is an inclusive employer; diversity is very important to us, and we want to receive applications from people from all backgrounds.