Business Development Manager - Aerospace

Business Development Manager - Aerospace

MDC Precision | Southern California | Full-Time

About MDC Precision

MDC Precision provides precision vacuum and high-purity products and engineered solutions for demanding technology and industrial applications. Our portfolio supports customers that require reliable performance, quality, and technical expertise in critical environments. We are seeking an experienced technical sales professional to expand MDC Precision’s presence with aerospace and defense customers throughout Southern California.

Position Summary

The Aerospace Key Account Manager will be responsible for driving profitable sales growth for MDC Precision products and solutions within the Southern California aerospace and defense market. This is a customer-facing, business-development-oriented role focused on identifying new opportunities, developing strategic accounts, building relationships with engineering, procurement, supply chain, program management, and executive stakeholders, and managing opportunities from initial prospecting through close.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical selling skills with a disciplined approach to territory development, account planning, forecasting, and pipeline management. The role will work closely with MDC Precision’s internal engineering, operations, customer service, and leadership teams to develop solutions that address customer requirements and support long-term account growth.

Primary Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a Southern California aerospace and defense sales strategy designed to grow revenue, bookings, margin, and market share for MDC Precision.
• Prospect for and develop new aerospace and defense customers, programs, applications, and design-in opportunities throughout the territory.
• Build and expand relationships within existing strategic accounts while identifying opportunities to introduce additional MDC Precision products and solutions.
• Establish strong relationships with key decision makers and influencers, including engineering, procurement, supply chain, program management, operations, and executive leadership.
• Understand customer applications and technical requirements and position MDC Precision products and engineered solutions to address those needs.
• Manage the complete sales cycle from lead generation and qualification through technical discussions, quotation, proposal, negotiation, and close.
• Create and deliver customer presentations, proposals, quotations, and RFP/RFQ responses in partnership with internal teams.
• Participate in the development of pricing, cost/budgeting tools, commercial terms, and terms and conditions for assigned opportunities and accounts.
• Develop territory and account plans, sales forecasts, opportunity pipelines, and activity plans; maintain accurate and timely CRM records.
• Achieve established bookings, revenue, margin, new-account, and pipeline objectives.
• Identify major aerospace programs, platforms, suppliers, and emerging opportunities that align with MDC Precision’s capabilities and growth strategy.
• Monitor aerospace and defense market conditions, competitor activity, technology trends, customer investment, and relevant government/program activity.
• Serve as the internal champion for assigned strategic aerospace accounts and coordinate customer requirements across engineering, operations, quality, customer service, and other support functions.
• Manage customer escalations when commercial or service issues require sales leadership involvement.
• Attend customer meetings, industry events, trade shows, and technical conferences to develop relationships and generate opportunities.
• Provide concise, actionable reporting to sales leadership regarding pipeline, forecast, account activity, competitive intelligence, risks, and growth opportunities.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Strong technical and consultative selling skills, with the ability to translate customer requirements into relevant product and solution recommendations.
• Demonstrated ability to develop new business and grow strategic accounts in complex B2B or engineered-product environments.
• Ability to communicate credibly with engineers and technical stakeholders while also navigating procurement, supply chain, program management, and executive decision makers.
• Strong prospecting, relationship-building, presentation, negotiation, and closing skills.
• Comfortable working in an accountable, metrics-driven sales environment with responsibility for bookings, margin, forecast accuracy, and pipeline development.
• Strong organizational, prioritization, follow-up, and written communication skills.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with engineering, operations, quality, customer service, and other internal teams.
• Self-directed, persistent, and comfortable managing a geographically concentrated territory with multiple accounts and opportunities.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and standard business productivity software.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 5+ years of successful B2B sales, technical sales, business development, or key account management experience in aerospace, defense, vacuum technology, precision components, engineered products, or a related technical industry.
• Demonstrated track record of developing new business, managing complex sales opportunities, and meeting or exceeding sales targets.
• Experience selling to aerospace and/or defense OEMs, Tier 1 suppliers, subsystem manufacturers, space companies, or related organizations strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of aerospace customer requirements, procurement processes, qualification cycles, and long sales cycles preferred.
• Existing relationships within the Southern California aerospace and defense market are highly desirable.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly throughout Southern California for customer meetings, prospecting, industry events, and account development.

Ideal Industry Background

Candidates with experience selling technical products or engineered solutions into aerospace, defense, space, satellite, propulsion, test, research, semiconductor-adjacent, vacuum, gas delivery, precision manufacturing, or other high-specification environments will be particularly relevant.