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Ingevity · 21 hours ago

Senior Manager, Business Development & Strategic Marketing

North Charleston, SC

Full-time

Onsite

Senior Level, Lead/Staff, Director/Executive

5+ years exp

Ingevity is a company focused on developing innovations that enhance the world around us. They are seeking a Senior Manager for Business Development & Strategic Marketing to lead early-stage growth opportunities, engage with customers to gather insights, and shape the commercialization strategy for multiple platforms.

Chemical

No H1B

U.S. Citizen Only

Responsibilities

Lead the commercial side of early-stage growth opportunities

Build a simple, clear commercial picture of each opportunity - who it’s for, why it matters, what they’re using today, and what would make them switch

Work side-by-side with a technical counterpart to make sure we’re prioritizing the right technical features, not just the ones that seem interesting internally

Help guide ideas through Stage Gate by grounding decisions in real customer feedback instead of assumptions

Oversee the commercial strategy for multiple platforms at once, helping shape where we focus our time and investment across the broader portfolio

Help set or refine the criteria we use to greenlight, pause, or stop opportunities, and bring a stronger voice into investment discussions at Stage Gate reviews

Get out of the building: talk to potential users, buyers, engineers, and anyone who actually touches or specifies the product

Turn customer conversations into insights: what they value, what they ignore, what would make or break adoption

Build early relationships with the kinds of customers who can help us learn quickly

Identify the most promising segments and applications - not with a huge binder, but with a clear story about who cares and why

Translate customer needs into value propositions that make sense and can be tested

Work with Research & Technology technical team (R&T) to make sure development lines up with what customers actually need, not what we assume they’ll want

Define the long-term platform growth strategy including where each opportunity fits and how we position ourselves across segments

When an idea shows promise, help us define the basics: how it gets positioned, what matters for adoption, and where it logically fits in the value chain

Help us understand what early trials, specs, or qualifications might look like

Prepare the opportunity so that, when the time comes, a salesperson can pick it up and run with it

Lead the early commercialization strategy for one or more platforms, ensuring consistent positioning, pricing logic, and market messaging across related opportunities

Bring customer learning into technical discussions with R&T, Ops, Supply Chain, and others

Help the team stay honest about what the market cares about vs what we wish the market cared about

Build trust with technical teams by showing them real, practical insights from customers

Qualification

B2B industrial experienceTechnical differentiationR&D collaborationCommercial strategy developmentExecutive communicationCuriosityAssumption testingMarket insight translationIndependent workTeam leadership

Required

5–10 years in B2B industrial markets such as chemicals, materials, automotive components, filtration, engineered products, or similar

Experience taking an idea from concept to something that real customers have seen, handled, reacted to, or tested

Experience with products that have technical differentiation or IP-protection, where the value has to be communicated clearly

Comfortable managing several early-stage opportunities at once and deciding which deserve more time and which don't

Experience working closely with R&D, engineering, or technical teams and translating customer needs into technical development priorities

Exposure to specification-driven markets (automotive, electronics, industrial materials, engineered systems), where performance, testing, or application requirements shape adoption

Strong curiosity - you need to enjoy asking questions and learning fast

Ability to test assumptions instead of polishing them

Comfortable building a simple, clear story from incomplete information

Solid executive communication skills: talking to customers, translating technical details, writing concise summaries, and influencing senior leaders' decisions

Ability to work independently and move things forward with minimal instruction

Not afraid to say, 'This idea isn't strong enough- let's stop investing here'

Bachelor's degree in engineering, chemistry, materials, business, or similar field required

Up to ~25 percent travel to customers, plants, or labs

Ability to be hands-on during early customer testing or trials

Must be legally authorized to work in the United States

Preferred

Experience leading complex opportunity portfolios, influencing investment decisions, and shaping multi-year platform strategy

Experience coaching or leading other BD, product, or commercial team members

MBA, technical graduate degree, and/or equivalent experience leading multi-function commercial/technical teams

Company

Ingevity

Glassdoor3.5

From cleaner automotive emissions to sustainable materials, Ingevity is a global specialty materials company at the forefront of delivering products that make the world cleaner, safer and more sustainable.

Founded in 2015

North Charleston, South Carolina, USA

1001-5000 employees