Business Development UK

Business Development Manager – Chemical Industry (Purification of Chemical Waste Streams)

Location: United Kingdom (field-based with regular travel)
Department: Commercial / Sales
Reports to: Commercial Director or Regional Sales Director
Industry Focus: Chemical Waste Treatment, Purification, Resource Recovery, Environmental Technologies

Role Summary

The Business Development Manager (BDM) is responsible for driving growth in the UK market for purification solutions applied to chemical waste streams. The role combines technical knowledge, market development, and strong commercial skills to identify opportunities, build strategic partnerships, and convert prospects into long-term customers.
Typical clients include chemical manufacturers, waste management companies, recycling plants, specialty chemical firms, and industrial facilities generating contaminated process streams.

The BDM will leverage their understanding of purification technologies (e.g., adsorption, filtration, distillation, solvent recovery, ion exchange, membrane technologies) to propose value-added solutions that reduce waste, recover valuable materials, and support clients’ sustainability and regulatory compliance goals.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development & Sales

• Identify, qualify, and secure new business opportunities across the UK chemical sector with a strong focus on waste purification and recovery.
• Develop and execute a UK market development strategy aligned with company growth goals.
• Manage the entire sales cycle: prospecting, technical discussions, proposal development, contract negotiation, and project handover.
• Prepare commercial offers, pricing proposals, and cost–benefit analyses.
• Work toward annual revenue and margin targets.

Technical & Market Expertise

• Understand client challenges involving contaminated chemical streams, solvent waste, by-products, or process effluents.
• Translate customer needs into feasible technical solutions in collaboration with R&D, engineering, and applications teams.
• Stay up-to-date on UK regulatory frameworks related to waste management, REACH, environmental compliance, and circular economy initiatives.
• Conduct competitive analysis and identify emerging trends in purification technologies.

Account Management

• Serve as the primary point of contact for key accounts in the UK region.
• Maintain and grow existing customer relationships, ensuring customer satisfaction and retention.
• Identify upselling or cross-selling opportunities for broader purification or environmental technology portfolios.

Collaboration & Reporting

• Work closely with internal stakeholders (technical service, engineering, R&D, operations) to ensure successful customer onboarding and project execution.
• Prepare regular sales forecasts, pipeline reports, and market intelligence updates.
• Represent the company at trade shows, conferences, and industry events across the UK and Europe.

Required Qualifications & Skills

Education

• Bachelor’s degree (or higher) in Chemistry, Chemical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, or related field.
• Additional commercial or business qualifications are a plus.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years of B2B sales or business development experience in the chemical industry.
• Proven track record in selling technical solutions, equipment, or services involving purification, waste treatment, filtration, adsorption, separation, or chemical processing.
• Experience engaging with chemical manufacturers, waste processors, and industrial producers.

Technical Competencies

• Strong knowledge of the industrial footprint in UK in the following sectors: fine chemical, pharma, agro, paints and coatings, …
• Understanding chemical purification and separation technologies (e.g., activated carbon, polymer resins, distillation, solvent recovery, membrane systems).
• Ability to read process diagrams, interpret chemical specifications, and discuss technical needs with engineers and plant managers.
• Knowledge of UK environmental regulations related to industrial waste, hazardous waste, and emissions.

Commercial Competencies

• Ability to set up and to develop a continued prospection to keep an active commercial pipeline

• Excellent negotiation and presentation skills.
• Strategic thinker who can identify market opportunities and convert them into revenue.
• Strong analytical and financial acumen for building technical–commercial proposals.

Soft Skills

• Self-starter with the ability to work independently.
• Strong communication and relationship-building abilities.
• Resilient, customer-oriented, and results-driven.
• Willing to travel across the UK (and occasionally internationally).

Success Metrics (KPIs)

• Revenue growth from new and existing accounts.
• Pipeline development and conversion rate.
• Number of new accounts secured in target segments.
• Customer satisfaction and retention.
• Accuracy of forecasting and reporting.
• Contribution to market intelligence and strategic planning.