Business Development Manager - Commercial Food Equipment

Company Background   Sensience is a leading global manufacturer of highly engineered sensing, control, and sealing components used in mission-critical systems across HVAC-R equipment, data center infrastructure, appliances, transportation, industrial equipment, and aerospace.   With over 3,000 employees worldwide and five manufacturing facilities, Sensience brings more than 75 years of innovation in sensing and protection technologies. Our solutions deliver safety, performance, and reliability across critical systems.   Recently re-established as an independent company, Sensience is entering a new phase of growth and innovation. We are seeking entrepreneurial and technically oriented leaders to help expand our presence in high-growth commercial food equipment and thermal control applications.   Position Summary   The Business Development Manager will expand Sensience’s presence in the North American commercial food equipment (restaurant and foodservice) market by building strategic relationships with leading OEMs, platform engineering teams, and product development organizations.   This role focuses on engaging technical and commercial stakeholders early in the design cycle to ensure Sensience temperature sensing solutions (RTDs, thermistors, and thermocouples) are designed into next-generation cooking, refrigeration, and food processing equipment.   By influencing product platforms at the concept phase, this position will secure design specifications, preferred supplier status, and long-term adoption across high-volume equipment platforms.   The ideal candidate will reside in Illinois, Ohio, or Wisconsin.    Key Impact In this role, you will identify emerging trends and unmet needs in commercial food equipment—including energy efficiency, food quality consistency, safety, and electrification—and connect those needs with Sensience sensing technologies.   You will map key decision makers, track new product development cycles, and coordinate internal engineering and product teams to develop solutions that become embedded in OEM platforms.   Success in this role will result in Sensience technologies being designed into high-volume food equipment platforms, generating repeatable revenue across multiple product lines and customer programs.   Target Customers & Ecosystem   This role will engage across the broader commercial food equipment ecosystem, including OEMs, system integrators, and engineering teams responsible for designing cooking, refrigeration, and food processing equipment.   What You’ll Be Doing   Responsibilities   Relationship Development – Build strategic relationships with OEMs, engineering leaders, and sourcing teams within commercial food equipment manufacturers. Early Engagement – Engage early in product development cycles to secure design specifications and preferred supplier positioning for Sensience sensing technologies. Solution Orchestration – Identify unmet customer needs related to temperature control, safety, and performance; collaborate with internal engineering teams to develop optimized sensing solutions. Market Mapping – Track product development pipelines, emerging trends (electrification, energy efficiency, automation), and competitive positioning to develop targeted growth strategies. Internal Collaboration – Coordinate across engineering, product management, and regional sales teams to align resources and accelerate opportunity development. Growth Metrics – Deliver upstream influence, specification / Approved Vendor Listing wins, portfolio pull‑through, and repeatable GTM patterns. Market Presence – Represent Sensience at exhibitions and networking events to strengthen brand visibility and customer relationships. Sales Support – Assist sales leadership with account planning, funnel management, and reporting on wins, losses, and market intelligence.   Success Criteria   Securing design wins and preferred supplier status with key OEMs Influencing new product platforms across multiple equipment categories Generating a qualified pipeline of opportunities within ithin the food equipment vertical Driving adoption of Sensience sensing solutions across high-volume product lines Establishing repeatable go-to-market patterns within strategic OEM accounts   What We're Looking For   Qualifications   Education – Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, or a related field. Experience – 7+ years of experience in commercial food equipment, HVAC-R, appliance manufacturing, or industrial sensing technologies. Technical Understanding – Familiarity with temperature sensing and control applications, including: RTDs, thermistors, and thermocouples Thermal control systems in ovens and cooking equipment Refrigeration temperature monitoring Safety and limit control systems. Market Network – stablished relationships with commercial food equipment OEMs, engineering teams, or sourcing organizations preferred. Sales Expertise – Proven success in technical solution selling and specification-driven business development, with the ability to translate customer requirements into engineered solutions. Travel – his position requires approximately 30–40% travel across North America.   Sensience is an Equal Opportunity Employer (EOE):  race, ethnicity, religion, sex, gender or gender identity, sexual orientation, age, disability, national origin, or any status protected by applicable law. This is not a position for which sponsorship will be provided. Individuals who need sponsorship for work authorization now or in the future are not eligible for hire.