Commercial Sales & Business Development Specialist - Water & Environmental Solutions

About the Role

RTI International has an opening for a Commercial Sales & Business Development Specialist to join our Commercial Growth unit. The primary focus of this role is on expanding RTI's business and impact with commercial clients, with a particular emphasis on identifying and developing business opportunities related to Water Solutions. The role will also support commercial growth across Energy, Environment, and Consumer Products sectors, including RTI's offerings in Sustainability, Circular Economy, Lab Services, and other commercialized solutions.

As a Business Development Specialist, you will play an active role in identifying and pursuing new commercial business opportunities while supporting the processes, tools, and activities that drive an effective sales organization. You will research prospective clients, identify decision-makers, conduct outreach, generate leads, and help build a pipeline of opportunities with private-sector companies. This role combines hands-on business development with sales operations and coordination.

This position is open to remote candidates within the United States, as well as those who would prefer to be hybrid or on-site at our Research Triangle Park, North Carolina campus. It is expected that this position will require frequent (25%+) travel and conference attendance. This role reports to the Head of Commercial BD Enablement.

What You'll Do

• Research prospective commercial clients and target accounts, identify key decision-makers, and conduct proactive outreach to generate interest in RTI's services and solutions.
• Identify and pursue commercial business development opportunities in Water Solutions, including researching prospective clients, understanding industry challenges and customer needs, and supporting targeted outreach to generate new business.
• Support lead generation and prospecting activities through targeted outreach, follow-up communications, and relationship-building with potential commercial customers.
• Research and analyze industry trends, client needs, and competitor activities to identify new business opportunities and inform commercial growth strategies.
• For assigned commercial accounts, provide business development support to client management and delivery teams.
• Assist with the development of account plans and execute assigned tasks.
• Conduct background research for pitch meetings, help with development of BD collateral (e.g., pitch decks), document activities.
• Participate in and organize prospect and client calls, assist with preparation of sales presentations and client-facing materials, document discussions, and coordinate follow-up activities.
• Use marketing and sales information services and platforms to complete actions required for all phases of the sales cycle – from lead generation through closing.
• Proactively anticipate customer needs based on market activity to identify emerging projects and cross-selling opportunities with current clients.
• Coordinate with Marketing and/or Client Delivery teams to help identify and execute business development opportunities, including conferences, events, and outreach campaigns.
• Contribute to the application of business development best practices, continuous improvement methodologies, tools, and training to facilitate successful business development, forecasting, and planning activities.
• Participate in intra-group collaboration and coordination efforts related to business development and strategic planning.
• Continuously build the RTI brand by demonstrating how RTI adds value to clients.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree and at least 3 years of relevant professional experience, or a Master's degree and at least 1 year of relevant experience, or equivalent combination of education and experience
• At least 1 year of experience in B2B sales, business development, lead generation, or account development involving commercial/private-sector clients.
• Demonstrated experience with prospect research, direct customer outreach, lead generation, or development of new commercial business opportunities.
• Demonstrated ability to support multiple teams at the same time, and the ability to learn and communicate technical or complex service offerings to prospective customers.
• Must have strong verbal and written communication skills, highly professional presence, ability to interact with senior clients and project delivery staff.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills such as PowerPoint, Excel, and Word.
• Experience with CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) and Go-to-Market/Sales Intelligence software tools (e.g, ZoomInfo, LinkedIn Navigator, etc.).
• Ability to demonstrate RTI Values and Lead Forward behaviors.
• To qualify, applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States and should not require, now or in the future, sponsorship for employment visa status (e.g., H-1B visa status, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior experience in commercial sales, business development, lead generation, or account development within the water industry, including water treatment, water technologies, water resource management, or related environmental solutions.
• Experience researching and selling technical services, consulting, or other commercial solutions related to Water Solutions, Sustainability, Circular Economy, or Lab Services.
• Engineering or business degree in a field related to energy, environment, sustainability, water resources, or new technology development.
• Proven track record of building a sales pipeline within an assigned business portfolio.
• Experience leveraging AI-enabled tools to support business development activities, including prospect research, lead generation, sales outreach, campaign development, and process improvement.
• Experience working with a diverse set of scientific and professional disciplines, including but not limited to laboratory and statistical sciences, product commercialization, research, or consulting/advisory services.