Director Corporate Development Jobs

Overview

The Director of Corporate Development will focus on new products and new markets to develop, acquire, and grow GEOTEK’s line of engineered composite products and their brands. The Director of Corporate Development will work collaboratively with the executive team on corporate strategy, priorities, and project execution.

Acquired in 2009 by Granite Partners, GEOTEK is a Granite Company and shares the Granite objective of 100-year sustainability. This is an excellent opportunity for a leader who appreciates the support of a clear commitment to long-term planning horizons. The Director of Corporate Development will also have the opportunity to collaborate with other leaders across the Granite Companies.

The Position

In line with GEOTEK’s strategy to develop, acquire, and grow respected composite product brands, GEOTEK is adding a Director of Corporate Development to focus on new products and new markets. Reporting to the President and Chief Executive Officer, the Director of Corporate Development will be a key contributor in structuring and executing GEOTEK’s growth strategy for composites into additional infrastructure brands and products.

GEOTEK is a growing company with a strong market position, providing a high potential candidate the opportunity to make an immediate and lasting impact on the business with ample opportunity for future career growth. Granite Partners, majority owner of GEOTEK, works collaboratively with GEOTEK and the other Granite Companies through the add-on acquisition process, bringing scale and expertise to support acquisition planning and due diligence. Together we value long-term fit and “quality over quantity,” so we spend significant time up front; the resulting number of add-on acquisitions is not the measure of success.

The individual in this position will be responsible for:

1. Leading the evaluation of new markets and applications.
2. Identifying and executing New Product Development (NPD) projects to meet needs in new markets.
3. Developing and managing a pipeline of potential acquisitions and partnerships, staying involved from identification through closing. The Director of Corporate Development will work collaboratively with the executive team on corporate strategy, priorities, and project execution.

Major elements of the Director of Corporate Development’s responsibilities include:

Leading the Market Scanning & Strategy for engineered composite products in different infrastructure markets and applications.

• Define opportunities for value creation when comparing composites to steel, wood, concrete, aluminum, or other materials; evaluate the strength and durability of the value proposition for composites in target markets.
• Maintain an up-to-date view of market sizes, competitive landscapes, and key customer drivers (regulatory, financial, geography/climate, etc.) related to the use of composites in key target segments.
• Develop potential market entry and channel strategies for attractive markets, applications, and segments for engineered composite products.
• Develop a list of key market players in each target market.
• Determine market size and industry attractiveness using standard strategy and market research tools and techniques.

Leading early-stage New Product Development (NPD) for organic entry into new markets and lines of business.

• Transition product/brand leadership. Depending on the resource plan, transition new product(s) pre- or post-launch to a Business Manager or Product Line Manager in the Sales & Marketing organization. Partner with the new leader to ensure a smooth transition, transferring knowledge and plans from the market analysis and NPD process.
• Lead the stage gate process to facilitate cross-functional execution of new product development projects that fall beyond existing brands or lines of business. Define product scope, key value messaging, channel to market, and likely pricing strategies for new products.
• Identify and initiate new product development activities for attractive industries or applications. Lead product requirements-gathering with potential customers and/or using market research resources, working with the sales team (when applicable).

Leading the company’s Acquisition & Partnerships pipeline activity.

• Use industry tradeshows, publications, supplier relationships, the Granite network, and industry associations to build a network to reach business owners looking to retire, partner, or otherwise transition composite businesses in target markets.
• Working with the executive team and Granite Partners, participate in the preparation and presentation of compelling partnership proposals that cover all stakeholders and accurately depict the opportunity.
• Support transition and integration activities, transferring key relationships, strategies, and plans from the development and due diligence process to the business integration lead.
• Working with the executive team, evaluate acquisitions and develop strategic and business rationale for moving forward or abandoning potential partnerships.
• Scan for potential partners and acquisitions in attractive industry segments; keep an active list of the highest fit potential partners and acquisitions in multiple target markets.
• Play a key role in due diligence. Depending on the acquisition, the Director of Corporate Development may lead, co-lead, or support the due diligence team, working with the GEOTEK executive team, Granite Partners, and outside experts (legal, audit, etc.).
• Proactively develop relationships with potential partners, from initial phone calls to multi-year conversations about business succession options.

Candidate Profile

The Director of Corporate Development must demonstrate strong leadership qualities, possessing the ability to formulate and lead product, marketing, and business development strategies. This key position requires a minimum of 8 years of experience with progressively increasing responsibilities in marketing, product management, strategy, mergers/acquisitions, and/or strategic sales management in a business-to-business market.

The ideal candidate is self-motivated, possesses a proven track record of marketing and growing a product line, and is adept at assessing markets/businesses, building partnerships, and/or developing acquisition opportunities. The candidate should be able to create specific and actionable plans from broad direction. An undergraduate degree is required; an advanced degree (MBA, JD, or related) is desired.

Additional qualifications include:

• Experience evaluating or executing mergers, acquisitions, and/or strategic partnerships is a plus.
• The ability to assess and understand a market or industry and its attractiveness.
• The ability to manage multiple priorities and generate proposals that satisfy broadly defined goals.
• Relationship development skills and a proven history of developing enduring partnerships with customers, suppliers, or acquisitions; the ability to relate to and adjust communications to connect with a wide range of backgrounds and professional levels.
• Strong attention to detail and an awareness of future implications relating to current decisions.
• Excellent communication skills, verbal and written, including running meetings and capturing follow-up.
• Competence in MS Office applications.
• Experience with the new product development process, ideally having led a project from concept to launch from a commercial or marketing perspective.
• Experience in composites or infrastructure markets is a plus.
• The ability to build strong internal cross-functional relationships and work both independently and collaboratively.