What does a business development engineer do?
A business development engineer's role is to help companies build strong and positive relationships with clients and business partners. They conduct market research and analysis to find new business and client opportunities, plan and implement programs, and develop strategies for business and profit growth. They also produce proposals, streamline project requirements, perform risk assessments, study the competitor and consumers' behavior, and assist sales teams as necessary. Moreover, in some companies, there are instances when a business development engineer communicates directly with clients to close deals and negotiate contracts.
Business development engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real business development engineer resumes:
- Review cost/benefit analysis of potential promotional programs to justify the ROI and manage budgets set aside to support promotional activities.
- Perform regular visits to OEM sites for project reviews.
- Perform on site HVAC controls installs and quality control surveys for equipment and systems.
- Convert legacy customer lists to CRM database for more efficient territory management.
- Develop and manage all new business for strategic and technology consulting services within the healthcare, government and manufacturing sectors.
- Create and implement telemarketing program.
- Automate documentation of electrical panel manufacturing process in Solidworks and AutoCAD.
Business development engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 27% of Business Development Engineers are proficient in Java, Business Development, and Project Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Self-confidence, Technological skills, and Problem-solving skills.
We break down the percentage of Business Development Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Java, 27%
Trained fellow co-ops and utilized the PTC Parametric software as well as Python and Java.
- Business Development, 15%
Collaborated cross functionally to gauge partner status, as well as maintaining vendor pipeline consolidating all updates for business development team.
- Project Management, 5%
Project Management-crisis management, project pay applications, job cost management.
- CRM, 5%
Generate A/V and Security proposals using Excel and a CRM system.
- Aerospace, 4%
Reported regularly to upper management to detail opportunities for PEKK based products within the aerospace industry.
- Market Research, 4%
Defined product requirements and market research
"java," "business development," and "project management" are among the most common skills that business development engineers use at work. You can find even more business development engineer responsibilities below, including:
Self-confidence. One of the key soft skills for a business development engineer to have is self-confidence. You can see how this relates to what business development engineers do because "sales engineers should be confident and persuasive when making sales presentations." Additionally, a business development engineer resume shows how business development engineers use self-confidence: "develop long-term client relationships and confidence in services provided by the onshore business unit. "
Technological skills. Many business development engineer duties rely on technological skills. "sales engineers must have extensive knowledge of the technologically sophisticated products they sell in order to explain their advantages and answer questions.," so a business development engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways business development engineer responsibilities rely on technological skills: "implement and utilize technological systems (payroll, timekeeping, and hr systems). "
Problem-solving skills. Another skill that relates to the job responsibilities of business development engineers is problem-solving skills. This skill is critical to many everyday business development engineer duties, as "sales engineers must be able to listen to the customer’s desires and concerns, and then recommend solutions, such as customizing a product for the customer." This example from a resume shows how this skill is used: "lead and coordinate project management teams on $20m of complex software solution projects. "
Interpersonal skills. business development engineer responsibilities often require "interpersonal skills." The duties that rely on this skill are shown by the fact that "strong interpersonal skills are a valuable characteristic for sales engineers, both for building relationships with clients and effectively communicating with other members of the sales team." This resume example shows what business development engineers do with interpersonal skills on a typical day: "communicated with excellent relationship building skill and interpersonal relationship. "
The three companies that hire the most business development engineers are:
- Phoenix Contact17 business development engineers jobs
- e-Tech Solutions6 business development engineers jobs
- Amazon5 business development engineers jobs
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Compare different business development engineers
Business development engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
These skill sets are where the common ground ends though. The responsibilities of a business development engineer are more likely to require skills like "business development," "crm," "aerospace," and "market research." On the other hand, a job as an engineer requires skills like "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #." As you can see, what employees do in each career varies considerably.
Engineers tend to make the most money working in the automotive industry, where they earn an average salary of $97,672. In contrast, business development engineers make the biggest average salary, $117,745, in the professional industry.The education levels that engineers earn slightly differ from business development engineers. In particular, engineers are 1.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than a business development engineer. Additionally, they're 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Business development engineer vs. Application engineer
An application engineer is responsible for creating and re-designing system applications based on clients' specifications and sales demands. Application engineers run diagnostic tests on software programs, identify areas of improvement, install necessary updates, upgrade optimization, revise system codes, and provide technical support for customers' needs. They also generate ideas and locate other business opportunities by analyzing current trends in the technology market that would help build revenues and increase profitability for the company. An application engineer must have a strong command of programming languages, software application processes, and general technology disciplines.
Each career also uses different skills, according to real business development engineer resumes. While business development engineer responsibilities can utilize skills like "business development," "aerospace," "market research," and "dod," application engineers use skills like "c++," "c #," "customer service," and "troubleshoot."
Application engineers may earn a lower salary than business development engineers, but application engineers earn the most pay in the technology industry with an average salary of $100,321. On the other hand, business development engineers receive higher pay in the professional industry, where they earn an average salary of $117,745.application engineers earn similar levels of education than business development engineers in general. They're 1.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.6% more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Business development engineer vs. Solutions engineer
A solutions engineer is an individual who assists customers in identifying their computer software needs and generates customized business software solutions for them. Solutions engineers collaborate with other department engineers to create practical demonstrations of proposed solutions and showcase them to the other members of the team. They are required to test the installed software and fix programming bugs that create errors with the system. Solutions engineers also maintain customer relations by providing post-installation follow-ups.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from business development engineer resumes include skills like "aerospace," "market research," "dod," and "product development," whereas a solutions engineer is more likely to list skills in "cloud," "pre sales," "architecture," and "infrastructure. "
Solutions engineers earn the highest salary when working in the start-up industry, where they receive an average salary of $118,808. Comparatively, business development engineers have the highest earning potential in the professional industry, with an average salary of $117,745.When it comes to education, solutions engineers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to business development engineers. In fact, they're 1.0% less likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 0.1% less likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Business development engineer vs. Senior sales engineer
A senior sales engineer is responsible for assisting the marketing and sales team on the technical aspect of operations. Senior sales engineers help the team to structure efficient deliverables and high-quality outputs using their technical expertise for requirements. They identify business opportunities by analyzing sales movements and conducting statistical data management that would generate more revenue resources and attract business partnerships. A senior sales engineer recommends process improvement techniques to meet client requirements and specifications within budget limitations and deadlines.
Types of business development engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
