Business Development Manager – Activated Carbon Solutions

Basics Salary: up to £60k (depending on experience) + OTE £120k Level: Experienced Location: Hybrid: Home based and Maidenhead office 2/3 days per week Travel: Client visits required, primarily UK Founded: 2021 About us Onnu Bioflow is the commodities arm of Onnu and trades in sustainably sourced carbonized biomass products including activated carbon, biochar, biocarbon and torrefied black pellets. Sourcing from our own production sites and others, we have access to high quality, competitive products and develop innovative solutions to add value to customers. Role Overview The Business Development Manager will drive revenue growth by identifying, developing, and securing new business opportunities while expanding existing key accounts in the activated carbon sector. This role combines strategic business development, technical sales expertise, and relationship management to deliver tailored purification solutions to municipal, industrial, and consulting clients. Reporting to the CEO, you will have significant autonomy to manage a defined territory or market segment, achieve ambitious sales targets, and contribute to long-term market expansion. About the role Execute and contribute to the sales and business development strategy for activated carbon products, equipment, and services across key sectors: water purification (potable, wastewater, groundwater), air filtration, biogas, food & beverage, chemicals, remediation, and industrial processes. Identify, prospect, qualify, and convert new opportunities through proactive outreach, market intelligence, networking, and leveraging industry trends (e.g., regulatory drivers like PFAS standards). Manage and grow existing key accounts and strategic relationships, ensuring maximum penetration, upselling new products/services, and delivering exceptional customer satisfaction. Build and maintain multi-level relationships with decision-makers (procurement, operations, engineering, management, consulting engineers, utilities, contractors, and channel partners/distributors). Work closely with marketing to promote the solutions, prepare and present technical proposals, conduct product demonstrations, webinars, seminars and technical presentations to educate stakeholders and advance the sales cycle. Negotiate contracts, close deals, and support the full sales process from lead generation to post-sale support. Monitor market trends, competitor activity, customer needs, and regulatory changes; provide insights to inform product development and marketing collateral. Collaborate with cross-functional teams (technical support, product development, operations, regional teams) to align solutions with client requirements. Represent the company at trade shows, conferences, and industry events; attend and participate in relevant organizations. Maintain accurate CRM records (forecasts, pipeline, bid results, competitive intelligence), update sales forecasts regularly, and report on territory performance, opportunities, and risks. The ideal candidate 5–10 years of proven B2B technical/industrial sales or business development experience, ideally in activated carbon, water treatment, air purification, filtration technologies, chemicals, or closely related environmental/industrial sectors. Strong track record of growing accounts, closing complex deals, and meeting/exceeding sales targets in technical or consultative selling environments. Technical knowledge of activated carbon applications (e.g., adsorption processes for contaminant removal in water/air) and industry sectors; ability to discuss specifications, performance, and value propositions confidently. Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal skills; able to influence and build trust at all levels. Self-starter with entrepreneurial mindset: data-driven, numerate, organized, proactive, and comfortable challenging/collaborating across the organization. Proficiency in English (written/spoken) Willing and able to travel 30–50% (domestic/regional, with occasional international). Proficiency with CRM systems, Microsoft Office suite, and sales tools. Work Perks Salary - We believe in paying people fairly Healthcare and pension - We offer a private healthcare scheme and a pension scheme Tech equipment - We’ll provide what you need to do your best work Holidays - We want you to love your job, but everyone needs some time off. We offer 25 days holiday a year paid (plus bank holidays) Wellbeing - You’ll have access to Mental Health support via Spill and, if you ever need it, we offer up to 20 days of paid sick leave Cycle to work - Take advantage of our Cycle to Work scheme Eligibility Applicants must have authorisation to work in the UK by the start of their employment.