Function / Department: Business Development

Position Level: Senior Consultant

Employment Type: Full Time

Work Mode: Onsite

Location: Coimbatore, India

Reports To: CEO, Sourcing & Business Development

Team Size: 1 - 3

Travel Requirement: Frequent (25-50%)

ABOUT THE ROLE

This role sits at the join between two markets. On one side, global industrial buyers in manufactured products (engineering and related), who need reliable, cost-competitive manufacturing out of India. On the other, an Indian supply base of foundries, forge shops, machining units and fabricators whose capability is real but whose export readiness varies enormously.

You will build the pipeline on the buy side, develop and qualify the partner base on the supply side, give recommendations, facilitate customisations & negotiate the commercial terms that make both work. The role is based in Coimbatore and expected to stay close to it. The manufacturing and engineering clusters here, spanning foundries, forge shops, pump and motor manufacturers and precision machining units, is one of the densest in the country, and supplier development in this business is done on shop floors rather than over video calls.

Travel is frequent but largely within Tamil Nadu and the neighbouring manufacturing and engineering belts. This is a senior individual-contributor position. You will operate with full autonomy on a mandate, setting the approach, sequencing the work and bringing decisions rather than questions.

This is a forerunner position able to self-direct to grow the Business.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

- Build and own the client pipeline for sourcing and supplier-development mandates, targeting industrial buyers across oil and gas, valves and pumps, automotive and EV, general engineering, iron and steel, aerospace and mining.
- Convert qualified opportunities into signed engagements, structuring scope, commercial terms and success criteria that hold up through delivery.
- Identify, assess and onboard Indian manufacturing partners across castings, forgings, precisionmachined components, valves and pumps, and fabrication, taking each from first contact to qualified, supplying vendor.
- Negotiate pricing, tooling amortisation, payment terms, lead times and capacity commitments with suppliers, protecting client cost targets without eroding supplier viability
- Run technical and commercial due diligence on prospective suppliers, covering capability assessment, quality-system review, capacity verification and site audit.
- Build and maintain a structured,



searchable database of qualified Indian manufacturers, segmented by process, sector, certification and capacity.
- Steer sourcing and procurement delivery for client mandates, resolving escalations across quality, delivery and commercial disputes as they arise.
- Represent the firm within industry forums and trade associations including IIF, CII, SIEMA, CODISSIA and the Indian Chamber of Commerce, converting that presence into supplier access and client leads.
- Maintain forecast and pipeline discipline in CRM so that revenue visibility does not depend on manual reconstruction.
- Provide guidance and mentoring to junior team members, building their capability in supplier development, client engagement, and pipeline management.
- Act as a role model in commercial negotiation and supplier relationship management, ensuring knowledge transfer and skill development within the team.
- Encourage structured learning from mandates, so that delivery teams can replicate successful approaches without rework.

KEY COMPETENCIES LEVELS

1. Commercial Negotiation - Expert
2. Business Acumen - Expert
3. Stakeholder Management - Expert
4. Strategic Thinking - Expert
5. Problem Solving Expert
6. Customer Orientation Expert
7. Strategic Leadership (ability to define and execute medium-term roadmap for supplier development and client mandate growth) - Expert

EXPERIENCE REQUIRED

Must-Have

- Experience engaging with international buyers and familiarity with export documentation, compliance, sanctions and logistics.
- An established supplier network across Coimbatore/Tamil Nadu or India manufacturing clusters and demonstrate ability to leverage these relationships for immediate business impact.
- Twelve or more years in industrial sales, business development or sourcing, including direct ownership of a revenue or savings target.
- Track record of running client mandates and supplier development independently, without a manager setting the approach or reviewing work in progress.
- Demonstrable experience developing Indian manufacturing suppliers for export or MNC clients, taking vendors from identification through qualification to regular supply.




- Working technical literacy across at least two of castings, forgings, precision machining, valves and pumps, or fabrication, sufficient to read a drawing and challenge a quotation.
- Ability to operate in entrepreneurial, high-autonomy environments, balancing commercial aggressiveness with supplier relationship sustainability.
- Fluency in Tamil and English, sufficient to negotiate commercial terms directly with shop-floor management and proprietors across the Coimbatore and Tamil Nadu manufacturing and engineering cluster.

Positive-To-Have

- Prior consulting or client-facing advisory experience, including scoping and pricing an engagement rather than only delivering one.
- Established relationships within IIF, CII, SIEMA, CODISSIA or comparable manufacturing, engineering and trade associations.
- Experience sourcing to oil and gas specifications and standards such as API or ASME.
- Exposure to the automotive and EV supply chain, particularly tier-one and tier-two manufacturers.

QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED

Certifications - Must-have

- None required for this role.

Certifications - Good-to-Have

- Supply-chain or sourcing certification such as CIPS or CPSM.
- Lead auditor qualification in ISO 9001 or IATF 16949

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

- Conversion rate of qualified leads to signed mandates tracked quarterly, with clear accountability for order pipeline progression.
- Signed mandate value delivered at or above target for the year, with a rolling twelve-month pipeline maintained at three times quota.
- New manufacturing partners developed from first contact to regular, repeat supply within twelve months of onboarding, against an agreed annual number.
- Supplier database expanded and kept current across the priority process categories, usable by delivery teams without rework.
- Client retention and repeat mandates evidencing that delivery matched what was sold.
- Negotiated commercial outcomes meeting client cost targets while holding supplier on-time-in-full performance at agreed levels.

WHAT WE OFFER

- A role with both commercial and technical substance. You will be judged on deals closed and on supply chains that actually work, not on activity.
- Direct client ownership at senior level, without layers between you and the decision.
- Access to an established network across the Indian manufacturing and engineering clusters, and the mandate to extend it.
- An incentive structure tied to mandate value and delivery outcomes rather than volume alone.

📌 Senior Consultant – Manufacturing Business Development (Coimbatore)
🏢 HARTS Manufacturing
📍 Coimbatore