The Strategic Business Developer is an individual contributor responsible for identifying, developing, and growing OEM customer relationships across an assigned region. This role is the primary interface between NI and OEM accounts—from early-stage startups participating in technology accelerator ecosystems to high-volume production customers requiring close supply chain coordination. The RBM/BDM drives new design wins, manages the NI Technology Accelerator Program (NI TAP) pipeline, and ensures top accounts are set up for supply success through proactive demand signaling with NI operations.
This position operates as an individual contributor level and is also ideal for an early-career professional with 1–4 years of experience in technical sales, business development, or applications engineering who is eager to build deep expertise in the OEM market.
In This Role, Your Responsibilities Will Be:
- NI Technology Accelerator Program (NI TAP) Management
- Serve as the regional owner and primary point of contact for the NI Technology Accelerator Program (NI TAP), managing a pipeline of startup and early-stage OEM customers.
- Onboard new NI TAP participants, guide them through program benefits (discounted hardware/software, expert support), and help them advance from prototype to production.
- Track NI TAP member progress through the product development lifecycle; identify and escalate high-potential participants for strategic account status.
- Coordinate with NI applications engineering and product teams to deliver technical support commitments to NI TAP members.
- Report on NI TAP pipeline health, design-in activity, and projected volume ramp to regional management on a regular cadence.
- New Design Win Identification & Tracking
- Identify and qualify new OEM design win opportunities across the region through prospecting, account reviews, incubator engagement, channel partner collaboration, and inbound leads.
- Maintain an accurate and up-to-date design win funnel in Salesforce, including opportunity stage, NI product platforms under consideration, projected volume, and anticipated production ramp timelines.
- Engage technical decision-makers (hardware engineers, systems architects, CTOs) early in the design cycle to position NI platforms as the preferred solution.
- Coordinate with NI sales, applications engineers and product specialists to provide technical demonstrations, evaluations, and proof-of-concept support for high-priority opportunities.
- Document closed design wins and communicate wins to cross-functional stakeholders including sales, operations, marketing, and product management to facilitate capacity planning and case study development.
- Meet or exceed quarterly and annual new design win targets as defined in the regional OEM scorecard.
- Top Account Operations & Demand Signaling
- Own the regional top 50 OEM account demand signaling process; work proactively with customers to obtain rolling purchase forecasts and submit timely demand signals to NI operations and supply chain teams.
- Conduct regular business reviews with top 50 accounts to validate forecasts, understand production ramp/ramp-down signals, and escalate supply risks early.
- Partner with NI operations, customer service, and order management teams to ensure top accounts receive timely order fulfillment, resolve backlog issues, and escalate critical shortages.
- Maintain forecast accuracy metrics for the top account portfolio; report discrepancies and corrective actions to management.
- Serve as the customer advocate internally when supply constraints arise, facilitating priority allocations for accounts where a supply gap would jeopardize NI’s designed-in position.
- Account Management & Revenue Growth
- Manage a portfolio of existing OEM accounts; build and deepen relationships with engineering, procurement, and operations stakeholders.
- Develop account plans for top accounts detailing growth strategies, competitive threats, expansion opportunities, and key milestones.
- Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities across NI’s hardware and software portfolio (PXI, CompactRIO, cDAQ, LabVIEW, TestStand, FlexLogger).
- Support contract renewals, volume pricing negotiations, and OEM agreement reviews in collaboration with the NI legal and finance teams.
- Respond promptly to customer inquiries, RFQs, and RFPs; ensure proposals are technically accurate and competitively positioned.
- Market Intelligence & Competitive Analysis
- Monitor regional OEM market trends, emerging technology segments (Energy, robotics, medtech, electronics, and competitive dynamics.
- Research and track competitor activities, pricing, and design-win announcements; relay competitive intelligence to product management and sales leadership.
- Identify new vertical market opportunities where NI platforms have differentiated value for OEM customers; propose targeted go-to-market activities.
- Attend regional trade shows, industry conferences, and OEM-focused events to build market awareness and generate qualified leads.
- CRM Accuracy, Forecasting & Reporting
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date accounts, contact, opportunity, and activity records in Salesforce CRM; adhere to NI CRM standards and data governance policies.
- Provide weekly pipeline and forecast updates to management; flag at-risk opportunities and propose mitigation actions.
- Prepare monthly and quarterly business reviews summarizing OEM regional performance, NI TAP status, design win progress, and top account health.
- Track KPIs including new design wins, NI TAP pipeline count and conversion rate, top 50 forecast accuracy, revenue attainment vs. target, and incubator engagements.
For This Role, You Will Need:
- Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Physics, Computer Science, or a related technical field. Business or marketing degrees considered with demonstrated technical acumen.
- 2+ years of experience in technical sales, business development, account management, or applications engineering in technology.
- Familiarity with test and measurement concepts, data acquisition, embedded systems, or industrial automation.
- Demonstrated ability to manage a sales pipeline and track opportunities through CRM tools (Salesforce preferred).
- Strong communication and presentation skills; comfortable engaging with engineers and technical buyers.
- Self-starter with the ability to prioritize independently and manage multiple concurrent accounts and projects.
- Willingness to travel up to 30% domestic and possibly international.
- Legal authorization to work in the US - visa sponsorship will not be provided.
Preferred Qualifications That Set You Apart:
- Experience with NI products such as LabVIEW, PXI, CompactRIO, DAQ.
- Experience instrumentation, semiconductor, or industrial hardware company.
- Experience working with or inside a technology startup, hardware accelerator, or incubator environment.
- Knowledge of OEM supply chain fundamentals including demand forecasting, lead times, and volume pricing structures.
- Familiarity with design win sales processes and the hardware product development lifecycle.
- Experience engaging with engineering communities through events, developer programs, or partner ecosystems.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office 365 (Excel, PowerPoint, Teams) and Salesforce.com.
Our Culture & Commitment to You:
At Emerson, we prioritize a workplace where every employee is valued, respected, and empowered to grow. We foster an environment that encourages innovation, collaboration, and diverse perspectives—because we know that great ideas come from great teams. Our commitment to ongoing career development and growing an inclusive culture ensures you have the support to thrive. Whether through mentorship, training, or leadership opportunities, we invest in your success so you can make a lasting impact. We believe diverse teams, working together are key to driving growth and delivering business results.
We recognize the importance of employee wellbeing. We prioritize providing flexible, competitive benefits plans to meet you and your family’s physical, mental, financial, and social needs. We provide a variety of medical insurance plans, with dental and vision coverage, Employee Assistance Program, 401(k), tuition reimbursement, employee resource groups, recognition, and much more. Our culture offers flexible time off plans, including paid parental leave (maternal and paternal), vacation and holiday leave.
About NI (National Instruments):
NI, now part of Emerson Test & Measurement business group, equips engineers and scientists with software-connected automated test and measurement systems that accelerate productivity, innovation, and discovery. NI’s integrated hardware and software platforms including LabVIEW, PXI, CompactRIO, and DAQ solutions are embedded in some of the world’s most demanding OEM applications. NI OEM program provides volume pricing, application support, and the NI Technology Accelerator Program (NI TAP) to help hardware and software OEMs bring differentiated products to market faster.
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