New Business Development Director

Basic Function

The Director, New Business Development – Ribbon Channel is responsible for the strategic growth, expansion, optimization, and long-term development of the Overhead Door™ Brand Ribbon distributor network across North America. This role serves as the primary leader for future channel development through new distributor recruitment.

The position leads the full new distributor acquisition process from market identification and initial engagement through qualification, business plan development, negotiation, and signed distribution agreement. The role partners cross-functionally with Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Finance, Operations, Customer Care, Legal, and the New Business Development Manager – Onboarding & Training to ensure newly signed distributors transition successfully into the Ribbon network.

Responsibilities

Job Duties (functions considered essential as defined by ADA) Network Expansion & New Distribution

• Develop and execute a national strategy for distributor recruitment, market expansion, and future Ribbon channel development.
• Identify and prioritize white-space geography, underserved markets, product coverage gaps, and competitor-controlled opportunities.
• Build and manage a robust national pipeline of prospective distributors using available pipeline tracking tools and defined KPIs.
• Prospect, qualify, and engage prospective distributors through direct outreach, referrals, industry events, trade associations, competitive intelligence, and market development activity.
• Lead the distributor acquisition process from discovery through capability assessment, financial review, business case development, negotiation, and signed distribution agreement.
• Evaluate prospective distributors for financial capability, market position, operational readiness, product fit, growth potential, and alignment with the Ribbon model.

Competitive Conversions & Market Share Growth

• Lead competitive conversion strategies designed to expand Ribbon market share in competitor-controlled or underpenetrated markets.
• Conduct competitive analysis of rival distribution networks and brands to identify conquest opportunities, emerging market trends, and distributor recruitment targets.
• Develop market-specific conversion strategies and coordinate sales, marketing, product, and leadership resources to secure competitive wins.
• Report competitive conversion activity, pipeline status, forecasted opportunities, and market-share progress to sales leadership.

Value Proposition Selling

• Develop and communicate the Ribbon distributor value proposition to prospective distributors, owners, and executive decision makers.
• Create executive-level recruitment presentations and financial business cases that demonstrate the economic and strategic value of a Ribbon partnership.
• Position Ribbon capabilities, brand strength, product portfolio, lead support, Total Solutions opportunities, and channel support as competitive differentiators.
• Support market-specific growth recommendations and distributor investment discussions.

Distribution Network Optimization

• Analyze geographic coverage, product distribution, and strategic market representation to identify network improvement opportunities.
• Recruit distributors capable of supporting strategic growth categories, including residential, commercial, dock, HPD, Operator, and specialty product opportunities.
• Partner with Sales leadership to align new distributor additions with regional growth plans, territory coverage needs, and existing channel priorities.

Distributor Lifecycle & Handoff Governance

• Own all aspects of new distributor prospecting, recruitment, conversion, acquisition, negotiation, and execution of the signed distribution agreement.
• Introduce the District Sales Manager during later stages of the sales process when distributor conversion is likely, enabling territory planning and relationship development prior to launch.
• Coordinate with the New Business Development Manager – Onboarding & Training, who has primary responsibility for onboarding during the first 12 months after agreement execution.
• Provide strategic oversight during onboarding, including executive relationship management, distribution agreement governance, stability reviews, and escalation support.
• Transition full account relationship, growth, maintenance, and governance responsibility to the Regional Sales and District Sales organization after the first 12 months of successful onboarding and stabilization.

Cross-Functional Leadership & Reporting

• Serve as a cross-functional leader partnering with Ribbon Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Customer Care, Finance, Operations, Legal, and training resources.
• Represent the Overhead Door™ Brand at trade shows, industry events, distributor recruiting events, and strategic customer engagements.
• Support major growth initiatives, product launches, channel development efforts, competitive conversion campaigns, and market expansion projects.
• Prepare and deliver executive-level reporting on distributor recruitment pipeline, market opportunities, competitive conversions, succession risks, and network development progress.

Special assignments or tasks may be assigned to the employee by their supervisor, as determined from time to time at their sole and complete discretion.

Qualifications

Experience

• Minimum of 10 years of progressive sales leadership, new business development, channel management, market development, or distribution leadership experience.
• Proven track record of identifying, recruiting, qualifying, and signing new distributor or dealer partners.
• Demonstrated success managing a hunter-style sales pipeline with measurable activity, conversion, revenue, and forecast results.
• Experience negotiating commercial agreements and developing business cases for new strategic partnerships.
• Experience leading cross-functional initiatives and influencing internal and external stakeholders without direct authority.

Preferred Experience

• Building products, door, operator, construction products, or related distribution channel experience.
• Demonstrated success leading competitive conversion or market-share growth initiatives.
• Experience working with distributor owners, executives, and field-level decision makers.
• Experience with CRM platforms such as Salesforce to manage pipeline, forecast activity, and report progress against KPIs.
• Experience supporting product launches, trade shows, sales enablement, market development, or distributor training initiatives.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Sales, Finance, Management, or related field is required.

Preferred Education

• Master of Business Administration is preferred.

Required Skills

• Strategic business development capability with a demonstrated hunter mentality and track record of opening new accounts and channels.
• Strong understanding of residential and commercial door and operator markets, distribution channels, and key decision makers.
• Advanced prospecting, lead qualification, value proposition selling, business case development, and contract negotiation skills.
• Strong financial acumen to evaluate prospective distributor capabilities, financial health, growth potential, and strategic fit.
• Ability to conduct competitive analysis and translate market intelligence into actionable conversion strategies.
• Executive-level communication and presentation skills with the ability to engage owners, executives, and field-level decision makers.
• Cross-functional leadership skills and ability to coordinate Sales, Marketing, Product, Finance, Operations, Customer Care, Legal, and training resources.
• Proficiency with CRM platforms, Microsoft Office, Teams, and virtual selling tools.
• Self-starter who can work independently in a fast-moving, dynamic environment with limited day-to-day direction.
• Ability to travel extensively to meet with prospective distributors, attend industry events, and support distributor recruitment activities.

Work Conditions

This position is based in Overhead Door Corporation's Lewisville, Texas corporate headquarters and requires travel up to 70% to support distributor recruitment, market expansion, strategic customer engagements, competitive conversion activities, industry events, and channel development initiatives throughout North America. Must maintain a valid driver's license, acceptable driving record, and ability to travel as business needs require.

Physical Requirements

• Standing or walking may be required for extended periods, especially during customer interactions, industry events, trade shows, or team oversight.
• Most administrative work may be performed while seated at a desk or workstation, with the ability to alternate between sitting and standing as needed.
• On occasion, may need to lift or carry items such as office supplies, promotional materials, or small packages, typically under 25 lbs.