Marketing Development Lead

Market Development Lead

Foundry Inoculants & Metallurgical Alloys | Field Sales & Technical Development

Role Purpose

The Market Development Lead is the commercial engine of the business – the person who gets in the car (or on a flight), walks the foundry floor, builds relationships with technical and procurement teams, runs product trials, and closes the deal. This is a field-first role requiring equal parts metallurgical curiosity, commercial drive, and customer empathy.

You will own the entire commercial cycle for your territory: from identifying and approaching new accounts, through conducting hands-on inoculant trials on the customer's melt shop floor, to negotiating supply agreements and ensuring seamless procurement. You will be the face of the business to the customer – and the voice of the customer back to the company.

Key Responsibilities

1. Field Sales & Customer Acquisition

▸  Identify, research, and prioritize prospective customers across target foundry clusters (grey iron, ductile iron, steel) in India

▸  Plan and execute regular field visits to foundries, steel mills, and engineering facilities – typically 3–4 customer visits per week

▸  Build relationships at multiple levels: melt shop supervisors, metallurgists, quality managers, purchase heads, and plant directors

▸  Deliver compelling product presentations tailored to the customer's specific casting challenges and iron grades

▸  Develop and manage a healthy pipeline of qualified prospects using structured CRM discipline

2. Product Trials & Technical Support

▸  Plan, coordinate, and execute inoculant trials at customer melt shops – from first pour to results analysis

▸  Work alongside customer metallurgists during trials; monitor addition rates, melt temperatures, graphite morphology, and casting outcomes

▸  Interpret trial results (microstructure reports, tensile data, defect logs) and translate findings into a clear value proposition for the customer

▸  Troubleshoot foundry process issues and recommend product grades, addition rates, and methods (ladle, in-stream, in-mold, cored wire)

▸  Coordinate with internal technical / metallurgical support team to provide expert-backed recommendations

▸  Maintain detailed trial reports and share structured feedback that improves product positioning and development

3. Procurement Liaison & Commercial Closure

▸  Engage and build rapport with customer procurement and purchase teams to navigate supplier approval processes

▸  Prepare and submit techno-commercial quotations, pricing proposals, and supply agreements

▸  Negotiate pricing, payment terms, pack sizes, and delivery schedules in line with company guidelines

▸  Drive conversion of trials and sample approvals into regular supply purchase orders

▸  Manage customer credit terms, coordinate with finance on collections, and ensure payment discipline

▸  Facilitate vendor registration, quality documentation (CoA, TDS, MSDS), and compliance requirements for customer supplier onboarding

4. Account Management & Retention

▸  Maintain and grow relationships with existing accounts – monitor consumption trends and proactively address any supply or quality concerns

▸  Conduct periodic business reviews with key accounts to assess satisfaction, explore new product opportunities, and protect share of wallet

▸  Handle customer complaints, quality rejections, and technical queries with urgency and professionalism

▸  Track competitor activity at customer sites and report intelligence back to leadership

▸  Identify upsell and cross-sell opportunities (e.g., converting FeSi customers to Barium or Mg inoculants)

5. Market Intelligence & Reporting

▸  Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all customer interactions, visit notes, trial data, and pipeline status in the CRM system

▸  Provide regular reports on sales activity, pipeline health, territory coverage, and market feedback

▸  Track pricing trends for key raw materials and competitor products; flag market movements that may impact pricing or positioning

▸  Gather and report on industry developments – new foundry investments, capacity expansions, technology changes – that represent business opportunities

▸  Support management in preparing market analyses, customer presentations, and business development proposals

▸  Assist in compiling data required for product certifications, export documentation, and regulatory compliance

What We're Looking For

Essential Qualifications

▸  Bachelor's degree in Metallurgy, Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, or a related technical discipline

▸  5+ years of experience in foundry technical sales, metallurgical product sales, or a melt shop / foundry technical role with a desire to move into commercial work

▸  Solid working knowledge of iron foundry processes: melting, inoculation, pouring, microstructure evaluation

▸  Proven ability to work independently in the field, manage a territory, and close business

▸  Willingness and ability to travel extensively within India and internationally

▸  Strong communication skills in English; proficiency in Hindi and/or a regional language (Tamil, Marathi, Gujarati) a significant advantage

Preferred Experience

▸  Prior experience selling inoculants, ferro alloys, master alloys, or other foundry consumables

▸  Hands-on experience conducting product trials in a melt shop environment

▸  Existing relationships with foundry metallurgists or purchase teams in key Indian clusters

▸  Familiarity with ductile iron nodularizing processes and Mg treatment practices

▸  Experience dealing with automotive Tier-1 or OEM captive foundry procurement processes

▸  Export / international sales experience is a strong plus

Personal Attributes

▸  Self-starter who takes ownership and doesn't wait to be told – this is a roll-up-your-sleeves role

▸  Commercially sharp: knows how to qualify a lead, build a pipeline, and close a deal

▸  Technically credible: can have a real conversation with a foundry metallurgist about graphite morphology and inoculation fade

▸  Relationship builder: earns trust with procurement teams as much as technical teams

▸  Organized and data-driven: keeps accurate records, provides timely reports, tracks what matters

▸  Resilient and persistent: comfortable with long sales cycles, trials, and re-engagement

What We Offer

▸  Competitive fixed salary commensurate with experience

▸  Performance-linked incentive / commission structure – uncapped earning potential

▸  Travel allowance and expense reimbursement for all field travel

▸  Early-stage opportunity: join a growing specialist business with significant career advancement potential

▸  Direct access to leadership and decision-making – no corporate layers

▸  Technical training on all products and metallurgical applications

▸  Opportunity to build and eventually lead a sales team as the business scales