Market Development Manager - Power Generation and Adjacent Industrial Markets

Market Development Manager: Power Generation and Adjacent Industrial Markets

INTERNAL & EXTERNAL (Richards + Colesco + Equilibar)

Location: Fletcher/ Equilibar (preferred) or Cincinnati/Richards

Reports to: VP Product Management

Company Profile

Richards Industrials, founded in 1961, is a manufacturer of pressure regulators, control valves, and other fluid controlled products, known by our customers for high quality products, great customer service, and fast & reliable deliveries. Our products are marketed under a series of distinct brands, each of which is used in unique applications that require precise technical attributes. The company serves a range of end markets, including pharmaceutical, food & beverage, chemical, petrochemical, and various industrial segments.

With two locations, Cincinnati OH and Fletcher NC, and a global headcount of 190. Equipped with an experienced, passionate team, Richards focuses on driving profitable growth through operational excellence, opening new channels to the market, and investing in new products.

Richards has four Core Values:

- Empowerment: Employees are our most valuable asset

- Collaboration: Together we achieve more

- Pioneering Spirit: Curiosity and innovation are our driving forces

- Service Mindset: Never stop advocating for the Customer

Our purpose is to solve tomorrows demanding fluid control problems, today.

The Position:

The Power Generation Market Development Manager is responsible for identifying, prioritizing, and developing growth opportunities for differentiated fluid control solutions serving mission critical power applications and adjacent industrial markets where reliability, pressure control, and process performance are essential. This role translates utility, OEM, EPC, engineering firm, channel partner, and end user needs into focused market development strategies, target account plans, and commercial growth initiatives for Richards, Colesco, and Equilibar.

Rather than managing individual products alone, this role focuses on developing markets, applications, and customer pathways in power generation and adjacent industrial sectors. Target adjacencies may include nuclear and conventional power, renewable and distributed energy, hydrogen, carbon capture, energy storage, industrial heat and steam systems, water treatment, chemical and petrochemical processing, refining, LNG, mining, pulp and paper, and other heavy industrial applications where Richards, Colesco, and Equilibar technologies can solve demanding fluid control challenges. The market development manager acts as a technical commercial growth leader, partnering with Engineering, Sales, Product Management, Operations, Quality, and Leadership to build demand, qualify opportunities, support strategic customer engagements, and enable profitable, sustainable growth.

This is a high impact role for an experienced professional ready to shape long term growth in Power Generation while extending Richards reach into adjacent markets with similar technical, commercial, and reliability requirements. The role remains closely connected to customer realities, plant operating demands, and the need for reliable performance in critical service.

Key Responsibilities:

- Growth & Results: Own commercial performance for assigned solutions and applications within Power Generation and adjacent industrial markets. Identify, prioritize, and capture growth opportunities by understanding customer missions, plant requirements, qualification paths, and regulatory environments. Deliver revenue, profitability, and market expansion results aligned with business objectives.

- Industry & Customer Leadership: Serve as the internal authority on Power Generation market needs, standards, customer pain points, and technology trends. Build and maintain strong relationships with utilities, OEMs, EPCs, engineering firms, channel partners, and strategic accounts. Represent Richards, Colesco, and Equilibar in technical and commercial discussions, supporting complex opportunities in collaboration with Sales, Engineering, Operations, and Quality.

- Market Intelligence & Competitive Positioning: Monitor competitors, technologies, regulations, investments, and market trends. Quantify opportunities, threats, market share potential, and growth priorities to guide leaderships resource allocation.

- Key Decision Maker Mapping: Identify, map, and prioritize the key decision makers, influencers, and gatekeepers across target accounts, including engineering, operations, maintenance, procurement, project management, reliability, and executive stakeholders. Develop account level engagement plans that clarify who influence specifications, approvals, purchasing decisions, installed base support, and long term partnership opportunities.

- Go to Market Excellence: Drive adoption by targeting priority customers, influencers, and accounts. Partner with sales teams and channels to engage end users, OEMs, EPCs, and engineers, using AI and analytics to sharpen targeting and priorities.

- Solution Strategy Development: Develop market and application strategies aligned with customer requirements, industry standards, qualification pathways, lifestyle expectation and long term growth. Translate market insights into actionable plans and strategic initiatives

- Customer Connection & Voice of Customer: Lead a structured Voice of Customer process to capture evolving customer needs, application challenges, and emerging opportunities. Build strong relationships with end users and technical stakeholders while transforming customer insights into business cases, market opportunities, and growth initiatives.

- Product & Commercial Execution: Lead Day to day product and commercial execution by coordinating complex quotes, orders, MRO, contracts, and project opportunities. Ensure pricing discipline, assess manufacturing feasibility and response timing, and drive cross functional problem solving to deliver timely, competitive, and feasible solutions across the product line.

- Performance & Visibility: Track KPIs and success metrics to evaluate solutions, account, and business performance. Lead monthly Power Generation and adjacent market updates with senior leadership, highlighting pipeline development, key account progress, decision maker engagement, wins, risks, and resource needs.

- Innovation & Portfolio Evolution: Support on product line roadmap. Potentially lead to new product development and VAVE initiatives across commercial areas. Identify, prioritize, and advance new ideas based on clear customer feedback, market insight, decision maker input, and business impact.

Preferred Qualifications:

- Experience in Power Generation and/or adjacent industrial markets where reliability, pressure control, and process performance are critical

- Experience supporting utilities, OEMs, EPCs, engineering firms, channel partners, or strategic industrial accounts

- Bachelors degree in engineering, Business, or related fields. Advanced degree or professional certification are a plus.

- Experience on cross functional teams and previously part of projects from conceptualization to commercialization preferred.

- Strong analytic skill and mindset. A professional eager to continuously develop expertise while operating in a growth oriented, agile environment.

- Relentless pursuit of excellence and willingness to constantly learn new things.

- Strong communicator with ability to captivate and influence the audience.

- Willing to travel, at peak up to 30% of the time.

- Passion for what you do. A person that is looking to learn and develop work experience, part of an agile and growth environment!

Personal Attributes:

- Proactive, highly motivated self starter with a strong sense of ownership

- Structured, data driven thinker with excellent communication and storytelling skills

- Calm, resilient, and effective in complex, high pressure environments

- Curious and creative, with a strong interest in leveraging AI and advanced analytics to improve decisions, productivity, and outcomes

- Disciplined problem solver committed to continuous improvement and learning

- Customer focused, driven to deliver exceptional service and long term value

- Acts with integrity, confidence, and intellectual honesty

- Adaptable and energized by change in fast moving, evolving environments

- Collaborative team builder who develops people, values diversity of thought, and accelerates results through strong partnerships

- Excited to work cross functionally with Engineering, Product Management, Manufacturing, Operations, Quality, Supply Chain, Sales, and AI enabled digital teams to deliver impact

Why Join Us

- High visibility role with meaningful strategic impact

- Opportunity to work on mission critical applications that matter

- Collaboration with experienced engineering and commercial teams

- Platform to shape the future of solutions in Power Generation markets

Performance Goals:

- Company EBIDTA,

- Segment Orders, Sales, and Gross Margin

- Annual Key Growth Initiatives (define according to business needs)

Richards Industrials firmly supports the principle and philosophy of equal opportunity for all individuals. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.