Business Development & Sales Support Specialist

Summary

USA Rare Earth is developing a domestic, integrated supply chain for rare earth magnets and other critical materials supporting green energy, technology, and defense industries. The Business Development & Sales Support Specialist manages a small book of business while supporting sales operations through CRM management, account advancement, quote follow-up, proposal coordination, customer meetings, site visits, and sales events.

Responsibilities

• Own and manage a small book of business, building relationships and driving revenue within assigned accounts
• Identify, qualify, and advance select pursuits from initial contact through quote and close
• Develop account plans and pursuit strategies in coordination with the Sr. Manager of Magnet Sales
• Represent the company directly with customers on calls, at trade shows, and during site visits
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records in the CRM system (Microsoft Dynamics 365) for all accounts, contacts, opportunities, and activities
• Log and track all customer interactions, communications, and quote activity consistently in CRM
• Manage and organize customer contact databases, ensuring completeness and accuracy of contact information
• Monitor CRM data quality and proactively flag and resolve missing or inconsistent records
• Support onboarding of new sales team members on CRM usage and best practices
• Track the status of open quotes and proposals and drive timely follow-up across the sales team
• Maintain a quote log and monitor quote hit rates, win/loss ratios, and turnaround times
• Coordinate with Applications Engineering and Sales to ensure quotes are issued accurately and on schedule
• Prepare and organize proposal documentation and submission materials as required
• Prepare commercial summaries and pricing comparisons to support proposal decisions
• Organize and schedule internal and external customer meetings, including agenda preparation and logistics coordination
• Prepare customer-specific meeting agendas, tailoring content to each account's priorities and discussion topics
• Develop and update customer-facing PowerPoint presentations for each meeting or site visit, incorporating relevant product, application, and commercial information
• Capture, organize, and distribute accurate meeting minutes following customer calls and visits, including action item tracking
• Follow up on meeting action items and hold the team accountable for completion
• Plan and coordinate customer site visits end-to-end, including scheduling, travel arrangements, itineraries, and facility logistics
• Prepare customized visit agendas and brief all stakeholders in advance
• Develop and update presentation materials for site visits, keeping content relevant and professionally prepared
• Coordinate with internal teams (engineering, operations, quality) to ensure site visits run smoothly and land well with customers
• Manage logistics and coordination for trade show participation, including booth reservations, materials, shipping, and team scheduling
• Maintain a calendar of upcoming trade shows, industry events, and webinars relevant to the company's target markets
• Coordinate webinar planning and execution, including invitations, platform setup, presenter preparation, and post-event follow-up
• Support the preparation of promotional materials, presentations, and collateral for events
• Track post-event leads and ensure timely entry and follow-up in CRM
• Provide day-to-day administrative and coordination support to the Sales and Proposals team
• Prepare reports, dashboards, and sales summaries for internal review and leadership reporting
• Coordinate cross-functional communication between Sales, Engineering, Marketing, and Operations
• Manage shared sales calendars, team travel coordination, and scheduling as needed
• Support special projects and initiatives as directed by the Sr. Manager of Magnet Sales

Skills

• * Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• * Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a professional customer-facing presence
• * Demonstrated ability to build relationships and advance opportunities with customers directly
• * Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced skills in PowerPoint and Excel
• * Experience with CRM platforms (Microsoft Dynamics 365 preferred; Salesforce or HubSpot acceptable)
• * Ability to create polished, professional PowerPoint presentations tailored to specific customer audiences
• * Self-motivated and proactive, with a strong service orientation toward internal stakeholders and customers
• * Comfortable working in a fast-paced, startup environment with evolving priorities
• * Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams and functions
• * 3 to 5 years of experience in a sales, business development, inside sales, sales support, or sales operations role. A combination of relevant commercial experience will also be considered
• * Demonstrated experience managing CRM systems and maintaining data integrity
• * Ability to work effectively in a remote, distributed team environment
• * Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Engineering or a related field preferred
• * Prior experience supporting or working within sales teams in an industrial, manufacturing, or technical environment is a plus
• * Experience coordinating trade shows, customer events, or corporate travel is highly desirable

Qualifications

Must Haves

• * Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail and the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
• * Strong written and verbal communication skills, with a professional customer-facing presence
• * Demonstrated ability to build relationships and advance opportunities with customers directly
• * Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, with advanced skills in PowerPoint and Excel
• * Experience with CRM platforms (Microsoft Dynamics 365 preferred; Salesforce or HubSpot acceptable)
• * Ability to create polished, professional PowerPoint presentations tailored to specific customer audiences
• * Self-motivated and proactive, with a strong service orientation toward internal stakeholders and customers
• * Comfortable working in a fast-paced, startup environment with evolving priorities
• * Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams and functions
• * 3 to 5 years of experience in a sales, business development, inside sales, sales support, or sales operations role. A combination of relevant commercial experience will also be considered
• * Demonstrated experience managing CRM systems and maintaining data integrity
• * Ability to work effectively in a remote, distributed team environment

Nice to Haves

• * Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Engineering or a related field preferred
• * Prior experience supporting or working within sales teams in an industrial, manufacturing, or technical environment is a plus
• * Experience coordinating trade shows, customer events, or corporate travel is highly desirable

Benefits

• Salaried, full-time employment
• Remote, distributed team environment
• Primarily a home office or typical office environment