Business Development Manager — Custom Manufacturing & Branded Merchandise

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER — CUSTOM MANUFACTURING & BRANDED MERCHANDISE
Barcela LLC | United States | Remote | Full-time
Base salary: $65,000–$80,000 annually + uncapped commission
ABOUT BARCELA
Barcela LLC is a Florida-based custom product development and manufacturing business serving companies that need products made to their specifications.
Our capabilities span promotional merchandise, corporate gifts, bags and accessories, apparel, custom packaging and carton displays, including coordinated product collections and gift kits.
With factory ownership/direct control and founders and specialist teams bringing more than 35 years of experience, we support projects through materials selection, product development, sampling, manufacturing, branding, packaging and quality control.
THE OPPORTUNITY
We are seeking an experienced business development professional to win and grow US accounts requiring custom products for marketing campaigns, corporate gifting, brand launches and recurring merchandise programmes.
This is a hands-on individual contributor role with responsibility for developing opportunities, securing qualified briefs, negotiating commercial terms and converting projects into profitable, repeat business.
Your principal buyers will include:
• Promotional products distributors and branded merchandise agencies.
• Experiential, activation and integrated marketing agencies.
• Corporate procurement, merchandise and gifting teams.
• Selected brands with custom product and private-label requirements.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
• Develop a focused account strategy and establish relationships with purchasing, production, account management and procurement decision-makers.
• Generate new opportunities through industry relationships, targeted prospecting, referrals and relevant events.
• Translate a campaign concept or purchasing requirement into a clear brief covering product specifications, quantities, budget, branding, packaging and delivery requirements.
• Work with our production team to develop commercially viable proposals, samples and quotations.
• Explain trade-offs involving materials, construction, customization, order quantities, production timelines and landed costs.
• Manage the commercial sales process from discovery through negotiation and purchase order, maintaining clear coordination with production.
• Expand successful projects into repeat orders, additional categories and longer-term purchasing programmes.
• Maintain accurate CRM records, forecasts and account plans, with responsibility for revenue quality and gross profit.
• Respect distributor relationships, customer confidentiality and agreed account ownership.
ESSENTIAL EXPERIENCE
• At least five years of relevant B2B sales or business development experience in custom merchandise, promotional products, bespoke manufacturing, corporate gifting, packaging or closely related physical products.
• A demonstrated record of personally opening and closing new accounts, with the ability to explain your contribution, typical order values, sales cycles and commercial results.
• Established professional relationships within at least one of our principal customer channels.
• Practical experience selling projects involving specifications, quotations, samples, approvals and production.
• An understanding of manufacturing economics, margins, minimum order quantities, lead times and quality expectations.
• Confidence managing commercial conversations with experienced buyers and coordinating with production specialists.
• Strong prospecting, negotiation, written communication and pipeline management skills.
PARTICULARLY VALUABLE
• Supplier-side experience selling through promotional products distributors.
• Familiarity with the PPAI/ASI industry ecosystem.
• Experience developing programmes across several product categories.
• Experience with custom packaging, presentation kits or private-label products.
• Experience coordinating commercial projects with international manufacturing teams.
HOW SUCCESS WILL BE MEASURED
Success will be assessed through qualified opportunities, actionable customer briefs, conversion into profitable orders, collected gross profit and repeat business. Initial objectives will reflect the agreed territory and realistic sampling and production cycles.
COMPENSATION
Annual base salary of $65,000–$80,000, depending on directly relevant industry experience and demonstrated sales results, plus uncapped commission linked to gross profit from new business.
The package rewards profitable account development and repeat business. Commission terms, account attribution and initial performance objectives will be agreed in writing. A compensation review will take place after six months against agreed commercial milestones.
HOW TO APPLY
Apply through LinkedIn with your CV and a short note addressing:
1. Which customer channels and product categories have you personally sold into?
2. Describe two custom product programmes you won, including approximate order value, sales cycle and your role.
3. How would you build a qualified pipeline for Barcela during your first 90 days?
Anonymized examples are welcome. Please do not provide confidential customer lists or proprietary information from previous employers.

Skills
Business Development

Experience
5+ yrs

Work arrangement
Yes