The Requirements

To meet the basic qualifications for this role you will have legal authorization to work permanently in the United States for any employer without requiring a visa transfer or visa sponsorship. To be a good fit for the Transportation Business Development Manager opportunity, you also should have:

• A bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education and experience
• Experience within trucking / logistics, transportation industry. Quick question for you - click here You should be able to readily gain credibility by demonstrating strong industry knowledge
• The ability to speak and write fluently in both English and Spanish
• A love of sales and the drive to build a strong book of business Quick question for you - click here
• Strong oral and written communication skills, including the ability to develop well-considered proposals, business letters, emails, etc.
• Self-motivation and the ability to achieve goals independently
• Persistent follow-through and attention to detail
• Strong learning acumen
• A passion for the product; you will be an ambassador for natural gas solutions promoting the facts that natural gas is cheaper, cleaner, domestic -- good for the US, creates jobs, etc.
• Reliable transportation and a valid driver's license

Just as important as your trucking / logistics, transportation expertise will be your interpersonal skills. Our most successful people are energetic, outgoing and truly enjoy interacting with customers, relating to them on both business and personal levels. To excel, your core characteristics and competencies should include polished skill in:

• Relationship building: You’ll grow and maintain relationships with various prospects and decision makers across the trucking industry.
• Education: You’ll develop presentations about the economic and health benefits of natural gas vehicles and skillfully present to small, medium and larger groups of decision makers.
• Taking point as an expert: You’ll position yourself as a trusted authority who can be counted on to expertly guide clients through the conversion from inception through implementation.
• Team collaboration: You’ll work effectively and collaboratively with the Grants, Engineering and Operations departments. They will be central to your success.
• Driving for results: You’ll develop and implement plans focused on achieving sales and performance milestones and be resilient in pursuit of the targeted results.

You'll develop and implement plans focused on achieving sales and performance milestones and be resilient in pursuit of the targeted results. You could be based anywhere in Southern California, preferably near the ports of Los Angeles or Long Beach (Long Beach, Wilmington, San Pedro, Carson, etc.). You will spend the majority of your time out in the field, meeting with your customers and building connections. 

The Role

Reporting to the Regional Manager, you will be responsible for generating sales of natural gas fuel by promoting natural gas vehicle technologies to a variety of customers and market segments. You'll focus your efforts on targeting trucking companies and independent contractors who provide services to the trucking companies around the port areas.  Quick question for you - click here

You will spend close to 80% of your time hunting for new business, which may include calling on an independent trucker to talk about the benefits of natural gas, visiting carriers who own trucks or working with any mid-tier operation that is relying on a truck fleet to conduct business. You’ll use a variety of methods to identify those who will benefit from a change to a natural gas platform; you will create channel partners with dealers, find prospective customers through phone calls, travel to meet clients and attend conferences, and utilize the Internet. 

There's an educational component to this role as well, and we'll look to you to educate our customers on the many grants and incentives that are now available for transitioning to natural gas. 

Some of your specific tasks will be to:

• Compile lists of prospective customers for use as sales leads, based on information from newspapers, business directories, industry ads, trade shows, Internet Web sites, and other sources.
• Manage and grow relationships with various prospects, clients, and partners in the natural gas fuel industry.
• Establish and develop relationships with local decision makers (i.e. city council members, fleet managers, public works directors, etc.).
• Educate prospects, local communities, city councils, trade associations, and other contacts on the economic and health benefits of natural gas vehicles.
• Market to new and existing customers through the creation, development, and implementation of various business solutions. Coordinate marketing promotions, including advertising, and special sales.
• Estimate demand for proposed projects based on market research and consumer trends. Develop and deliver presentations on company services to small, medium and large groups.
• Review and understand station contracts and fueling agreements.
• Provide input to the management team on new product or service features to be developed to meet current and future customer needs.
• Work closely with Engineering on the development of assigned projects, and with Operations on station operations and performance.
• Keep account activities and literature up-to-date.

Note: this description is intended to give you a general overview of the position and is not an exhaustive listing of duties and responsibilities.

Video: The California Natural Gas Vehicle Coalition shows a road test of a heavy duty truck powered by all new the CWI 12L Near Zero engine at the Ports in California.

More Good Reasons

Training -- upon joining us you will participate in a two week training and orientation program providing company insight, territory information, a wide lens view of the natural gas infrastructure we’re building, and the trucks and progressive solutions you’ll be selling. You’ll also spend time shadowing another Business Development Manager in the field, and working with your supervisor to gain a solid understanding of your role here. If you arrive with drive, past successes and trained sales skills, we’ll complete the picture by giving you all of the additional tools you will need to succeed.

Autonomy and support -- your supervisor knows you have the skill and ability to be successful, or you wouldn't be in the role. As such, he sees his role more as support for success rather than task management oversight. If you deliver as expected, there’s no need for micromanagement. In other words, he’s available to collaborate and provide support when you need him, but most of the time you’ll be given the elbowroom to develop your territory as you see fit, running it as if it were your own business.

Career growth -- ours is a hot industry -- the future of trucking -- and we’ve established ourselves as a clear leader. We’re creating growth both organically and through acquisitions, as we’re building America’s Natural Gas Highway (map pictured here). Find success in this role and you could move to a Senior BDM role, focusing on companies with over $1 billion in revenue, or follow the management path and help others find success.

Solid growth -- Clean Energy has the right solutions at the right time, as more and more organizations are exploring alternative fuel vehicles and solutions.

Green standard for sustainability -- you probably already knew that natural gas burns much more cleanly than gasoline and diesel, producing significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. But did you also know that natural gas is increasingly renewable, using biomethane reclaimed from landfill via waste-to-energy solutions? Clean Energy is helping companies and public organizations meet aggressive environmental goals.

Excellent compensation -- in addition to a competitive salary and performance-based bonus potential, we offer a comprehensive benefits package that includes all you would expect plus some pleasant surprises, such as a discretionary match on our 401(k) plan.

Pictured: trucks powered by natural gas are traveling the country on America's Natural Gas Highway®, our network of truck fueling stations on Interstate Highways connecting major metropolitan areas coast-to-coast and border-to-border.

Keys to Success

This role calls for a unique combination of business development skills, technical savvy, and interpersonal qualities; you’ll need to be engaged and engaging: engaged in your customers’ goals and engaging in the sense that people like and trust you. To be successful, you will be a consummate business professional, passionate about what you do and comfortable working with multiple decision makers. This isn't a role where you'll be wearing a suit and meeting in conference rooms. Instead, you'll need to get in the trenches at the ports and meet with your trucking customers face-to-face. Quick question for you - click here

Post-training, you’ll hit the ground running and begin working your industry contacts as well as identifying additional contacts. In this energy conscious environment it isn’t that difficult to get in the door, but change is difficult and closing takes effort and time. You’ll need all of your business acumen, including understanding financials, sales savvy and interpersonal finesse, as you invest the extended time necessary to educate your prospects and facilitate change. It could be six to eighteen months before you see results, but if you’re tenacious and dedicated, and concentrate on reducing the sales cycle, you will find success.

About Us

Taking the Lead in Clean-air Transportation

Clean Energy has a broad customer base in the solid waste, transit, ports, shuttle, taxi, trucking, airport and municipal fleet markets, fueling more than 35,000 vehicles at approximately 500+ strategic locations across the United States and Canada.

Clean Energy owns and operates two LNG production plants, one in Willis, TX and one in Boron, CA, with combined capacity of 260,000 LNG gallons per day and designed to expand to 340,000 LNG gallons per day as demand increases.

The Clean Energy vision extends beyond servicing the high fuel-use requirements of fleet operators. We are committed to helping businesses access the measurable advantages of clean-fuel solutions. Simultaneously, we are committed to protecting our environment as the leader in clean-air transportation. Clean Energy has proven that business and environmental goals can indeed find common ground, with mutually profitable results. Our vision and efforts have received recognition and awards from business and environmental organizations alike.

Video: Clean Energy is moving America toward the use of natural gas for transportation, and we’re continuing to grow.