Business Developer - Data Center Italy & Iberia

Xylem is a Fortune 500 global water solutions company dedicated to advancing sustainable impact and empowering the people who make water work every day. As a leading water technology company with 23,000 employees operating in over 150 countries, Xylem is at the forefront of addressing the world's most critical water challenges. We invite passionate individuals to join our team, dedicated to exceeding customer expectations through innovative and sustainable solutions.

Key Responsibilities

1. Strategic Market Development & Growth Acceleration

• Define and implement a structured business development strategy for the Data Center and Critical Infrastructure market.
• Identify and unlock new revenue streams across hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, and edge segments.
• Drive market penetration and increase share within mission-critical infrastructure projects.
• Position the company as a strategic technology partner for high-availability and resilient infrastructure solutions.
• Monitor market trends (sustainability, energy efficiency, redundancy standards, uptime requirements, modularity, etc.) and translate them into actionable growth initiatives.

2. Ecosystem & Stakeholder Management

• Develop and maintain high-level relationships across the entire value chain:
  • Owners & Developers
  • Engineering Consultants & Specifiers
  • EPC Contractors
  • Design & Build Companies
  • General Contractors
• Build long-term strategic partnerships to secure preferred vendor positioning.
• Act as a trusted advisor, influencing decision-makers in technically complex environments.
• Represent the company at industry events, forums, and strategic meetings within the Data Center ecosystem.

3. Specification Influence & Technical Positioning

• Engage at early project stages to influence specifications in alignment with the company’s solutions.
• Collaborate closely with the Application Engineering team to:
  • Develop tailored technical solutions
  • Support project design discussions
  • Contribute to technical documentation and specification development
• Ensure alignment with Data Center standards and best practices (e.g., Tier classifications, redundancy concepts, reliability, energy efficiency).
• Support technical workshops, seminars, and training sessions for consultants and key stakeholders.

4. Funnel Ownership & Commercial Execution

• Build, manage, and continuously develop a robust opportunity pipeline across all project phases.
• Ensure disciplined CRM management, accurate forecasting, and structured reporting.
• Qualify opportunities strategically, prioritizing high-value and high-impact projects.
• Lead commercial negotiations in coordination with internal stakeholders.
• Drive contract closure and ensure smooth handover to execution teams.
• Deliver against defined growth and revenue targets.

5. Strategic Partnerships & Joint Ventures

• Identify potential partnership, alliance, and joint venture opportunities within the Data Center ecosystem.
• Evaluate business cases for co-development of market-specific or customized solutions.
• Support negotiation and structuring of partnership agreements.
• Contribute to the development of dedicated product offerings tailored to evolving Data Center requirements.

6. Tender Management & Bid Leadership

• Proactively identify and secure opportunities to participate in tenders within the Data Center and Critical Infrastructure market.
• Engage early with key stakeholders (Owners, Consultants, EPCs, General Contractors) to position the company prior to formal bid release.
• Assess bid/no-bid decisions in alignment with strategic priorities, technical feasibility, and commercial attractiveness.
• Lead and coordinate the internal Bid Management process, acting as the commercial owner of the opportunity.
• Align and mobilize cross-functional teams (Sales, Application Engineering, Operations, Finance, Legal) to ensure a competitive and compliant proposal.
• Define winning strategies, value propositions, and differentiators tailored to mission-critical requirements.
• Ensure timely submission of high-quality technical and commercial proposals.
• Manage clarification phases, technical negotiations, and commercial discussions throughout the tender process.
• Drive internal governance approvals and ensure structured risk evaluation.
• Maintain ownership of the opportunity until award, ensuring seamless transition to project execution teams post-award.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Business, Economics, or related field (Engineering background is highly valued).
• 7–10+ years of experience in Business Development within the Data Center, Critical Infrastructure, or related technical sectors (e.g., power distribution, cooling, building technologies, electrical infrastructure).
• Proven track record in specification-driven sales and complex project environments.
• Strong understanding of Data Center project lifecycle and mission-critical infrastructure dynamics.
• Experience working with Owners, Consultants, EPCs, and General Contractors.
• Proficiency in CRM tools (e.g., Salesforce) and structured pipeline management.
• Excellent negotiation, influencing, and stakeholder management skills.
• Fluent in Italian and English.

Preferred Competencies

• Deep understanding of hyperscale and colocation market dynamics.
• Strategic thinking combined with strong execution capability.
• Strong financial acumen and business case evaluation skills.
• Ability to operate in cross-functional and matrix organizations.
• High level of autonomy, accountability, and entrepreneurial mindset.
• Strong analytical and data-driven decision-making capability.

Travel

Up to 75%.

Contract

Full-time, Permanent.

Join the global Xylem team to be a part of innovative technology solutions transforming water usage, conservation, and re-use. Our products impact public utilities, industrial sectors, residential areas, and commercial buildings, with a commitment to providing smart metering, network technologies, and advanced analytics for water, electric, and gas utilities. Partner with us in creating a world where water challenges are met with ingenuity and dedication; where we recognize the power of inclusion and belonging in driving innovation and allowing us to compete more effectively around the world.