MDE UK
Business Development Manager
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Role: Business Development Manager
Location: Flexible UK
Salary: £50,000–£60,000 + car allowance + £100,000–£120,000 OTE
Contract: Full-time, permanent
Reports to: Head of Sales & Commercial
About the Company
Our client is a growing construction and infrastructure business delivering complex projects across the public and private sectors.
The business works with clients to develop and deliver projects that improve buildings, infrastructure and operational efficiency, with a growing focus on decarbonisation and energy-efficiency solutions.
As the business continues to expand its project-based offering, they are looking to appoint a Business Development Manager to identify and develop new opportunities across the public and private sectors.
The Role
The Business Development Manager will be responsible for generating and developing new construction and project-based opportunities, building relationships with prospective clients and creating a strong commercial pipeline.
This is not a traditional product-sales role. The successful candidate will need to understand how complex projects are developed, funded and delivered, and be comfortable engaging with clients around their wider requirements before developing those conversations into commercially viable projects.
You will work closely with the Commercial Sales, Estimating, Technical and Bid teams to qualify opportunities and ensure they are developed into deliverable projects.
The role would particularly suit someone with a background in construction, M&E, building services, infrastructure or another project-led environment.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development & New Business
- Identify and develop new business opportunities across the public and private sectors.
- Research target organisations, estates and markets to identify potential project opportunities.
- Build and maintain relationships with senior decision-makers across estates, property, procurement and operational functions.
- Generate new opportunities through proactive outreach, networking, referrals, events and market intelligence.
- Develop relationships with prospective clients ahead of formal procurement or tender activity.
- Qualify opportunities based on project scope, client requirements, budget, timescales and commercial potential.
- Maintain a structured pipeline of prospects and opportunities through the CRM.
- Develop and manage an individual business development strategy against agreed targets.
Project-Based Sales
- Identify opportunities for construction, refurbishment, M&E, infrastructure and building improvement projects.
- Understand client requirements and identify opportunities where the business can provide a wider project solution.
- Develop opportunities from initial enquiry through to qualified project opportunity.
- Engage clients around project requirements, investment, cost, programme and commercial outcomes.
- Work with estimating, technical and commercial teams to develop appropriate project solutions.
- Support the Commercial Sales Manager through the transition from early-stage opportunity into formal sales and tender activity.
- Ensure all qualified opportunities are handed over with clear client, commercial and project context.
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Public Sector & Frameworks
- Develop relationships with public-sector organisations, including NHS Trusts, local authorities and other public bodies.
- Identify upcoming construction and infrastructure requirements ahead of formal tender activity.
- Monitor frameworks, procurement programmes and other routes to market.
- Develop an understanding of public-sector procurement cycles and decision-making structures.
- Build long-term relationships that generate repeat project opportunities.
Market Development
- Maintain a strong understanding of the construction and infrastructure market.
- Monitor competitor activity, upcoming projects and market opportunities.
- Identify new sectors, clients and routes to market.
- Attend industry events, networking opportunities and client meetings.
- Work with marketing to develop targeted campaigns and sales collateral.
- Feed market and client intelligence back into the wider business to support proposition and growth strategy.
What We're Looking For
- Proven experience in Business Development, New Business, Sales or Commercial within a B2B environment.
- Strong experience selling projects, services or solutions, rather than solely individual products.
- Background in construction, M&E, building services, infrastructure or another project-led environment.
- Proven track record of generating new business and developing a sales pipeline.
- Experience engaging with multiple stakeholders throughout a complex sales process.
- Comfortable discussing project scope, cost, programme and commercial considerations with clients.
- Strong relationship-building and networking skills.
- Commercially aware with an understanding of project value and profitability.
- Structured approach to pipeline management and CRM.
- Self-motivated and capable of generating their own activity and opportunities.
- Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel for client meetings and industry events.
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Desirable Experience
- Experience selling construction, refurbishment, M&E or infrastructure projects.
- Experience working for a main contractor, M&E contractor or specialist construction business.
- Experience selling into the NHS, healthcare or wider public sector.
- Existing relationships with estates, property, procurement or facilities stakeholders.
- Experience with public-sector frameworks and formal procurement processes.
- Knowledge of energy efficiency, decarbonisation or building improvement projects.
- Experience with Solar PV, LED, BMS or other energy-related solutions would be advantageous, but is not essential.
Ideal Background
The ideal candidate will come from a construction-led business and have experience developing opportunities that ultimately become projects. Relevant backgrounds could include:
- Main contractors
- M&E contractors
- Building services
- Infrastructure contractors
- Facilities and estate improvement
- Construction consultancy
- Refurbishment contractors
- Specialist subcontractors
- Energy services/ESCOs
Businesses such as Wates, Morgan Sindall, BAM, Kier, Willmott Dixon, Galliford Try, Mace, McLaren, Bouygues, VINCI, Balfour Beatty, Mitie, NG Bailey, Equans and similar organisations could provide relevant candidates.
Direct renewable energy experience is not required. The priority is someone who understands project-based sales and the construction environment and who can develop relationships and opportunities that ultimately translate into sizeable projects.
Package
- £50,000–£60,000 basic salary, dependent on experience
- £100,000–£120,000 OTE
- Car allowance
- Performance-related bonus
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
- Pension scheme
- Full-time, permanent position
- Genuine progression within a growing project-led business
The Opportunity
This is an opportunity to join a growing business at an exciting stage of its development, with the chance to help shape its construction and project-based growth strategy.
The successful candidate will play a key role in building the pipeline of future projects across the public and private sectors, working alongside commercial, technical and delivery teams to turn client requirements into viable opportunities.
If you're an experienced Business Development professional with a strong construction or project-sales background and are looking for the opportunity to build a significant pipeline within a growing business, we'd be keen to hear from you.
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