Business Development Manager

About the role

SOCOTEC, a provider of niche consulting services for architecture, engineering, and construction industries, is seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to lead growth and expansion into new Mid‑Atlantic markets. The role involves creating and building client relationships, sponsoring interactions to win project work, and supporting outreach, relationship management, and opportunity identification across all service lines, including building and transportation infrastructure, structural/civil, geotechnical, environmental, surveying, and construction inspection services. The Business Development Manager reports directly to the President and participates on the Management Team.

Key Responsibilities

• Perform market research, in collaboration with the Marketing Manager, other Management team members, and senior technical staff, to identify opportunities, prospective clients, and conduct outreach activities.
• Develop a strategic business development plan to facilitate revenue growth for PA, DE, MD, Northern VA, and the DC Metro territory.
• Establish, strengthen, and maintain executive‑level relationships with key decision‑makers, project managers, procurement personnel, public agencies, and private‑sector stakeholders.
• Collaborate with sales team members, senior leaders, and functional groups to develop account outreach plans and define roles, responsibilities, and service offerings.
• Develop and maintain relationships with PennDOT, DelDOT, MDOT, DDOT, VDOT, local municipalities, transit agencies, public utilities, private developers, contractors, and other key infrastructure stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain a qualified sales pipeline and annual revenue forecast, supporting achievement of annual sales and revenue growth targets.
• Identify strategic pursuits and coordinate go/no‑go decisions with technical leadership.
• Communicate outcomes of client outreach campaigns to internal groups, conveying expectations, critical timeframes, and lessons learned.
• Identify and attend relevant industry networking events with senior technical staff, obtaining prior leadership approval.
• Assist senior technical leaders and the Marketing Manager in developing presentation and marketing materials to support client outreach.
• Engage with in‑house marketing staff as needed for materials support.
• Collaborate with technical teams to develop capture strategies, qualification packages, proposals, interviews, and presentations for strategic pursuits.
• Coordinate opportunity tracking from lead generation through contract award.
• Assist in developing technical and price proposal templates using standard models, following the proposal approval cadence.
• Track and report on the status of all opportunities and outreach programs, maintaining updated details in an agreed‑upon system.
• Conduct regular client visits, SOCOTEC project site visits, and networking activities throughout the territory while adhering to site safety requirements.
• Maintain continuing education on construction and design markets, SOCOTEC service lines, and employee specialties.
• Perform bi‑weekly 1‑on‑1s with the technical team to review opportunities, market trends, ongoing projects, and client relationships; attend weekly Marketing and Management team meetings.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Environmental Science, or a related field (preferred).
• 10+ years of experience in Business Development, Sales, or Account Management.
• Proven experience developing relationships with public‑ and private‑sector clients in engineering, architecture, environmental, transportation, construction management, or infrastructure industries.
• Experience working with public agencies, municipalities, departments of transportation, transit agencies, utilities, and private development clients (highly desirable).
• Established professional network within engineering, construction, transportation, municipal, development, and/or infrastructure sectors in the Mid‑Atlantic region (strongly preferred).
• Excellent written and verbal communication/presentation skills and strong organizational abilities.
• Knowledge of project structure in a construction/consultant business environment.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint.
• Detail‑oriented, highly motivated self‑starter; ability to work under deadlines and adapt to changing priorities.
• Ability to work independently, take initiative, set priorities, and see projects through to completion.
• Prior experience with a CRM tool (Deltek VantagePoint or Vision) is a plus.
• Experience in engineering, design, construction, infrastructure, environmental, or development industry (preferred).
• Success will be measured through client engagement activity, opportunity creation, proposal participation, revenue growth, and strategic account development.
• Willingness to travel within the territory up to 50% of the time, approximately 2‑3 overnight stays per month, and a minimum of 2 days in the office per week.
• Valid Pennsylvania Driver’s License.

Physical Demands & Travel

• Standard workday of 8‑12 hours; ability to sit/stand up to 8 hours, walk up to 4 hours, and undertake round‑trip travel up to 6 hours.
• Physical actions may include using hands, arms, bending, squatting, reaching; lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 pounds.
• Travel within the territory up to 50% of time, with approximately 2‑3 overnight stays per month.

Benefits

• Competitive salary commensurate with experience.
• Business Development leadership role within a growing and expanding organization.
• Opportunity to help build and expand a regional practice.
• Collaborative, multidisciplinary work environment.
• Professional growth and long‑term career advancement.