BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT LEAD

Structural Engineering | Twin Cities, MN | Hybrid

My client is an established, 100% employee-owned structural engineering consultancy serving architects, developers, contractors, fabricators, and building owners across the Upper Midwest and nationally. The firm works across commercial, housing, hospitality, industrial, educational, and institutional markets.

Due to continued growth, they are seeking a Business Development Lead to strengthen existing relationships, build new partnerships, and help shape the firm's long-term growth strategy.

This is a relationship-led position for someone who understands the architecture, engineering, and construction industry and can connect prospective clients with the firm's technical expertise. The successful candidate will work closely with senior leadership, engineering teams, and marketing to identify opportunities and convert relationships into sustainable project work.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a business development strategy aligned with the firm's growth objectives.
• Build and maintain relationships with architects, developers, contractors, owners, fabricators, and other industry partners.
• Strengthen existing client accounts while identifying opportunities to expand the firm's services and geographic reach.
• Identify and pursue project opportunities across housing, commercial, hospitality, industrial, educational, and institutional markets.
• Research regional market activity, upcoming developments, funding trends, and competitor positioning.
• Develop account plans for priority clients and strategic prospects.
• Maintain an active pipeline and accurately track relationships, opportunities, and follow-up activity within the CRM.
• Coordinate introductions and meetings between prospective clients and the firm's technical leadership.
• Collaborate with engineers, project managers, and marketing teams on proposals, presentations, qualifications packages, and interview preparation.
• Support go/no-go decisions by evaluating client fit, opportunity quality, competition, capacity, and commercial potential.
• Represent the firm at conferences, industry associations, networking events, client meetings, and community functions.
• Organize client presentations, lunch-and-learns, and other relationship-building activities.
• Gather client feedback and market intelligence to help improve service delivery and inform business decisions.
• Provide regular updates on pipeline activity, key relationships, market opportunities, and progress against growth objectives.
• Support a smooth handover from business development into project delivery, helping maintain strong client relationships after work is secured.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, Communications, Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related field.
• 5+ years of business development, client development, sales, marketing, or relationship management experience, ideally within structural engineering, architecture, construction, real estate development, or professional services.
• Strong understanding of the architecture, engineering, and construction industry.
• Existing relationships within the Minnesota, North Dakota, Wisconsin, or wider Upper Midwest AEC market would be highly beneficial.
• Demonstrated ability to develop relationships and generate new business opportunities.
• Strong communication, presentation, networking, and interpersonal skills.
• Comfortable engaging with architects, developers, contractors, owners, engineers, and senior decision-makers.
• Experience contributing to proposals, presentations, account planning, or pursuit strategies.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple relationships and opportunities simultaneously.
• Experience using CRM platforms to track pipeline activity and client engagement.
• Collaborative approach and the ability to work closely with technical professionals.
• Willingness to travel throughout the region for client meetings and industry events.
• A P.E. licence is not required, although experience working alongside structural engineers would be valuable.

Benefits & Why Join?

• Competitive base salary, dependent on experience.
• Performance-based bonus opportunity.
• 100% employee-owned business with an Employee Stock Ownership Plan
• Opportunity to shape the firm's business development strategy and future growth.
• Established technical reputation and portfolio across multiple market sectors.
• Access to an existing network of architects, developers, contractors, owners, and industry partners.
• Direct collaboration with senior leadership and technical team leads.
• Opportunity to build upon the firm's presence across Minnesota and the wider Upper Midwest.
• Professional development and structured leadership training.
• Hybrid working options with regional travel.
• Stable, people-focused culture that prioritizes professional growth, flexibility, and work-life integration.
• Long-term progression into broader strategic, commercial, or executive leadership.