Business Development Director/VP
AEC | Design/Build
Location: Houston, TX preferred
Compensation: $150,000 - $250,000 base salary plus performance bonus
Variable Compensation: Tied to bookings, with flexible structure
Reports To: CEO
About the Role
A growing architecture, engineering, and construction firm is seeking a Business Development Director to build and lead its business development function.
This individual will be responsible for driving revenue growth, developing client relationships, identifying new market opportunities, and building a strong pipeline of qualified projects. This role is focused on private-sector, relationship-driven business development. The ideal candidate will be a known and respected market player with established relationships across owners, developers, institutional clients, architects, general contractors, and other decision makers in the AEC/development ecosystem.
This is not a proposal management or public-bid support role. It is a market-facing growth position for a proven rainmaker who can create opportunities, open doors, and convert relationships into meaningful project wins.
Key Responsibilities
Business Growth and Pipeline Development
- Identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities within the AEC and construction markets
- Build, manage, and maintain a robust sales pipeline
- Develop and execute go-to-market strategies aligned with company growth objectives
- Evaluate the current CRM system, recommend the optimal platform, and support implementation
Client Relationships and Networking
- Build and maintain strong relationships with developers, capital partners, brokers, architects, and other key industry stakeholders
- Expand relationships with existing clients while developing new client channels
- Represent the company at industry events, networking forums, and market-facing opportunities
- Serve as a credible and professional external representative of the organization
Sales and Deal Execution
- Lead proposals, presentations, client pitches, and business development meetings
- Manage contract negotiations and support the closing process
- Drive opportunities from initial contact through signed agreement
- Partner with internal teams to ensure client needs, project scope, and delivery expectations are clearly aligned
Market Strategy and Positioning
- Identify new markets, service opportunities, and expansion strategies
- Analyze industry trends, client needs, and competitive positioning
- Develop targeted client acquisition strategies to support long-term growth
- Provide insight to leadership on market activity, opportunity quality, and revenue potential
Internal Collaboration
- Partner closely with executive leadership, design teams, and construction teams
- Align business development strategy with broader company goals
- Support marketing, branding, and market-positioning initiatives
- Help establish scalable business development processes, tools, and reporting practices
Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience in AEC, construction, engineering, design-build, or commercial real estate development, with demonstrated success in business development and client acquisition.
- Strong private-sector network with owners, developers, institutional clients, architects, and general contractors.
- Proven ability to quantify personal revenue impact, including major project wins influenced or secured within the last 24 months.
- Experience with commercial development and multifamily projects required; data center experience highly preferred.
- Strong presentation, negotiation, communication, and relationship-management skills.
- Experience evaluating or implementing CRM systems is a plus.
- Active industry presence through associations, conferences, networking groups, or market-facing leadership opportunities.
What We're Looking For
- Known market player with a strong industry reputation and personally owned relationships.
- True rainmaker who can open doors, create opportunities, and influence project awards.
- Strong private-sector orientation, with limited reliance on public-sector bidding or procurement-driven pursuits.
- Hunter mentality with the ability to identify, pursue, and win new business
- Highly autonomous, self-driven, and comfortable building a function from the ground up
- Strategic thinker with strong execution discipline
- Executive presence and credibility with owners, developers, institutional clients, and senior stakeholders.
- Collaborative approach with the ability to work effectively across leadership, design, and construction teams.
Why This Role
- Opportunity to build and shape the business development function from the ground up
- Direct access to executive leadership
- High-impact role with meaningful influence on company growth
- Strong earning potential tied to performance
- Ability to expand market presence and help drive the next stage of growth for a growing AEC firm