What are the responsibilities and job description for the Business Development Manager - Commercial position at Cogent Talent Solutions?
Position Summary
The Commercial Business Development Manager is responsible for driving profitable commercial growth while managing commercial projects from opportunity through closeout. This role owns commercial customer relationships, estimating, proposal follow-up, bid tracking, commercial installation scheduling, project coordination, billing support, closeout documentation, and communication between customers, operations, leadership, and field teams.
The value of this role extends beyond generating sales. Success is measured by ensuring the right projects are sold, scheduled, handed off, completed, billed, and closed out in a way that protects gross margin, cash flow, customer relationships, and crew productivity.
Key Responsibilities
Business Development
- Develop new commercial customers and strengthen existing key accounts.
- Build relationships with builders, contractors, property managers, general contractors, and commercial clients.
- Attend networking, builder, and industry events as needed.
- Maintain a healthy commercial sales pipeline and communicate risks and opportunities proactively.
Estimating, Bids & Proposals
- Prepare commercial estimates, bids, and proposals.
- Review project scope, labor requirements, material needs, pricing, and projected margins before submitting proposals.
- Track open bids and follow up consistently until opportunities are won, lost, or intentionally closed.
- Maintain accurate bid logs, proposal trackers, and sales forecasts.
Scheduling & Project Coordination
- Manage commercial installation scheduling using the company's scheduling software.
- Coordinate scheduling with operations leadership, service management, project supervisors, field crews, and customers.
- Confirm labor, materials, timelines, and customer expectations prior to scheduling work.
- Communicate scheduling updates and changes promptly.
Project Management & Field Support
- Coordinate project handoffs from sales and estimating to operations and field leadership.
- Serve as the primary liaison between customers, project supervisors, and internal teams.
- Help resolve issues involving project scope, materials, scheduling, documentation, and customer expectations.
- Participate in project walkthroughs, punch lists, and closeout meetings as needed.
Billing, Closeout & Documentation
- Coordinate commercial billing support and project closeout documentation.
- Gather and organize billing documentation, customer requirements, closeout packages, and safety documentation.
- Ensure all required project documents are accurate, complete, and submitted on time.
- Work with Accounting and Operations to reduce billing delays and support timely collections.
Gross Margin & Profitability
- Protect gross margin while pursuing profitable growth.
- Review project performance and margin concerns with leadership.
- Identify pricing, labor, material, and scope issues that could impact profitability.
- Participate in post-project reviews when actual results differ from estimates.
\n
Working Expectations
- Prioritize profitability over volume.
- Maintain accurate forecasting and communicate risks early.
- Own customer relationships from initial opportunity through final payment.
- Keep commercial schedules current and visible to stakeholders.
- Ensure smooth project handoffs with complete documentation.
- Follow up on every bid until a final outcome is reached.
- Support timely billing and project closeout to improve cash flow.
- Foster collaborative relationships with project supervisors and operations teams.
Tools & Systems
- Scheduling software
- Customer relationship management (CRM) software
- Proposal and estimating software
- Microsoft Office Suite
- Builder and customer portals
- Commercial bid portals
- Bid logs
- Proposal tracking systems
- Commercial scheduling tools
- Project handoff checklists
- Billing and closeout documentation
- Safety documentation
Qualifications
- Minimum of five years of experience in commercial sales, estimating, project management, construction, or a related field preferred.
- Strong commercial relationship-building, estimating, and negotiation skills.
- Thorough understanding of pricing, gross margin, job costing, and profitability.
- Ability to manage multiple bids, schedules, and projects simultaneously.
- Excellent communication skills with customers, contractors, field personnel, and leadership.
- Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
- Proficiency with scheduling, CRM, estimating, and project documentation software.
- Valid driver's license.