Business Development Manager

On Behalf of our Client - The Schaaf Group is proud to represent:

Construction Business Development Manager

The best commercial construction opportunities are often identified long before they ever hit the bid list. We are looking for a relationship-driven Business Development Manager who understands the commercial construction world and knows how to uncover opportunities early by building trust with owners, developers, architects, brokers, property managers, and other key referral sources. This role requires someone who can represent this companies 45 years of success, with matched credibility, the passion to stay connected to the market, ability to develop strong client relationships, and enjoys the thrill of turning early conversations into qualified project opportunities. If you have the construction background, business development mindset, and relationship skills to create real momentum, this is a “once in your career” opportunity to explore.

This opportunity offers a career that is steeped full of longevity, flexibility, craftsmanship you can be proud to be say you were part of bringing to a physical reality and people who have a work hard, play hard culture with balance to allow for attending your families various events (sports, school activities, vacations, etc.).

The Construction Business Development Manager will help this company expand its market presence, deepen existing relationships, and create a disciplined pipeline of profitable commercial construction opportunities. This role is equal parts relationship builder, market strategist, opportunity creator, and internal connector. The right person will know how to earn trust in the field, identify where the market is moving, align prospects with the companies’ capabilities, and move qualified opportunities into estimating, preconstruction, and operations with clarity and momentum.

This is a key role that requires credibility, construction fluency, follow-through, and the executive presence to represent a respected family business in a competitive relationship-driven market.

Position Purpose

The purpose of this role is to build and manage a high-quality business development engine that supports sustainable growth. The Construction Business Development Manager will identify target markets, nurture strategic relationships, lead early-stage opportunity development, support proposal strategy, and maintain visibility into the pipeline so leadership can make informed decisions about growth, capacity, and project fit.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a practical business development plan aligned with company growth goals, target markets, delivery strengths, and desired project profile.
• Build, maintain, and expand relationships with owners, developers, brokers, architects, engineers, consultants, subcontractors, community partners, and other market influencers.
• Identify and qualify new project opportunities, including repeat-client work, negotiated opportunities, select bid opportunities, and referral-based leads.
• Serve as a key connector between business development, leadership, estimating, preconstruction, project management, and marketing to ensure opportunities are properly vetted, positioned, and pursued.
• Maintain a clear, current opportunity pipeline, including contact history, next steps, proposal status, probability, projected value, market segment, and timing.
• Research market conditions, competitors, owner activity, development trends, and regional construction demand to help leadership focus resources on the highest-value opportunities.
• Coordinate proposal, qualification, and interview strategy in partnership with internal teams, ensuring each pursuit reflects the company capabilities, values, and differentiators.
• Represent the company at industry associations, networking events, client meetings, community engagements, and targeted market events that create meaningful business visibility.
• Support the development of marketing collateral, project stories, client presentations, and relationship-building materials that communicate the companies experience and value clearly.
• Facilitate early conversations around project scope, schedule, delivery expectations, budget sensitivity, decision process, and relationship dynamics before opportunities are handed off for estimating or execution.
• Provide regular updates to leadership on pipeline movement, client feedback, market intelligence, pursuit priorities, and risks to revenue goals.
• Model relationship-first culture through professionalism, responsiveness, integrity, accountability, and consistent follow-through.

What Success Looks Like

• A stronger and more visible company presence in the regional commercial construction market.
• A qualified pipeline that is not just busy, but bankable - aligned with the company’s capabilities, profitability goals, and operational capacity.
• Deeper relationships with existing clients and a growing bench of new decision-makers who trust this company before an RFP ever lands.
• Cleaner handoffs between relationship development, estimating, preconstruction, and project delivery.
• Leadership has better visibility into market activity, opportunity quality, pursuit priorities, and future revenue potential.

Required Qualifications

• Seven or more years of business development, sales, client relationship, or preconstruction, in commercial construction, real estate development, architecture, and engineering.
• Established relationships in the Puget Sound or broader Pacific Northwest commercial construction market.
• Exposure to general contracting, negotiated work, tenant improvements, commercial buildings, industrial/light industrial, public/private work, or other relevant building segments.
• Demonstrated ability to build trust-based relationships with owners, developers, design partners, subcontractors, consultants, and decision-makers.
• Working knowledge of commercial construction processes, project lifecycles, delivery methods, estimating/preconstruction flow, and how projects move from concept to contract.
• Strong local or regional market awareness, with the ability to identify opportunity signals before competitors are fully engaged.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to prepare concise updates, support proposals, participate in presentations, and communicate across internal and external stakeholders.
• Comfort using Microsoft Office and CRM, pipeline, proposal, or project management tools to track opportunities and manage follow-through.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel locally or regionally for client meetings, industry events, and jobsite or office visits.
• High personal accountability, strong organizational discipline, sound judgment, and the maturity to represent a respected family business in the market.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business, marketing, construction management, engineering, communications, or a related field; equivalent experience will also be considered.
• Experience supporting RFP/RFQ responses, interview preparation, client presentations, or strategic pursuit planning.
• Experience using CRM systems to manage contacts, opportunity stages, activity tracking, forecasting, and reporting.

Leadership and Culture Fit

• Relationship-driven: earns trust through credibility, consistency, listening, and follow-through.
• Strategic and practical: understands that growth must be profitable, operationally realistic, and aligned with company values.
• Construction-fluent: can hold a competent conversation with clients, estimators, project managers, and trade partners without overpromising.
• Humble but confident: comfortable representing the company externally while partnering internally.
• Values-aligned: respects the legacy, reputation, and family-run culture that this company has built over decades.

Key Working Relationships

• Executive leadership and ownership
• Estimating and preconstruction
• Project management and field operations
• Marketing and proposal support
• Owners, developers, architects, engineers, consultants, brokers, subcontractors, and community or industry partners

Candidate Profile

The strongest candidate will bring a builder’s mindset and a business developer’s discipline. They will understand that the job is not simply to “sell construction,” but to create durable relationships, identify the right work, protect the company’s reputation, and help grow with intention. They should be comfortable initiating conversations, asking smart questions, reading the room, and turning market activity into organized, actionable business opportunities.