Pre-Contracts Manager

Our client is one of the main civil engineering and infrastructure contractors and has a new job opportunity for a Pre-Contracts Manager to join their team in the Midlands  

The purpose of this role is to work with the Business Development Director, Regional Directors and Managers and other members of the operational and business development team in the generation and management of a sustainable pipeline of work that reflects the current and anticipated business strategy and regional business plans. This will be achieved through working with the market research team and interpreting their data and following through with client engagement and relationship management, key account management, engagement with key stakeholders and potential partner organisations with subsequent action plans to convert opportunities into tenders for the proposals team. The business development manager will expand on their existing network of contacts to sustainably grow the business in line with sector/geographical targets.  

Key responsibilities for this role include:  

Business Development Planning  

• Develop and lead sector and client business and marketing plans with a typical horizon of 1 to 5 years  

• Adjudicate the inclusion of new opportunities in the Win Work pipeline  

• Analyse the customer base across the business to establish a common approach to retention and growth  

• Enhance regional and operational staff business development capabilities and work with them to achieve their winning works targets  

Business Intelligence  

• Working with the research team, develop and manage an up-to-date understanding of the macroeconomic environment over the agreed plan period, using the information to consider the implications for existing and new sectors  

• Develop an understanding of relevant sectors and how they are likely to respond  

• Undertake key research to understand the Business and project drivers of sectors, customers, and potential opportunities  

Client Relationships  

• Build on an already established network of contacts across their four target sectors to bring opportunities into the business that can be converted to tenders  

• Be able to both take the lead on client relationships, but equally introduce to regional teams and ensure a robust client relationships management strategy/delivery  

• Engage with sectors and customers to anticipate potential business opportunities and implement actions that will position our client with a differentiated advantage  

• Ensure effective management, completion, and follow-up of customer satisfaction surveys  

• Prepare programmes of external communication, customer engagement and brand promotion that will contribute to the achievement of business objectives  

Key Networking/Events  

• Organise and represent our client at key networking events to raise the company profile  

• Facilitate client targets dinners (Industry or business lead) to bring together the regional/operational team with their target client organisations to nurture client relationships and translate into real opportunities  

Key Measures & Targets include:  

• Market intelligence reports to be updated with the research team to track targets  

• Client engagement numbers against opportunities converted  

• New clients introduced to the business  

• Customer Satisfaction undertaken and feedback to be reported monthly to the Business Development Director

• Experience in building commercial relationships to help deliver improved service and innovation to the customer  

• Existing network of contacts within our clients sectors (water, transport, energy and built environment) across the Southern half of the UK (London/Southeast, Central England, and Midlands) geography  

• Detailed knowledge of marketing and business development (strategic and tactical)  

• Strong verbal and written communication skills  

• Ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines  

• Ability to seek and develop new relationships to achieve strategic business objectives  

• Ability to convert client relationships into opportunities for the business  

• Create a culture of constructive and effective communication  

• Communicate with authority and conviction in all situations with all levels of staff/client organisations  

• Ability to contribute to the development of strategy and take responsibility for delivering strategic objectives  

• Recognise changing market forces that may impact upon own or customers’ business and puts plans into action to make a positive contribution  

• Ability to work effectively as a member of different teams both internally and externally