Business Development Manager - Highways Maintenance (Nationwide, Hybrid)
Drive nationwide growth and make your mark
You will step into a Business Development Manager role where you're trusted to shape the national sales strategy, open new routes to market and directly influence a £15m+ growth plan. You'll enjoy a competitive salary, bonus, company car and the flexibility of hybrid working, while owning high-value relationships across the highways maintenance sector.
Who you'll be joining
You'll be joining a well-established, nationwide highways maintenance contractor working across both public and private sectors. The business delivers:
·Conventional highways maintenance - surfacing, patching and minor civils
·Safety defect repairs and pre-patching works
·Footway and footpath schemes, minor civils and small surfacing schemes
·Specialist spray injection patching services
·Thermal patching solutions
·Porous, low-impact footpath surfacing suitable for active travel routes and off-highway use
You'll work closely with an experienced Operations Director and Managing Director who are committed to innovation, sustainable growth and long-term client partnerships, giving you the backing and support to deliver ambitious results.
What you'll be doing
As Business Development Manager, you will take ownership of driving profitable growth across a diverse highways portfolio, with a key focus on new relationships and frameworks. In this role you will:
·Lead the strategy to grow the contracting business from its current level towards a £15m+ target
·Develop new relationships on term maintenance contracts (TMCs) and with direct clients to deliver c. £3m+ per year of new highways maintenance revenue
·Target safety defects, pre-patching, footway schemes, minor civils, small surfacing and associated works with local authorities and major contractors
·Grow spray injection patching revenues by £500k-£1m per year by winning work with local authorities and Tier 1 contractors where the business currently has limited or no presence
·Do the same for thermal patching - identifying, bidding and securing new opportunities worth £500k-£1m per year
·Build a predictable pipeline of porous / low-impact footpath surfacing schemes (e.g. off-highway footpaths, bridleways, PROWs and active travel routes) towards a £1m per year target
·Lead the full business development lifecycle - from market mapping, lead generation and networking, through to bid support, negotiation and closing
·Work hand-in-hand with operations to ensure tenders are deliverable, commercially sound and aligned with wider business objectives
·Monitor performance against agreed targets and KPIs, reporting regularly to the Operations Director and Managing Director
·Represent the company at client meetings, industry events and networking opportunities to raise profile and uncover new workstreams
What you'll bring
To succeed in this Business Development Manager position, you will need:
·Proven business development or sales leadership experience in the highways sector (maintenance, surfacing, term maintenance, minor civils or similar)
·A strong track record of winning work with local authorities, Tier 1 contractors and/or on highways maintenance frameworks
·Commercial awareness and confidence in negotiating profitable contracts and frameworks
·Understanding of highways maintenance activities such as surfacing, patching, safety defects, minor civils and specialist repair techniques
·Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to operate credibly with clients at all levels
·A proactive, results-driven approach with the resilience to work towards stretching revenue targets
·Strong communication, presentation and report-writing skills
·Willingness to travel nationwide to meet clients and visit sites as required
Pay, bonus and benefits
In return for your skills and experience, you will receive:
·Salary in the region of £50,000-£60,000 per annum, depending on experience
·Performance-related bonus linked to clear growth and revenue objectives
·Company car (or car allowance, depending on package) suitable for regular nationwide travel
·Hybrid working arrangement combining home, site/client visits and time in the head office
·A comprehensive benefits package, including pension and holiday entitlement
·The tools, backing and autonomy you need to deliver results and grow your career
Where and how you'll work, and how you can develop
You will be contracted on a permanent, hybrid basis. The role is:
·Nationwide, with regular travel to meet clients and visit schemes
·Linked to a head office in Rugby, where you'll collaborate with senior leadership and operations
·Hybrid, giving you flexibility to balance office, home and field-based work in line with business needs
As the business grows, you'll have the opportunity to:
·Play a central role in shaping sales strategy across multiple product and service lines
·Develop towards more senior commercial or strategic positions, such as Head of Business Development or senior leadership roles
·Build a national profile within the highways, term maintenance and local authority markets