Business Development Manager – AEC Markets

Progressive Companies•Durham, NC

2d•Hybrid

About The Position

As a Business Development Manager, you will help grow Progressive Companies’ presence across key Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) markets by building relationships, identifying early-stage opportunities, and positioning the firm for future work. You will partner with practice leaders and marketing teams to develop strategic pipelines and strengthen relationships with owners, developers, and institutional clients. In this role, you will build the systems, insights, and market connections that enable our teams to win meaningful projects and long-term client partnerships. People Matter Each individual’s background, knowledge, ability, and experience contributes to strengthening our organization and projects. Our dedication to diversity includes company provided training and education, equitable recruitment, a grassroots employee DEI committee, and robust community partnerships. Progressive Companies is comprised of people with a variety of abilities, races, colors, religions, genders, sexual orientations, national origins, ages, veteran statuses, and more. As an equal opportunity employer, we believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential elements of innovative design. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions. Transforming Spaces. Empowering People. The talented professionals of Progressive Companies are designers of a bold new future, creating high-performance structures and pathways, delivering on today’s needs and preparing for what’s to come. We live by the idea that design isn’t simply about beauty, it’s about improving strategic outcomes—what we call Performance Based Design. Our work spans across the nation, allowing team members to work on a variety of exciting projects and maximize impact as trusted partners to our clients and communities. Sustainable and Inclusive We are dedicated to human-centered, sustainable, and inclusive design practices. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to building trust, respect, and truly innovative design making spaces welcoming and accessible to all. Our sustainability approach embraces the AIA 2030 Commitment, together with a range of high performance, restorative, and regenerative strategies with a focus on climate responsive results to maximize positive impact in our industry. Employee Owned We act like owners—because we are. From modest beginnings of four original engineering partners in 1962, to almost 300 architects, engineers, designers, and consultants across multiple regional offices today, the energy, resourcefulness, and entrepreneurial mindset you expect from a CEO come standard with every team member. Culture of Excellence The firm is continually ranked as one of the Best and Brightest Companies to Work For in the Nation®, with comprehensive benefits including an award-winning wellness program, hybrid work schedule, summer hours, profit-sharing, and employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). We take our work seriously, but have fun along the way, which fuels the creative spirit and supports a focus on work and life integration. Progressive Companies is committed to development and growth of team members through continuing education, mentorship, growth opportunities, and more. We are dedicated to giving back to our communities, with paid service-learning hours available to every employee and corporate sponsorship for a wide range of community organizations and activities.

Requirements

8–10+ years of business development experience in architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), or related professional services.
Bachelor’s degree required.
Demonstrated success building long-term pipelines, developing client relationships, and supporting strategic growth initiatives.
Experience implementing and managing CRM systems (HubSpot or similar) to track opportunities and relationships.
Strong strategic thinking, communication, and relationship-building skills with the ability to influence technical professionals and leadership teams.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with North Carolina development markets and active participation in relevant industry networks preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and maintain a multi-year opportunity pipeline by identifying early-stage project opportunities and strategic target accounts across national practices and the North Carolina region.
Develop scalable business development systems including account planning frameworks, relationship mapping, prospecting workflows, and pursuit readiness strategies.
Cultivate relationships with owners, developers, institutional clients, and industry partners to strengthen market presence and position the firm early in project development cycles.
Partner with practice leaders and marketing teams to align market intelligence, messaging, and pursuit strategies with firmwide growth objectives.
Lead CRM adoption and data insights to improve opportunity tracking, relationship coverage, and pipeline visibility across the firm.

Benefits

award-winning wellness program
hybrid work schedule
summer hours
profit-sharing
employee stock ownership plan (ESOP)
continuing education
mentorship
growth opportunities
paid service-learning hours
corporate sponsorship for a wide range of community organizations and activities