Business Development Director

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Jacobs’ Buildings & Infrastructure (BI) Americas Strategic Pursuit Leaders (SPLs) serve as senior business

leaders accountable for leading opportunity teams through effective strategies in order to win our most

strategic pursuits (designated “Top Prospects”) across the Americas.

SPLs integrate with other sales and operations functions, most prominently with our geographic sales

leadership, subject matter experts, Operations and client-facing staff. SPLs are well versed in the Jacobs

Relationship Based Sales (RBS) process, are strategy experts to position for a win, and have superior

knowledge and experience in understanding client needs. SPLs are supported by proposal development

and creative services professionals from the Top Prospects Sales Operations Team. As an SPL, you’ll work

with opportunity teams to maximize our client relationships, our presence in the local market, and our

local, regional and global service offerings to develop and implement effective win strategies.

Your focus spans the pursuit lifecycle with a focus on leveraging account relationships for positioning on

specific pursuits and improving deliverables for any type of opportunity being pursued within our BI

Americas business. You can expect to lead multiple pursuits concurrently depending on sales phase,

available resources, and timing. Your clients may be private or public, including local municipalities,

special districts, or state-wide entities. You also may be asked to engage in strategic market development

in specific locations, or stewardship of regional initiatives. A common thread you can expect is the

meaningful nature of these pursuits and related work, the need for strong, insightful leadership, and the

need for a collaborative work approach that aligns with Jacobs Core Values and current corporate strategy.

As part of that collaborative approach, you coach and mentor the sales staff you work with to raise the

sales acumen within our organization.

This position requires you to lean on your advanced knowledge of professional service selling strategies,

as well as multiple subject areas or disciplines and to integrate your understanding of business/industry

trends and regional political landscapes. You are accountable for providing sound guidance to your team

and to the client-focused sales leadership. Ideally, you leverage your industry relationships to identify and

negotiate with potential teaming partners, and/or also engage directly with our clients. You apply

solutions-based positioning and persuasion strategies; lead periodic reviews of win strategies and end

game readiness (via teams of independent reviewers), Go/No-Go (GNG) and Bid/No-Bid (BNB) decisions

and pursuit budget development and management. You are also accountable for internal system data

integrity, reflecting the progress being made within the opportunity positioning, and the advancement of

win strategies. Because of the multi-faceted requirements of this role, you leverage your highly-developed

written and oral communication capabilities, as well as your finely-honed approach to organization and

work management.

It is critical in this role to embrace our foundational core value of living inclusion every day and enabling

innovative solutions through diversity of thought For Jacobs, this means creating a culture of belonging

where we all thrive by embracing all perspectives. At Jacobs, we’re partnering across the globe to create

the best project outcomes by maximizing the design, digital technology, and support capabilities of our

Global Integrated Delivery (GID) teammates.

The Strategic Pursuit Leader role is conducted through influence and authority, endorsed by BI Americas

executive Sales and Operations leadership. SPLs are required to collaborate with multiple internal

stakeholders—including the teammates listed below—to lead effective sales and business development

strategy throughout the sales lifecycle [Opening, Middle, and End Games (OG, MG, EG)].

• Top Prospects Sales Operations Senior Manager (SM) SPLs reports directly to the Top Prospects Sales Operations Senior Manager. SPLs communicate opportunity details (such as schedule, level of effort, etc.) and to request sales operations resources during MG and EG which include a Top Prospects senior proposal manager and a graphic designer, and may include a coordinator, visual media artist, writer/editor, document publisher, etc. SPLs partner closely with an assigned proposal manager to assure our account strategies, win themes, and differentiators are featured effectively within the proposal. SPLs are expected to provide on-the-job mentoring and coaching to less experienced staff as appropriate. The SM and the SPL work together to develop and charter pursuit teams that align to the unique needs of each opportunity
• Client Account Manager (CAM) The CAM and the SPL partnership is intended to facilitate the effective development of a tailored strategy to win Top Prospects. The SPL works closely with the CAM to define a pursuit and/or to lead a defined pursuit through MG and EG. While the SPL leads a Top Prospect as the designated sales leader and single point of accountability, the SPL leverages the insight the CAM brings through client and industry relationships to assure a multi-dimensional strategy specifically customized to the local geography
• Executive Director of Sales (EDS) The SPL collaborates with the EDS to appraise the EDS on the Top Prospect strategy and potential concerns. The SPL coordinates with the EDS on funding and resources throughout the pursuit lifecycle. The EDS also supports the SPL through engagement with their Operations partner to leverage the delivery team required to win
• Account Team SPLs gain a thorough understanding of overall account plans, then develop robust account “zippering” that include Operations staff, Market and Market Solutions leaders, and other resources related to the assigned Top Prospect. The SPL promotes an environment of collaboration and alignment around the win strategy, and coach Account Team members, CAMs, and client-facing staff on how to best solicit, capture, and communicate intelligence from the client
• Market Solutions The SPL works with designated regional or geographic Market Solutions leadership to engage the technologists necessary to innovate, differentiate, and support pursuit strategy. The Market Solutions partnership is intended to commence early in MG Explore and continue throughout the pursuit lifecycle
• SEI Leadership The SPL partners with the designated regional Social Value & Equity (SVE) lead to develop and implement a focused strategies that may be compelling to the client and the local market
• Social Media Leadership The SPL partners as needed with our national marketing and communications team to develop a Social Media strategy specific to the requirements of the Top Prospect

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Be creative and aggressive in establishing a nimble sales strategy, in partnership with the opportunity pursuit and account team
• Carry a robust portfolio of Top Prospects. The exact number of pursuits in this portfolio (and actual amount of gross margin) will depend on individual pursuit complexity, demand, timing, and SPL experience level
• Achieve a competitive win rate of 70% or greater within their portfolio
• Expected to be capable of leading an opportunity within any of our designated markets
• Fully align with Jacobs Core Values and act as an inclusive leader
• Possess full awareness of the global capabilities, strategies, and objectives of Jacobs
• Be fluent in and apply Jacobs Relationship Based Sales (RBS) philosophy and employ best practices

across the sales lifecycle

• Be a capable and compliant user of Client Success Platform (CSP) powered by Salesforce
• Champion and adhere to Jacobs branding and editing standards, data management best practices,

sales and proposal process, as well as other standard tools and processes

• Follow Jacobs health/safety and ethical policies, procedures, and guidelines

Other Job Specifications & Expectations

• Understand opportunity background, client funding, drivers, stakeholders, decision-makers, selection process, incumbents, and competition; analyze for potential gaps
• Perform opportunity research and assemble relevant reference materials to include past Jacobs and competitor proposals, key team member resumes, relevant project descriptions
• Act as challenger or healthy skeptic during GNG, BNB,and other opportunity related meetings
• Lead win plan development to include regular strategy meetings, gap analyses, SWOT, competitor analyses, technical strategy development, decision-maker outreach plan, challenge team sessions, storyboarding, and draft content development
• Identify, mobilize, charter pursuit team based on the specific attributes of the local Sales team and the needs of the pursuit; schedule/lead Opportunity Charter/Kickoff
• While an emphasis should always be on Jacobs self-performance when feasible, facilitate strategic teaming discussions and help identify required partners; including small/disadvantaged/minority businesses
• Gain understanding of delivery risks, client contractual issues, and other legal ramifications
• Identify and confirm subconsultants,
• Leverage the breadth and depth of talent and expertise of our global organization by reaching across regions and business units to identify and import key talent, knowledge, and lessons learned, Proposal and Presentation Development (End Game)
• Work closely with the Top Prospects Senior Proposal Manager assigned to kickoff/charter the EG team to ensure win plan messages are clearly articulated and incorporated
• Provide strategic direction and oversight to proposal manager and proposal team throughout EG to ensure that key messages presented to client during MG are clearly delineated in proposal
• May serve as a section lead, take writing assignments, and/or support storyboarding as agreed with proposal manager
• Participate in color reviews to help to refine sales messages and value propositions as the client advocate; validate what we pre-sold in MG
• Confirm responsiveness to requirements and proposal is made easy for reviewers to score
• Ensure a quality product that validates the client’s decision to select us
• Support or lead presentation development, including coaching interview teams
• Assist with development and vision for collateral material to support interview

Here's what you'll need

• Bachelor’s Degree, Business Associate Degree, or equivalent experience within the AEC (Architecture, Engineering, Construction) Industry, including direct involvement in professional services sales
• In the past have demonstrated business acumen, applied sales strategy development throughout the pursuit lifecycle, intuitive and creative thinking, critical and risk-based reasoning, and persuasive communication
• Demonstrated ability to manage complex procurement processes from positioning through deliverable development, including focused writing as well as overall team leadership
• Ability to work with diverse sales and operations teams to understand client needs, challenges, and drivers; the competitive landscape; partnering needs and opportunities; political and other outside influences; and our key differentiators
• Demonstrated ability to lead storyboarding, presentation and interview preparation
• Demonstrated ability to coach and mentor other staff
• Demonstrated ability to build teams and hold difficult conversations working through conflict and differences of opinion
• Possess knowledge of clients, competitors, contracting mechanisms, industry trends, and sales processes
• Ability to interview/work with subject matter experts and professionals to create compelling content and client responses
• Ability to garner resources, manage remote team members, and prioritize and manage budgets and schedules
• Willingness to travel extensively when required, and sometimes with short notice
• Adept at recognizing, understanding, and planning around sensitive communities, cultures, stakeholder and political issues
• Be an exceptional facilitator, communicator, critical thinker, and strategic writer; recognize the importance of diverse teams and excel in leading them; approach problem-solving with the intent to find mutually beneficial solutions
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced and high-pressure environment
• Be a great team player, with a collaborative mind set and interpersonal skills aligned with our company values
• Ability to develop, nurture, and maintain relationships at all levels of the company
• Business acumen to help differentiate when and how to prioritize strategic decisions based on financial goals
• Demonstrated ability to translate complex concepts in easy-to-read and compelling text and graphic concepts
• Desire to be an integral part of creating change by embracing our industry leading company culture that is focused on inclusion, belonging, as well as sustainability

Ideally, here’s what you’ll also have

• A team-oriented focus with a desire to do good work, enjoy the process, and participate as a vital member of the National Strategic Pursuit Leader Team
• A strategic thinker, team builder, collaborative disrupter, healthy skeptic, and people leader
• At least 10 years of relevant experience within the architectural, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry
• Experience working with public sector clients
• Proficiency in using Salesforce for account planning and opportunity management
• Active external/industry engagement

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.