Business Development Role

Description

The Business Development Role develops the markets and relationships that create CP’s future opportunities. The role builds credible market presence, creates shared value in relationships, gathers meaningful business intelligence, and advances developing leads until enough information exists for a productive scope conversation with a Business Unit Director. 

The Business Development Role does not independently make technical commitments, define final scope, price services, or close work. The Manager partners with Business Unit Directors, Principals, and technical leaders to convert relationship access and lead intelligence into qualified opportunities that CP can pursue and deliver successfully. 

Role Orientation 

• Operates at the strategic level within an assigned geography, market, or relationship portfolio. 
• Independently develops relationships and produces measurable lead-development outcomes. 
• Serves as CP’s market-facing eyes and ears, returning useful client, competitor, partner, and industry insight to the firm. 
• Uses CRM as the shared record of relationship intelligence, activity, lead readiness, and next actions. 
• Partners with BUDs to transition leads into technical qualification, pursuits, proposals, and commitments. 

Core Accountabilities

• Build and execute an assigned regional or market-development plan; prioritize organizations, relationships, associations, events, and activities aligned with CP strategy. 
• Initiate, nurture, and influence relationships by creating value, facilitating connections, and maintaining credible long-term engagement. 
• Identify needs; gather business drivers, stakeholders, timing, decision process, and available budget context; maintain momentum to the appropriate BUD conversation. 
• Engage the correct BUD early enough to support specific scope dialogue; provide clear context and remain involved through BUD-led qualification and pursuit activity. 
• Maintain useful relationship, activity, lead-stage, and follow-up information; support clean records and consistent team visibility. 
• Interpret and communicate market conditions, client needs, competitive movement, partner feedback, and emerging opportunities. 
• Represent CP through associations, conferences, events, introductions, speaking opportunities, and regional engagement. 
• Coordinate with Marketing, Development Operations, Principals, BUDs, technical leaders, and office leadership to support an integrated growth system. 
• Influence peers, model standards, support junior team members, and begin contributing beyond assigned relationships and markets. 

Boundaries & Decision Rights 

• Business Development owns market development, relationship development, early lead discovery, Lead Development Management, CRM relationship information, and the quality of the handoff to the BUD. 
• Business Unit Directors own technical qualification, scope definition, go/no-go judgment, pursuit and proposal leadership, fee strategy, client commitments, and conversion to backlog and revenue. 
• Marketing owns enterprise brand, content, campaigns, digital experience, and marketing-led market intelligence; BD contributes daily market signals and relationship context. 
• Development Operations owns enterprise CRM intelligence, analytics, reporting, process governance, and development systems; BD owns relationship use and data discipline within the BD workflow. 

Success Measure

• Developing leads consistently reach BUD conversations with useful information and a clear next step. 
• Priority relationships expand beyond isolated contacts and create access, intelligence, or introductions. 
• Time and investment in events, associations, and regional activity produce relevant relationships and insight. 
• Relationship and lead records remain timely, complete, and useful to others. 
• Actionable market, client, competitor, and partner information reaches the right CP leaders. 
• Lead handoffs and pursuit support are timely, well prepared, and aligned with the correct business unit. 
• Priority activities, relationships, and investments progress against the approved plan. 

Expected Proficiency Profile 

The role is evaluated using CP’s proficiency progression: 1 - Aware    2 - Functional |  3 - Responsible |  4 - Accountable 

The BD Manager is expected to be Responsible for the core BD craft within an assigned region or relationship portfolio. The Manager independently produces outcomes while partnering with BUDs for technical qualification and closing commitments. 

Aware: Long-range enterprise organizational design, successor accountability, and executive ownership of the BD function. 

Function/Developing: Strategic partnerships; market entry; executive communication; coaching; budget prioritization; enterprise strategy; leadership development; firm leadership. 

Responsible: Market analysis; target segmentation; relationship development; relationship mapping; regional planning; lead identification and discovery; prioritization; BUD engagement; lead-to-opportunity handoff; lead development management; CRM relationship information; event and association engagement; regional plan execution; collaboration and team selling. 

Physical Demands: 

Must be able to sit and/or stand for long periods of time, able to handle stressful situations and multi-tasking, able to work under time constraints, long hours may be required. The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Overtime (40+ hours) may be required as needed. Must be able to travel. Mid to heavy travel (as needed).

Work Environment: 

Must be able to handle stressful situations, multi-tasking, and working within reasonable time constraints to meet production schedules and budgets. Will work in a normal office environment. 

The above criteria has been developed to establish guidelines for this position, but note that these are only guidelines, and a person’s ability, talent, effort, personality, and other aspects of the profession shall become a deciding factor for each position. 

Promotions are dependent on effort, attitude, ability, need, and should not be considered automatic.

Cuhaci & Peterson provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetics. In addition to federal law requirements, Cuhaci & Peterson complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the 

company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, and transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training. 

Nothing in this job description restricts management’s right to assign or reassign duties and responsibilities to this job at any 

time. Additionally, this job description reflects management’s assignment of essential functions. It does not prescribe or restrict 

the tasks that may be assigned. Requirements are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with 

disabilities. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an “at will” relationship between the employee and Cuhaci & Peterson Architects, Engineers & planners, Inc.