Job Description

AEC Business Development Specialist

At Salas O’Brien we tell our clients that we’re engineered for impact. This passion for making a difference applies just as much to our team as it does to our projects. That’s why we’re committed to living our values every day: inspiring, achieving, and connecting as shared owners of our success with a focus on a sustainable future.

Building for the long-term means that all of our team members can expect to work on amazing projects with a people-first approach to problem solving. It also means that each member of our team has truly limitless potential to build a unique, meaningful, and high-impact career—and they’ll receive great total rewards along the way.

Salas O'Brien is searching for an AEC Business Development Specialist to join our Raleigh, NC office. The ideal candidate will have experience in the AEC industry.

About Us:

Founded in 1975, Salas O’Brien is an employee-owned engineering and professional services firm focused on achieving impact for our clients, our team, and the world. We know that tomorrow’s requirements are today’s opportunities, and we are here to design lasting solutions for pressing challenges.

We work across a variety of industries providing integrated engineering and consulting services. Our specialized experience includes design for data centers, healthcare, science and technology, high-rise buildings, clean energy, education, and other building types as well as structural and building sciences, infrastructure asset management, advanced robotics, and more.

Our technical expertise is paired with an exceptional team of business development, human resources, finance and accounting, information technology, and marketing professionals, all of whom play a key role in bringing our commitments to life every day.

The Raleigh, NC office began in 1977 and expanded over the course of 45+ years to be a respected mechanical and electrical design engineering practice outfitted to provide local action with national strength in service to the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry.

Job Summary:

The Business Development Specialist is responsible for supporting and optimizing business development activities for the Raleigh office across AEC market sectors. This role combines business development support, client/pipeline administration, market understanding, sales process management, pursuit tracking, reporting, and operational coordination to improve business growth and client engagement efforts.

The successful candidate will serve as the operational backbone of the Raleigh office business development team, ensuring accurate pipeline management, actionable market insights, efficient pursuit processes, and consistent execution of strategic growth initiatives. This position collaborates closely with executive leadership, business developers, marketing professionals, project managers, and technical leaders throughout the organization.

Responsibilities:

• Maintain awareness of the firm's strategic markets, services, project experience, and business objectives to support growth initiatives.
• Identify, research, qualify and track project opportunities, procurement activities, market trends, and industry developments.
• Coordinate pursuit planning activities, including opportunity qualification, capture strategy, teaming, proposal support, and milestone tracking.
• Interact with clients, consultants, partners, and internal teams to support business development efforts.
• Support client relationship development, strategic management, and outreach initiatives.
• Support proposal, presentation and interview preparation through research and content development.
• Manage business development pipelines, opportunity tracking, forecasting, and reporting processes.
• Analyze business development performance, market penetration, win rates, revenue trends, and office metrics.
• Administer the Raleigh office client/pipeline data platform and maintain accurate client, partner, pursuit, and engagement data.
• Arrange and coordinate meetings with prospective and existing clients to identify business opportunities.
• Coordinate pursuit debriefs and lessons learned activities.
• Support annual business planning and forecasting activities.
• Develop, document, and maintain business development processes, workflows, and best practices for the Raleigh office.
• Promote the Raleigh office brand by communicating firm capabilities, project successes, client wins, and notable achievements through internal and external marketing channels.
• Maintain business development and marketing resources, including office-specific materials and data repositories.
• Support industry conference participation, professional organization engagement, and networking activities.
• Foster a positive and informed office culture by communicating business development activities, project successes, and client achievements.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree with 4–7 years of experience in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry preferred.
• Without a degree, 6–10 years of relevant AEC experience required.
• Comprehensive understanding of AEC industry terminology, processes, and market dynamics.
• Strong proficiency with client/pipeline systems such as Deltek, Salesforce or similar platforms.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Office Suite (particularly Excel and PowerPoint), and Adobe Acrobat (PDF).
• Demonstrated experience supporting business development pipelines, opportunity tracking, and performance measurement.
• Experience maintaining accurate client and opportunity data.
• Experience developing reports and business performance metrics.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Strong written, verbal, and interpersonal communication skills.
• Reliable follow-through with disciplined documentation and record-keeping.
• Results-driven with the ability to manage priorities and achieve successful outcomes.
• Effective collaborator who can work independently and across teams.

Preferred

• Experience working within an engineering, architectural, construction, or professional services firm.
• Knowledge of public and private sector procurement and AEC pursuit processes.
• Working experience with Deltek Vantagepoint.

Work Environment:

This position is office-based in Raleigh, North Carolina.

Regular coordination with office leadership, office seller-doers, project teams, and cross-functional stakeholders is required.

No regular travel is required; infrequent business travel occurs as needed.

Benefits:

This role is eligible for performance-based bonuses and a comprehensive U.S. based benefits package, including:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off and company holidays
• Wellness programs and employee assistance resources
• Professional development support

For more information, visit our full benefits overview here.

Equal Opportunity Employment Statement

Salas O’Brien provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state/provincial, or local laws. Salas O’Brien will accommodate the disability-related needs of applicants as required by law.

Third-Party Agency Notice

Salas O’Brien does not accept unsolicited resumes from external recruiters or agencies. We only work with approved partners engaged directly by our Talent Acquisition team for specific searches. Unsolicited submissions will not be eligible for placement fees.