BU Manager & Senior Business Manager

Nova Talenta; Antwerpen; On-site; EUR 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Nova Talenta is seeking a BU Manager / Senior Business Manager with a strong engineering background to lead petrochemical initiatives from Antwerp. You will own client portfolios and drive business development within a consulting setting, coaching a team of consultants and collaborating closely with Talent Acquisition.

You bring 5–10 years in consultancy or petrochemicals, a bachelor’s degree, and fluent Dutch and English.

Qualifications

• Strong engineering DNA rooted in petrochemicals, or a consulting professional with engineering orientation.
• Solid commercial acumen; able to turn industry knowledge into business opportunities.
• Senior- level mindset with coaching to develop high-performing teams.
• 5 to 10 years of experience in consultancy, staffing or petrochemicals industry.
• Fluency in Dutch and English, with an independent, proactive work style.

Responsibilities

• Enter and run your own business within a dynamic consulting environment (intrapreneurial).
• Develop and manage your client portfolio, driving business development and account management.
• Lead and develop consultants from client introduction through project delivery and evaluations.
• Collaborate with Talent Acquisition on needs, candidate selection and client prep.
• Monitor KPIs, performance and profitability to ensure continuity and quality of projects.

Skills

Engineering DNA

Petrochemicals experience

Commercial acumen

Client-facing

Leadership coaching

Team management

Dutch fluency

English fluency

5-10 years experience

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Our client is an international consulting group, bringing together several thousand consultants through an extensive network of offices across Europe. The group operates at the heart of its clients' organisations, deploying teams of engineers on high value-added projects.

With more than two decades of experience, the group is a trusted partner of leading industrial players, with a diversified client base and sustained growth. Active across many sectors, it has strong ambitions for its petrochemicals activity, which it intends to strengthen and develop further.

To lead this development, we are looking for a BU Manager & a Senior Business Manager with a strong engineering DNA, who knows the petrochemical sector first-hand. This could be:

• an engineer who comes from the petrochemical industry, or
• a consulting professional with an engineering background and a clear petrochemical orientation.

The role is based in Antwerp.

About the role

An intrapreneurial role with real ownership

As a BU Manager or a Senior BM you step into a true intrapreneurial role — running your own business within a dynamic consulting environment.

While both roles combine business development, client relationship management and team leadership, the Business Unit Manager position comes with a broader scope of responsibility, including the management and development of a larger consulting team, stronger operational oversight, and a more strategic contribution to the growth and performance of the business unit.

Driving business & building client partnerships

You develop and manage your own client portfolio, combining business development, account management and long-term relationship building. You engage directly with clients to understand their challenges and translate them into concrete consulting solutions.

Leading and developing consultants

You play a key role in supporting your consultants throughout their journey — from client introduction to ongoing follow-up, including quarterly reviews and annual evaluations. Your objective: ensure both their development and the success of ongoing projects.

Acting at the crossroads of business and talent

You work closely with Talent Acquisition, defining needs, contributing to candidate selection and preparing consultants for client interactions. You coach and manager a team of Business Developers and/or Business Managers.

Managing performance and growth

You run your activity with a strong business mindset, monitoring KPIs, performance and profitability, and ensuring the continuity and quality of your projects. This is a role offering impact, autonomy and clear responsibility, within an entrepreneurial and people-driven environment.

Your profile

• You bring a strong engineering DNA, ideally rooted in petrochemicals, either as an engineer from the industry or as a consultant with a clear orientation towards engineering and petrochemicals. This technical credibility is what will make you a trusted partner for clients in this sector.


• You have solid commercial acumen and thrive in client-facing environments. You enjoy developing business, building relationships and identifying opportunities, and you know how to turn your understanding of the petrochemical industry into concrete business opportunities.


• In a senior role, you are a coach at heart. You are motivated by supporting others in their development and by creating engaged, high-performing teams.


• You have 5 to 10 years of experience in consultancy, staffing or petrochemicals industry. You are comfortable with financial performance: you understand how a business unit operates and generates value, and you are at ease managing KPIs, margins and overall results.


• You work independently and take ownership of your results. You move easily between clients, candidates and internal stakeholders, you are solution-oriented and you adapt quickly to changing priorities. You feel at home in a dynamic, fast-paced environment where autonomy, proximity to the business and team interaction are key. You enjoy being present, collaborating and operating close to the action.


• You hold at least a bachelor's degree and are fluent in Dutch and English.