Business Development Lead

Veolia; Cannock; Hybrid; GBP 59,000 - 72,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company pension

Discounts on goods and services

Health and wellbeing resources

Virtual GP access

Volunteer day

Training and development

Job summary

Veolia is seeking a Business Development Lead to shape the future of integrated environmental solutions across the UK from Cannock, with hybrid national travel. You will own the full sales lifecycle, connecting remediation expertise with soil treatment and waste management to deliver high-value customer solutions.

The role requires senior commercial leadership, strategic pipeline development, and the ability to engage COMAH/Defence, real estate and consultancy clients.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in business development or strategic sales within environmental services.
• Strong knowledge of contaminated land, remediation, soil treatment and waste management markets.
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles with high contract values.
• Experience engaging senior leaders, site owners, consultants, developers and procurement professionals.
• Track record of building strategic relationships with COMAH, Defence and real estate customers.
• Ability to identify opportunities early and establish preferred-partner status before procurement.
• Strong commercial judgement with ability to develop value propositions and negotiate profitable contracts.
• Experience leading multidisciplinary bid teams and coordinating internal specialists.
• Excellent communication, presentation and influencing skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Customer-focused approach and ability to translate complex solutions into clear commercial benefits.

Responsibilities

• Own the complete sales lifecycle from market identification to close.
• Build and manage a premium pipeline of high-margin opportunities across the UK.
• Develop Veolia’s strategic presence with COMAH, Defence, real estate and developers.
• Lead cross-functional bid teams and coordinate internal specialists for proposals.
• Shape customer requirements and influence procurement strategies before tenders.
• Drive data-led account plans mapping complex buying journeys and increasing penetration.

Skills

Business development

Strategic sales

Stakeholder management

Commercial negotiations

Account planning

Bid management

Communication

Influencing

Industry knowledge

Networking

Job description

Ready to find the right role for you?

Business Development Lead - Remediation

Location: Cannock (Hybrid with National Travel

Salary: £65,000 plus Car / Car allowance

Hours: 40 hours per week, Monday to Friday

When you see the world as we do, you see the chance to help the world take better care of its resources, and help it become a better place for everyone. It’s why we’re looking for someone who’s just as committed as we are, to push for genuine change and bring our ambition of Ecological Transformation to life. We know that everyone here at Veolia can help us work alongside our communities, look after the environment, and contribute to our inclusive culture.

What we can offer you;

• Access to our company pension scheme

• Discounts on everything from groceries to well known retailers

• Access to a range of resources to support your physical, mental and financial health; so you can lean on us whenever you need to

• 24 hour access to a virtual GP, 365 days a year, for you and family members in your household

• One paid days leave every year to volunteer and support your community

• Ongoing training and development opportunities, allowing you to reach your full potential

What you’ll be doing:

Veolia is looking for a Business Development Lead to help shape the future of integrated environmental solutions across the UK.

This is a senior commercial role with responsibility for developing Veolia’s position as the preferred partner for environmental risk mitigation, contamination management and sustainable site development. You will connect our investigation and remediation expertise with our soil treatment and waste management infrastructure to create high-value solutions for customers.

Own the complete sales lifecycle, from market identification and early engagement through to contract negotiation and close.

Build and manage a premium pipeline of margin-accretive opportunities across the UK.

• Develop Veolia’s strategic presence with: COMAH and Defence site owners seeking to manage environmental liabilities, protect brand reputation and future-proof their assets.

• Engineering and environmental consultancies, positioning Veolia as a preferred delivery partner at the earliest stages of project development.

• Real estate owners and developers requiring comprehensive contamination solutions to unlock land value and accelerate development programmes.

• Engage senior stakeholders and strategic decision-makers, clearly demonstrating the commercial, operational and reputational value of integrated environmental management.

• Identify opportunities to combine Veolia’s investigation, remediation, soil treatment and waste management capabilities into differentiated customer solutions.

• Shape customer requirements and influence specifications, procurement strategies and project frameworks before formal tender stages.

• Develop data-led account plans that map complex buying journeys and increase penetration of strategic accounts.

• Lead cross-functional bid teams and coordinate internal specialists to deliver compelling, commercially robust proposals.

• Promote sustainable alternatives to traditional excavation, transport and disposal, including soil washing, material recovery and legitimate reuse through solutions such as CL:AIRE Materials Management Plans.

• Drive adoption of lower-carbon engineering approaches, including bioremediation and in-situ chemical oxidation, where appropriate.

• Promote advanced treatment solutions for emerging contaminants such as PFAS, including the use of high-temperature incineration for the permanent destruction of complex “forever chemicals”.

• Track and report performance against pipeline growth, account penetration, conversion, margin expansion, sustainability and solution adoption measures.

What we are looking for:

• Significant experience in business development, strategic sales or commercial leadership within environmental services, remediation, waste management, infrastructure, engineering or a related sector.

• A strong understanding of contaminated land, environmental risk, remediation, soil treatment, waste management or associated consultancy and delivery markets.

• Proven experience managing complex, consultative sales cycles involving multiple stakeholders, lengthy decision-making processes and significant contract values.

• Experience engaging senior leaders, board-level stakeholders, site owners, consultants, developers and procurement professionals.

• A track record of building strategic relationships with COMAH, Defence, real estate, development, engineering or environmental consultancy customers.

• The ability to identify opportunities early, influence project requirements and establish preferred-partner status before procurement begins.

• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to develop value propositions, negotiate effectively and secure profitable, sustainable contracts.

• Experience leading multidisciplinary bid teams and orchestrating solutions across multiple business functions.

• Excellent communication, presentation and influencing skills, with the confidence to engage technical and non-technical audiences.

• A consultative, customer-focused approach and the ability to uncover the true operational, financial, environmental and reputational drivers behind a customer’s requirements.

• The ability to translate complex technical solutions into clear commercial benefits, including risk reduction, land value creation, regulatory resilience and reputational protection.

• A genuine commitment to sustainability, circular economy principles, carbon reduction and responsible environmental management.

• The ambition to champion innovative solutions such as material recovery, low-carbon remediation and PFAS destruction.

• Strong pipeline management, account planning and forecasting skills.

• The ability to work collaboratively as part of “One Veolia”, bringing together different capabilities to deliver integrated customer solutions.

• Willingness to travel nationally to customer and Veolia sites.

What’s next?

We’re proud to have been named as one of The Sunday Times Best Places to Work for three consecutive years in 2023, 2024 and 2025. This consistent recognition reflects our commitment to our people, demonstrating that Veolia is not just transforming the environment, we’re also transforming what it means to have a rewarding, purposeful career.

We’re dedicated to supporting you throughout your application journey, offering adjustments where reasonable and appropriate. As a proud Disability Confident Employer, we will offer an interview to applicants with a disability or long-term condition who opt-in to the Disability Confident scheme, and meet the minimum criteria for our roles.

We’re also committed to ensuring that all applicants and colleagues receive fair treatment without discrimination on any grounds, aiming to create a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone can thrive.