Business Development Manager

Q Crane & Plant Hire Limited; Oldham; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Q Crane Hire is seeking a proactive Business Development Manager to drive new business across construction and crane hire sectors. This field-based role requires meeting customers and developing lasting relationships with national travel.

Based from Oldham, you will manage an account portfolio, identify opportunities and collaborate with commercial and operations teams to convert prospects into hires while keeping CRM records up to date.

Qualifications

• Proven experience in business development, field sales or account management.
• Track record of establishing new relationships and growing existing accounts.
• Confident engaging with site teams and senior decision-makers.
• Self-motivated, organised and willing to travel nationwide.
• Full UK driving licence and comfortable using CRM systems.

Responsibilities

• Identify and approach prospective customers across construction and crane hire sectors.
• Research projects and identify crane hire requirements early.
• Arrange meetings, site visits and networking opportunities.
• Develop contacts with buyers, project managers and plant departments.
• Manage an agreed portfolio of existing accounts and grow spend.
• Maintain CRM records and report pipeline updates.

Skills

Business development

Account management

CRM software

Negotiation

Tools

MS Office

Job description

Location: Oldham, Greater Manchester (with national travel)

Employment: Full-time, permanent

About Q Crane Hire Established in 1972, Q Crane Hire is a family‑run specialist crane hire business providing crawler cranes, contract lifting, specialist transport and training services to construction and civil engineering customers throughout the UK. From our Oldham base, we combine decades of experience with continued investment in our fleet, equipment and people. We pride ourselves on dependable service, technical expertise and long‑term customer relationships.

The opportunity

We are looking for a proactive, commercially minded Business Development Manager who enjoys meeting customers, finding opportunities and building lasting business relationships. This is a predominantly field‑based role, focused on securing new customers, developing an agreed portfolio of existing accounts and reconnecting with lapsed customers.

What you will be doing

Identify and approach prospective customers across construction, civil engineering, infrastructure, piling and related sectors.

Research upcoming projects, contract awards and customer pipelines to identify crane hire requirements at an early stage.

Arrange and attend customer meetings, site visits and networking opportunities; develop contacts with buyers, project managers, site teams and plant departments.

Generate qualified enquiries and work with internal colleagues to progress opportunities through to secured hires.

Account growth and customer retention

Manage and develop an agreed portfolio of existing accounts, seeking opportunities to increase repeat hire and customer spend.

Maintain regular, purposeful contact with customers to understand their current and future requirements. Re‑engage dormant or lapsed customers, understand changes in their requirements and rebuild trading relationships.

Promote relevant opportunities across crawler crane hire, contract lifting, specialist transport and training. Commercial activity and collaboration

Coordinate with the hire desk and operations teams on availability, logistics, technical requirements and delivery commitments.

Maintain accurate CRM records of customer contacts, visits, opportunities, quotation follow‑ups and expected project dates.

Share useful market intelligence, pipeline updates and customer feedback with the commercial team. Represent Q Crane Hire professionally, with safety, service quality and long‑term customer trust at the forefront.

About you

Proven experience in business development, field sales or account management, preferably in construction, equipment hire or a related B2B sector.

A track record of establishing new customer relationships and developing existing accounts.

Confident, personable and comfortable engaging with site teams, operational contacts and senior decision‑makers.

Self‑motivated, organised and proactive, with a genuine appetite for customer visits and national travel. Strong communication, negotiation, follow‑up and commercial judgement.

Comfortable using CRM systems and Microsoft Office; full UK driving licence.

Willingness to learn the technical capabilities, applications and practical requirements of specialist lifting equipment.

Relevant industry experience

Experience in crane hire would be advantageous but is not essential. We would also welcome applications from other equipment hire and other construction‑related businesses. The right relationship‑building ability, initiative and willingness to learn are more important than existing crawler crane technical knowledge.

You will join an established, family‑run business with a national customer base and a growing specialist fleet. You will have the opportunity to build your own network, develop long‑term partnerships and make a visible contribution to the company’s continued growth, supported by experienced commercial and operational colleagues. Training and guidance on our equipment and services will be provided.