Graduate Business Development Manager

Balfour Beatty plc; East Midlands; On-site; GBP 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

25 days holiday

Permanent contract from day one

Career progression

Graduate networking

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc in Derby is inviting applications for a Graduate - Business Development Manager as part of our 2027 Early Careers programme. You’ll gain hands-on experience, take on real responsibility, and develop commercial and professional skills alongside experienced colleagues.

You’ll support growth by identifying new opportunities, strengthening relationships with existing customers, and contributing to tenders and client engagements, while building your commercial acumen.

Qualifications

• Degree in Business or a related subject; minimum 2:2 honours.

Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities to grow the business.
• Develop relationships with existing customers and support development of new work and partnerships.
• Gain exposure to the full work-winning lifecycle from opportunity identification to tender development.
• Collaborate with work-winning, marketing and operational teams to support business development initiatives.

Education

Degree in Business or Related Subject

Job description

About The Role

We are Balfour Beatty. You may not know us by name, but you’ll recognise what we do. We’re a leading international infrastructure group, building, maintaining and improving infrastructure that supports communities for generations to come.

About The Role

We are Balfour Beatty. You may not know us by name, but you’ll recognise what we do. We’re a leading international infrastructure group, building, maintaining and improving infrastructure that supports communities for generations to come.

As a Graduate - Business Development Manager, you'll join our 2027 Early Careers programme and gain hands‑on experience while contributing to some of the UK's most significant infrastructure projects. From day one, you'll take on real responsibility, develop technical and professional skills, and work alongside experienced colleagues who will support your growth. You'll also be part of a supportive graduate community, building the skills, experience and industry‑recognised accreditations needed for a successful career.

In this role, you’ll join one of our Balfour Beatty Power T&D teams as a Graduate - Business Development Manager, based in Derby.

What you'll be doing

As a Graduate - Business Development Manager you’ll play a key role in supporting the growth of the business by identifying and pursuing new opportunities. You’ll work closely with experienced colleagues to help strengthen relationships with existing customers while also supporting the development of new work and partnerships.

You’ll gain exposure to the full work‑winning lifecycle, from early opportunity identification through to tender and proposal development. This role will help you build your commercial awareness, communication skills, and understanding of how strategic decisions drive business success.

You’ll Support With

• Assisting Business Development Managers in identifying and developing new business opportunities.
• Contributing to market research and analysis to identify potential customers, opportunities, and trends.
• Preparing and reviewing written content for bids, proposals, and presentations.
• Supporting the development of high‑quality, compelling submissions for tenders and client engagements.
• Gathering, organising, and maintaining business and project information to support work‑winning activities.
• Assisting in maintaining and updating CRM systems, tracking leads, opportunities, and project pipelines.
• Collaborating with work‑winning, marketing, and operational teams to support business development initiatives.
• Supporting the preparation of presentations and materials for client meetings and interviews.
• Maintaining strong internal relationships to enable effective knowledge sharing across teams.
• Supporting the capture and sharing of project success stories, innovation, and best practice.
• Contributing to the organisation of client engagement activities and events.
• Developing your understanding of business strategy, customer relationships, and commercial decision‑making.

Who we're looking for

We value your potential over past experience and are looking for graduates with a degree in Business or a related subject and a genuine interest in our industry. To be eligible, you’ll need to achieve a minimum 2:2 honours degree by the time you start.

We’d Love To Receive Your Application If You

• Are curious, proactive and motivated to develop professionally.
• Enjoy solving problems and finding practical solutions.
• Work well with others and build positive relationships.
• Communicate clearly and confidently with different people.
• Take ownership, adapt to challenges and are committed to achieving results.

Why work for us as a Graduate

• Work on high‑profile projects that make a real difference, while building your career with one of the UK’s leading infrastructure groups.
• Be part of a supportive early careers network, with structured training and with structured training and coaching from experienced industry professionals.
• Take part in unique development experiences, including residential trips in the Lake District and personal development delivered by our external partners.
• Take ownership of your ongoing professional development, with support towards professional membership and chartership or professional registration where relevant to your career path.

What We Can Offer You

• Competitive salary and flexible benefits, giving you the freedom to shape a rewards package that works for you.
• 25 days' holiday, with the option to buy or sell additional days.
• A permanent contract from day one, reflecting our commitment to your long-term career.
• Clear progression opportunities, with bi-annual performance and pay reviews throughout your programme.
• Opportunities to connect with fellow graduates through networking events, development activities and our Early Careers Showcase.
• Opportunities to get involved in wider business initiatives, community projects and programmes such as the Duke of Edinburgh's Award.

About Us

The power sector is one of the fastest-growing areas in infrastructure, helping to keep homes, businesses and communities connected. It plays a vital role in supporting the UK's transition to a low‑carbon future by strengthening electricity networks and enabling the integration of renewable energy sources.

At Balfour Beatty, our Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to deliver engineering solutions across the electricity grid, including overhead lines, cabling, substations and distribution networks.

From early-stage planning and design through to construction and maintenance, our teams help deliver some of the UK's most ambitious power projects, improving network resilience and supporting a more sustainable energy future.

At Balfour Beatty we believe that diversity and inclusion are essential components of any successful, happy workplace. Through our Value Everyone Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action Plan, we are growing our diverse workforce and developing our inclusive culture where everyone is able to thrive and reach their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. To find out how we are making this a reality, visit www.balfourbeatty.com/diversityandinclusion

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and the Association for Black and Minority Ethnic Engineers (AFBE). In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. For more info, visit: https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/

We're committed to making our recruitment process as inclusive as possible. If you need any adjustments, please let us know at any stage of the process.