Director of Client Development, Architecture & Engineering

Blue Signal Search; Anaheim (CA); On-site; USD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Bonus opportunity

Job summary

Blue Signal Search is seeking a Director of Client Development for Architecture & Engineering, a hands-on leadership role in Anaheim. The person will own major pursuits, shape scopes and fees, engage clients, and drive profitable relationships from discovery to project delivery.

The role requires 10+ years in sales within A/E, strong proposal development skills, and a strategic mindset to grow key accounts and manage complex client engagements.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of sales experience in architecture/engineering or professional services.
• 5+ years of business development or client development with proven opportunities.
• Background in architecture or engineering with tech fluency to engage multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to write and finalize complex multidisciplinary A/E proposals.
• Experience evaluating RFPs/RFQs and developing scopes, fees.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary design services and profitability.
• Excellent client-facing communication, proposal writing, editing, and negotiation.
• Willingness to work on-site in Anaheim, California.

Responsibilities

• Lead the pursuit lifecycle from early client engagement through proposal development, negotiation, contract execution, and transition to project delivery.
• Personally write, edit, assemble, review, and finalize multidisciplinary A/E proposals in response to RFPs, RFQs, and other client opportunities.
• Translate project requirements into scopes, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, schedules, staffing plans, and professional fees.
• Develop pricing strategies incorporating labor projections, consultant costs, reimbursables, contingencies, project risk, and profitability.
• Build and expand relationships with decision makers across architecture, engineering, construction, development, institutional, industrial, and public sectors.
• Grow strategic accounts by identifying additional projects, service needs, disciplines, and opportunities for long-term client partnerships.
• Lead client discovery meetings, presentations, pursuit interviews, fee discussions, and commercial negotiations.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary technical input and maintain ownership of pursuit strategy, deadlines, client communication, and successful handoff of awarded work.

Skills

Sales leadership

Architecture & engineering

Proposal development

RFP/RFQ experience

Client relationship management

Pricing strategy

Negotiation skills

Business development

Job description

Director of Client Development, Architecture & Engineering

Our client is seeking an accomplished client development leader who can combine relationship building, technical fluency, and exceptional proposal development skills to help drive the next stage of growth for a multidisciplinary architecture and engineering organization. This is a highly visible, hands-on leadership opportunity for someone who understands how A/E work is won, scoped, priced, negotiated, and transitioned into successful delivery. The right candidate will personally shape complex proposals, develop scopes and fees, engage clients, evaluate opportunities, and help convert a strong pipeline into profitable, long-term partnerships.

This Role Offers:

• Competitive executive-level compensation with bonus opportunity.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• High-impact position with direct influence over business growth, client strategy, and project pursuits.
• Hands-on ownership of major pursuits, from early client engagement through contract execution.

Focus:

• Lead the pursuit lifecycle from early client engagement through proposal development, negotiation, contract execution, and transition to project delivery.
• Personally write, edit, assemble, review, and finalize multidisciplinary A/E proposals in response to RFPs, RFQs, and other client opportunities.
• Translate project requirements into well-defined scopes, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, schedules, staffing plans, and professional fees.
• Develop commercially sound pricing strategies incorporating labor projections, consultant costs, reimbursables, contingencies, project risk, and profitability considerations.
• Build and expand relationships with decision makers across the architecture, engineering, construction, development, institutional, industrial, and public sectors.
• Grow strategic accounts by identifying additional projects, service needs, disciplines, and opportunities for long-term client partnerships.
• Lead client discovery meetings, presentations, pursuit interviews, fee discussions, and commercial negotiations.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary technical input and maintain ownership of pursuit strategy, deadlines, client communication, and successful handoff of awarded work.

Skill Set:

• 10+ years of sales experience and 10+ years of experience within architecture, engineering, design services, or a closely related professional services environment.
• 5+ years of substantive business development or client development experience, with demonstrated success generating opportunities and expanding client relationships.
• Architecture or engineering background with the technical fluency to work effectively with clients and multidisciplinary design professionals.
• Demonstrated ability to personally write, edit, assemble, review, and finalize complex multidisciplinary A/E proposals.
• Proven experience evaluating RFPs and RFQs and developing scopes, deliverables, assumptions, exclusions, schedules, and professional fees.
• Strong understanding of multidisciplinary design services, including the commercial considerations associated with staffing, consultants, schedules, project risk, and profitability.
• Excellent client-facing communication, proposal writing, editing, presentation, relationship development, and negotiation skills.
• Sound commercial judgment, strong attention to detail, and the ability to work on-site in Anaheim, California.