North Carolina Water Business Development Manager

HDR, Inc.; Asheville (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

HDR, Inc. is seeking a North Carolina Water Business Development Manager to lead growth in drinking water, wastewater, water resources, and related services.

You will identify and qualify target clients, shape strategic proposals, and partner with leadership to position HDR for project wins in a competitive market. You will build relationships with clients and industry partners, analyze markets, and coach teams to deliver compelling opportunities.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field.
• 10+ years of relevant industry experience.
• Strong network of clients and industry partners.
• Experience in sales and win strategies.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement annual NC water market growth plan.
• Identify and qualify potential clients and opportunities.
• Lead pursuit strategies and proposals for projects.
• Forecast opportunities and monitor market trends.
• Mentor marketing staff and support collateral development.

Skills

Self-starter

Negotiation skills

Communication skills

Financial acumen

Microsoft Office

Travel

Content writing

Education

Bachelor’s degree in related field

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. As we foster a culture of inclusion throughout our company and within our communities, we constantly ask ourselves: What is our impact on the world?

Watch Our Story:' https://www.hdrinc.com/our-story'

Each and every role throughout our organization makes a difference in our ability to change the world for the better. Read further to learn how you could help make great things possible not only in your community, but around the world.

We believe water is more than a resource, it's a shared responsibility. As part of our Water Business Group, you’ll help shape how communities manage water for generations to come. From delivering safe drinking water and treating wastewater responsibly to developing sustainable water supplies and protecting lives and property through flood control, your work will directly support public health, environmental sustainability, and infrastructure resilience. We bring together experts across disciplines to solve complex challenges with bold thinking and technical excellence. Whether you're modernizing aging systems or pioneering innovative approaches, your contributions will make a meaningful difference in people’s lives. This isn’t just a job, it's a chance to lead change, drive progress, and leave a lasting legacy.

HDR is looking for a North Carolina (NC) Water Business Development Manager to join our established and successful team. Working in partnership with the NC Water Business Group Manager, this position is responsible for developing and directing business opportunities for clients in the drinking water, wastewater, water resources and federal water planning and design consulting services. Duties include: maintaining and expanding existing client relationships; identifying, establishing and nurturing relationships with new target clients; developing market networks; forecasting and positioning the firm for project pursuits that result in client selection and award; leading project pursuits, including development of winning strategies, preparation of proposals and presentations, quality review, and coaching presentation teams. The Water Business Development Manager is also responsible for analyzing markets and competitors, as well as developing strategic growth plans.

In the role of NC Water Business Development Manager, we’ll count on you to:

• In partnership with program and operations leadership, develop and implement an annual plan including strategies and tactics to achieve financial goals, prioritizing top line growth.
• Analyze and qualify potential clients that align with professional and financial value to the firm.
• Manage and analyze opportunity forecasting data.
• Monitor new market trends and participate in development and implementation of local and regional strategic and tactical planning.
• Identify and leverage contacts and assist in building relationships with key decision makers of targeted clients.
• Partner with our business group and market sector leaders, client managers, senior consultants, area managers, project teams and others within the firm to leverage relationships and experience in the pursuit of new opportunities to meet financial metrics and build our program
• Participate in and recommend industry conferences, seminars, professional associations, and other external water focused organizations to develop business contacts, promote HDR and engage potential clients and partners.
• Maintain client relationships and in certain cases support project delivery by serving as Project Principal or Project Manager for key clients.
• Identify and develop potential projects and work in collaboration with national and local resources to develop and implement successful proposal and interviews resulting in shortlisting and selection.
• Manage and mentor marketing services staff including marketing coordinators and proposal managers including monitoring workloads, performance and other managerial activities.
• Work directly with marketing services staff in the preparation of collateral materials such as qualifications, proposals, interview presentations, specialty brochures, and other marketing information promoting the program.
• Implement company marketing policies and procedures.

Keyword(s)

Business Development Manager, Client Management, Water, Wastewater, Water Resources Management, Pipelines, Pumpstation, Treatment, Program Manager, Project Manager

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• Maintain a professional or engineering registration or certificate or have related technical experience
• Understanding of North Carolina water markets

Required Qualifications

• A minimum of 10 years relevant industry experience
• Demonstrated "self-starter" with a history of completing projects with limited oversight
• Deep knowledge of the A/E/C industry's standard approach to procurement of professional services
• Demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire others
• Demonstrated ability to build a network of clients and industry partners
• Experience in sales and developing effective win strategies
• Strong financial acumen and negotiation skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office applications, including Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint
• Ability and desire to travel and engage with others in-person
• Demonstrated experience in writing compelling content based on information from technical staff

What We Believe

HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other’s life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve.

Our Commitment

As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day.

Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.

Primary Location:

United States-North Carolina-Raleigh

Other Locations:

United States-North Carolina-Winston-Salem, United States-North Carolina-Charlotte, United States-North Carolina-Asheville

Industry:

Water

Schedule:

Full-time

Employee Status:

Regular

BusinessClass:

Marketing and Admin

Job Posting:

Oct 20, 2026

At HDR, we are committed to the principles of employment equity. We are an Affi... We consider all qualified applicants, regardless of criminal histories, arrest and conviction records.