About the Position

The Business Development Director - Utilities is responsible for opening and developing priority utility relationships that create sustainable growth for the Power & Energy business. The role is primarily a new-logo and early-stage relationship-development position: building access to targeted investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and electric cooperatives; understanding how each client buys; identifying the right entry point; and creating qualified opportunities that can grow into long-term strategic accounts.

This role works as part of a coordinated commercial team. The Business Development Director leads relationship creation and early opportunity development, while Strategic Account Management focuses on expanding established strategic accounts. Seller-doers, technical leaders, executive sponsors, estimating, and Sales Operations are brought into pursuits at the right time. Success requires disciplined prioritization - focusing resources on the utility accounts where Atwell and NEI have an attractive market opportunity, a credible right to win, and a clear path to meaningful work.

Salary Range: $175,000-$225,000 / year

The salary range above is based upon the Denver, Colorado labor market. NEI bases salaries on the Denver, Colorado labor market for both local and remote team members.

Essential Responsibilities

• Meet or exceed assigned order intake targets while supporting appropriate profitability and pursuit discipline.
• Build meaningful relationships and executive access within a defined portfolio of priority utility targets rather than broadly pursuing every available opportunity.
• Create and execute account-entry plans for assigned targets, including relationship maps, buying centers, procurement pathways, incumbent providers, likely entry points, and clear 30/60/90-day actions.
• Identify the most credible initial opportunity to open a relationship, then coordinate the appropriate technical and commercial resources to pursue it.
• Develop relationships across multiple levels of the client organization, including business leaders, engineering, project/program leadership, procurement, and other key influencers.
• Use existing Atwell and NEI relationships, referrals, executive sponsors, seller-doers, industry contacts, and market networks to accelerate access to target accounts.
• Qualify opportunities before significant pursuit resources are committed, considering strategic fit, relationship strength, client need, funding, timing, competitive position, delivery capacity, profitability, and probability of win.
• Coordinate with Strategic Account Managers when a developing relationship reaches the point where the primary growth motion shifts from market entry to systematic account expansion.
• Partner with utility technical leaders and seller-doers to establish technical credibility and translate client needs into solutions across transmission, substations, distribution, system studies, field services, land, environmental, permitting, and other relevant Atwell capabilities.
• Identify opportunities to bring multiple Atwell capabilities to the client while maintaining one coordinated client experience.
• Maintain an accurate, current view of assigned accounts, relationships, opportunities, next actions, and expected timing in the CRM.
• Provide realistic pipeline and order intake forecasts and proactively communicate changes, risks, and resource needs.
• Capture market intelligence including capital programs, procurement cycles, MSAs and vendor qualification requirements, competitive dynamics, client priorities, and emerging utility needs.
• Represent the organization at targeted industry events and client meetings where participation directly supports priority-account development.
• Work with Sales Operations, estimating, pursuit support, and marketing to ensure opportunities move through a consistent commercial process from qualification through proposal and handoff.

How Success Will Be Measured

• Order intake and qualified pipeline created from assigned utility targets.
• Progress penetrating priority new-logo accounts, including meaningful relationships, executive access, vendor/MSA qualification, and first opportunities.
• Quality and depth of relationship coverage within assigned accounts, not simply number of contacts or meetings.
• Conversion of early-stage targets into qualified pursuits, first wins, and ultimately strategic accounts.
• Forecast accuracy, CRM discipline, and clear next actions across the assigned portfolio.
• Pursuit selectivity and efficient use of technical and estimating resources.
• Collaboration across Power & Energy and the broader Atwell platform, including successful cross-service opportunities

Requirements

• Demonstrated success developing business with electric utilities, preferably investor-owned utilities, municipal utilities, and/or electric cooperatives.
• Established utility-industry relationships and the ability to create credible access to senior decision-makers are strongly preferred.
• Working knowledge of how utilities plan, procure, qualify vendors, establish MSAs, fund capital programs, and award engineering or construction-related work.
• Ability to understand client needs and credibly coordinate technical discussions involving transmission, substations, distribution, interconnection, system studies, grid modernization, and related infrastructure.
• Strong commercial judgment with the discipline to prioritize the right accounts and opportunities rather than simply maximize bid volume.
• Ability to build trust across commercial and technical teams and work effectively in a seller-doer culture.
• Excellent communication, relationship-building, facilitation, and executive-presence skills.
• Self-motivated, organized, accountable, and comfortable operating in a fast-paced professional-services environment.
• Coachable, curious, and committed to continuous improvement.
• Proficiency with CRM systems and willingness to maintain timely, accurate account and opportunity information.
• Ability to travel regularly for priority client development, industry events, and internal coordination.

Qualifications & Experience

Experience: 8+ years of business development, strategic account, utility, engineering, construction, or related industry experience; direct utility-market experience strongly preferred.

Education: Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution preferred. Relevant utility-industry experience and relationships may be considered in lieu of a specific degree discipline.

Industry knowledge: Commercial understanding of engineering, construction, and power infrastructure markets.

Working Conditions

Work Environment: Office, remote, client, conference, and project-site settings as required.

Travel: Approximately 30-40%, with travel concentrated around priority accounts and targeted industry activity.

Physical Activities: Ability to travel and participate in client/project-site meetings; must be able to lift up to 25 lbs.

Managerial Responsibility: Individual contributor role unless otherwise assigned. Responsible for independently managing assigned account-development plans, priorities, CRM activity, and commitments in coordination with commercial leadership.