Technical Business Development Manager

Portsmouth Source: WhatJobs

£65,000–£75,000

Due to continued growth, our client is looking to appoint an experienced engineering professional to become a key regional focal point across Plymouth, Bristol and the wider Southwest.

This is not a traditional sales position.

We are looking for someone with a strong engineering and preferably machining background who can combine technical knowledge, project delivery, site execution, customer relationship management and business development.

The successful candidate will be equally comfortable discussing a machining requirement with an engineer on site, supporting the development of a technical solution, helping prepare the commercial proposal and then supporting or executing the project through mobilisation and delivery.

The Role

You will develop and manage customer relationships throughout the Southwest while identifying opportunities for on-site machining and associated engineering services.

Working closely with the company's engineering and operations team, you will help take projects from initial enquiry and site assessment through technical development, quotation, mobilisation, execution and close-out.

A key part of the position is being technically credible in front of customers. You will need to understand industrial site environments, engineering constraints and machining applications rather than simply generate sales leads.

Where required, you will also provide hands-on/site execution support, so candidates with practical machining experience are particularly attractive.

Key Responsibilities

Develop relationships with existing and prospective industrial customers across the Southwest.
Identify new opportunities for in-situ/on-site machining and associated engineering services.
Attend customer meetings, site visits, technical discussions and tender meetings.
Understand customer engineering problems and help develop practical machining solutions.
Support quotations, tenders, technical proposals and project scopes.
Develop opportunities from initial enquiry through to order and project execution.
Act as a regional link between customers, site teams and the company's main engineering operation.
Review technical requirements, access restrictions, tooling, equipment and manpower requirements.
Support RAMS, permits, mobilisation planning and site documentation.
Liaise with customer engineers, project managers, maintenance teams, procurement and senior personnel.
Support site teams during live projects and assist with resolving operational issues.
Execute machining/project scopes on site where required and competency allows.
Maintain visibility of regional opportunities and provide regular commercial/project updates.
Identify follow-on work and build long-term customer relationships.

Candidate Background

We are interested in hearing from experienced engineering professionals who have worked in positions such as:

Project Engineer | Project Manager | Mechanical Engineer | Site Engineer | Machinist | In‑Situ Machining Technician/Engineer | Shutdown Lead | Engineering Supervisor

You may also be a time‑served machinist or mechanical engineer who has progressed into project, operational or commercial responsibilities and is now looking for a broader regional role.

Essential Experience

Strong mechanical engineering or machining background.
Experience working within industrial engineering environments.
Good understanding of machining processes and their practical applications.
Project, operational or site‑delivery experience.
Ability to understand technical requirements and turn them into practical solutions.
Experience dealing directly with customers.
Strong communication and relationship‑building skills.
Commercial awareness.
Ability to work independently and manage a regional workload.
Willingness to travel and work on customer sites.
Full clean UK driving licence.

Highly Desirable

In‑situ / on‑site machining experience.
Time‑served machining background.
Hands‑on machining capability.
Project Engineering experience.
Site mobilisation and execution experience.
RAMS, permits and engineering documentation.
Existing industrial site passes/inductions.
Quotation, estimating or tender experience.
Existing customer relationships within the Southwest.
NEBOSH, IOSH or equivalent H&S qualifications.
HNC/HND/Degree in Mechanical Engineering or equivalent experience.

Experience within any of the following sectors would be particularly relevant:

Oil & Gas | Nuclear | Power Generation | Petrochemical | Marine | Renewables | Heavy Engineering

The Person

This position will suit someone who is:

Technically credible. Commercially aware. Operationally capable.

You should be comfortable walking onto an industrial site, speaking directly with the customer, understanding their engineering problem and helping establish how it can be solved safely and efficiently.

You must be proactive and capable of developing business rather than simply waiting for enquiries.

The successful candidate will effectively become the company's engineering and commercial focal point for the Southwest, backed by an established technical and operational team.