Business Development Manager – AEC Markets

As a Business Development Manager, you will help grow Progressive Companies' presence across key Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) markets, including our national practices in Higher Education, Health & Wellness, Workplace, Sports & Entertainment, and Science, Industry & Technology, by building relationships, identifying early-stage opportunities, and positioning the firm for future work. You will partner with practice leaders, subject matter experts, and marketing teams to develop strategic pipelines, strengthen relationships with owners and developers, and build the systems and market insight that enable our teams to win meaningful projects and long-term client partnerships.

• Build and maintain a multi-year opportunity pipeline by identifying early-stage project opportunities and strategic target accounts across national practices and the North Carolina region.
• Develop scalable business development systems, including account planning frameworks, relationship mapping, prospecting workflows, and pursuit readiness strategies.
• Cultivate relationships with owners, developers, institutional clients, and industry partners to strengthen market presence and position the firm early in project development cycles.
• Partner with practice leaders and marketing teams to align market intelligence, messaging, and pursuit strategies with firmwide growth objectives.
• Lead CRM adoption and data insights to improve opportunity tracking, relationship coverage, and pipeline visibility across the firm.
• Partner with subject matter experts and practice leaders to strengthen the firm’s business development culture by mentoring and developing team members in client engagement, relationship strategy, and BD best practices.

• 8–10+ years of business development experience in architecture, engineering, construction (AEC), or related professional services.
• Bachelor’s degree required.
• Demonstrated success building long‑term pipelines, developing client relationships, and supporting strategic growth initiatives.
• Experience implementing and managing CRM systems (Hub Spot or similar) to track opportunities and relationships.
• Strong strategic thinking, communication, and relationship‑building skills with the ability to influence technical professionals and leadership teams.
• Familiarity with North Carolina development markets and active participation in relevant industry networks preferred.

Each individual’s background, knowledge, ability, and experience contributes to strengthening our organization and projects. Our dedication to diversity includes company provided training and education, equitable recruitment, a grassroots employee DEI committee, and robust community partnerships.

Progressive Companies is comprised of people with a variety of abilities, races, colors, religions, genders, sexual orientations, national origins, ages, veteran statuses, and more. As an equal opportunity employer, we believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential elements of innovative design. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform essential job functions.

Transforming Spaces. Empowering People.

The talented professionals of Progressive Companies are designers of a bold new future, creating high‑performance structures and pathways, delivering on today’s needs and preparing for what’s to come. We live by the idea that design isn’t simply about beauty, it’s about improving strategic outcomes—what we call Performance Based Design. Our work spans across the nation, allowing team members to work on a variety of exciting projects and maximize impact as trusted partners to our clients and communities.

We are dedicated to human‑centered, sustainable, and inclusive design practices. We believe diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to building trust, respect, and truly innovative design making spaces welcoming and accessible to all. Our sustainability approach embraces the AIA 2030 Commitment, together with a range of high performance, restorative, and regenerative strategies with a focus on climate responsive results…