Business Development Manager at X-Force Engineering Limited

Job Purpose / Role Summary

The Business Development Manager is responsible for driving the commercial growth of X-Force Engineering Limited by identifying and securing new business opportunities, managing client relationships, and positioning the company for contract awards across the engineering and construction market. The role holder leads two specialist units — Tendering & Proposals and Client Relationship Management — ensuring that X-Force Engineering maintains a strong project pipeline, submits competitive and compelling bids, and retains and grows its client base. The Business Development Manager works closely with the Managing Director, CTO, and Head of PMO to align commercial strategy with the company’s technical capabilities and delivery capacity.

Key Responsibilities & Duties

• Develop and execute X-Force Engineering’s annual business development strategy and commercial plan, identifying, tracking, and qualifying new opportunities across public sector, private sector, oil & gas, real estate, and infrastructure markets in Nigeria
• Lead and oversee the Tendering & Proposals Unit, ensuring all tender submissions, EOIs, RFPs, and pre-qualification documents are technically robust, commercially competitive, fully compliant, and submitted on time — with a target bid conversion rate of 25% or above
• Lead and oversee the Client Relationship Management Unit, ensuring proactive and consistent engagement with existing and prospective clients, maintaining high client satisfaction scores, generating repeat business, and identifying cross-selling and upselling opportunities across the client portfolio
• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key decision-makers in government agencies, private developers, oil & gas companies, multilateral organisations, and potential joint venture partners, personally leading engagement on major contract pursuits
• Coordinate with the CTO, Head of PMO, Finance, and Legal teams to produce technically and commercially sound bid submissions, and negotiate contract terms with clients in alignment with the company’s risk and commercial policy
• Report to the Managing Director on BD pipeline performance, tender outcomes, client account status, and market intelligence, maintaining a live opportunity register and ensuring the company’s pre-qualifications and statutory registrations are always current

Minimum Qualifications

• B.Sc. or B.Eng. in Business Administration, Marketing, Civil or Mechanical Engineering, Quantity Surveying, or related field from an accredited institution — Minimum
• MBA or M.Sc. in Business Development, Marketing, Strategy, or Engineering Management — Strong Advantage
• Membership of a relevant professional body (NIM, NIMN, NSE, NIQS) — Advantage

Required Certifications & Licences

• MBA or M.Sc. in a relevant discipline — Strongly Preferred
• PMP or PRINCE2 Certification — Advantage
• NIM (Nigerian Institute of Management) or NIMN Membership — Advantage
• CRM Software Proficiency (Salesforce, HubSpot, or equivalent) — Required
• Advanced Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint) — Required

Experience Requirements

• Minimum of 8 to 12 years experience in business development, commercial management, or sales within the engineering, construction, or infrastructure sector in Nigeria
• Proven track record of winning tenders and securing contracts from both public and private sector clients, with demonstrable experience managing the full bid lifecycle from opportunity identification to contract award
• Demonstrated experience managing and developing a BD or commercial team, including proposal writers and client relationship officers
• Strong network within the Nigerian engineering and construction market, including relationships with government procurement officers, private developers, and industry stakeholders
• Experience with Nigerian public procurement processes and BPP requirements, and familiarity with reading and interpreting engineering scopes of work, BOQs, and contract terms

Key Competencies & Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills — able to craft compelling proposals, present persuasively to clients, and represent X-Force Engineering with credibility at senior levels
• Strong commercial acumen — pricing strategy, contract negotiation, risk assessment, and revenue forecasting
• Outstanding relationship-building and networking skills, with a client-centric mindset and the ability to maintain trusted long-term partnerships
• Strategic thinking and market analysis — ability to identify growth opportunities, assess competitive positioning, and adapt BD strategy to changing market conditions
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities — able to direct, motivate, and hold accountable the Tendering & Proposals and CRM units
• Resilience, drive, and a results-oriented mindset with the ability to manage multiple simultaneous pursuits and deadlines without compromising quality

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

• BD pipeline value maintained at minimum 3x annual revenue target at all times
• Bid conversion rate of 25% or above; minimum of 6 tender submissions per quarter
• Client retention rate of 85% or above year-on-year across the active client portfolio
• All company pre-qualifications, statutory registrations, and capability documents maintained as current with zero lapses
• Monthly BD performance report submitted to the Managing Director by the last Friday of each month
• Client satisfaction score of 80% or above per quarterly client survey across managed accounts