Strategy and Business Development Specialist

Overview of Job

• The Strategy and Business Development Specialist is responsible for supporting the organisation’s strategic planning, market research, business growth, and commercial development initiatives.
• The role involves identifying new business opportunities, analysing market trends, evaluating potential clients and partnerships, supporting bid and proposal development, and providing strategic insights to improve the company’s competitive position and commercial performance.

Roles and Responsibilities
Strategic Planning and Business Performance:

• Support the development, review, and implementation of the organisation’s strategic plans, business objectives, and growth initiatives.
• Conduct strategic assessments to identify business priorities, market opportunities, competitive challenges, and areas for organisational improvement.
• Analyse business performance data, market developments, and commercial indicators to provide insights that support management decision-making.
• Assist in translating strategic objectives into actionable business plans, initiatives, milestones, and performance targets.
• Monitor progress against strategic objectives and prepare periodic reports highlighting achievements, gaps, risks, and recommended corrective actions.
• Conduct research and analysis to assess potential new markets, service offerings, geographic expansion opportunities, and business diversification initiatives.
• Support management in evaluating strategic alternatives and prioritising initiatives based on commercial potential, resource requirements, and organisational objectives.

Market Research and Competitive Intelligence:

• Conduct market research to identify industry trends, customer needs, emerging opportunities, and developments within the construction, engineering, contracting, oil and gas, and related sectors.
• Monitor competitor activities, market positioning, service offerings, pricing approaches, and business strategies to identify opportunities for competitive differentiation.
• Identify potential clients, projects, tenders, industry stakeholders, and commercial opportunities relevant to the organisation’s capabilities.
• Gather and analyse information from industry reports, public procurement notices, client websites, market databases, industry events, and other credible sources.
• Prepare market intelligence reports, competitor analyses, opportunity assessments, and research summaries for management review.
• Maintain an up-to-date database of prospective clients, target markets, industry contacts, and potential business opportunities.
• Provide recommendations on market entry, customer targeting, service positioning, and business development priorities based on research findings.

Business Development and Opportunity Management:

• Identify, assess, and develop new business opportunities aligned with the organisation’s strategic objectives, technical capabilities, and commercial interests.
• Monitor tender announcements, requests for proposals, expressions of interest, prequalification opportunities, and other relevant business opportunities.
• Maintain a business development pipeline and track opportunities from initial identification through qualification, proposal submission, negotiation, and contract award.
• Conduct preliminary opportunity assessments to evaluate client requirements, project scope, commercial potential, strategic fit, and key risks.
• Coordinate with engineering, finance, procurement, project management, and other relevant teams to assess the organisation’s capability and readiness to pursue identified opportunities.
• Support the preparation of opportunity briefs, business cases, commercial presentations, and management recommendations.
• Maintain accurate records of business development activities, opportunity status, client engagements, proposal deadlines, and outcomes.
• Follow up on submitted proposals and maintain visibility of pending decisions, client feedback, and potential next steps.

Bid Management and Proposal Development:

• Coordinate the preparation of bids, tenders, expressions of interest, prequalification submissions, and commercial proposals in collaboration with relevant departments.
• Review tender documents and client requirements to identify submission conditions, eligibility criteria, deliverables, deadlines, and evaluation requirements.
• Coordinate the collection of technical, commercial, financial, legal, and corporate documentation required for bid submissions.
• Support the development of proposal narratives, company profiles, capability statements, presentations, and other business development materials.
• Work with engineering and project teams to ensure that proposed solutions, project methodologies, and technical deliverables align with client requirements.
• Liaise with finance and other relevant teams to obtain pricing inputs, cost estimates, commercial assumptions, and supporting information for proposals.
• Maintain a bid and tender register, monitor submission timelines, and ensure that required approvals and documentation are obtained before submission.
• Track bid outcomes and support post-submission reviews to identify lessons learned and opportunities to improve future proposal quality and competitiveness.

Client Relationship Management and Strategic Partnerships:

• Identify and engage prospective clients, strategic partners, consultants, contractors, suppliers, and other stakeholders relevant to the organisation’s business objectives.
• Support the development and maintenance of professional relationships with existing and prospective clients to strengthen business opportunities and promote repeat engagements.
• Coordinate client meetings, business presentations, follow-up communications, and other relationship management activities.
• Maintain accurate records of client interactions, meeting outcomes, commercial discussions, commitments, and follow-up actions.
• Identify opportunities for strategic alliances, joint ventures, consortium arrangements, and partnerships that may strengthen the organisation’s market position or technical capabilities.
• Support the evaluation of potential contracts and projects against the organisation’s strategic priorities, operational capacity, and risk appetite.
• Conduct preliminary assessments of potential partners based on strategic fit, relevant experience, capabilities, reputation, and commercial considerations.
• Support the preparation and review of partnership proposals, capability presentations, memoranda of understanding, and other business development documentation in collaboration with the relevant departments.
• Monitor client feedback and industry developments to identify opportunities for improved service delivery, customer satisfaction, and long-term commercial relationships.

Commercial Analysis and Business Case Development:

• Conduct preliminary financial and commercial analyses to assess the viability, attractiveness, and potential returns of identified business opportunities.
• Support the preparation of business cases, feasibility assessments, revenue projections, cost-benefit analyses, and commercial evaluation reports.
• Analyse available market data, historical business performance, pricing information, and project assumptions to support opportunity evaluation.
• Work with finance and project teams to obtain relevant cost estimates, budget assumptions, resource requirements, and financial inputs for commercial assessments.
• Assess key commercial risks, including competitive pressures, client concentration, project delivery constraints, payment risks, and changes in market conditions.
• Prepare reports and presentations summarising commercial findings, assumptions, risks, and recommendations for management consideration.
• Maintain appropriate documentation of analytical assumptions, data sources, and evaluation outcomes to support transparency and informed decision-making.

Stakeholder Collaboration, Reporting and Continuous Improvement:

• Collaborate with management and cross-functional teams to ensure that business development activities align with organisational priorities and operational capabilities.
• Prepare periodic business development reports covering pipeline performance, tender activity, proposal conversion, new client engagements, and emerging market opportunities.
• Develop and maintain business development trackers, market intelligence databases, opportunity registers, and performance dashboards.
• Monitor relevant business development indicators and recommend improvements to opportunity identification, bid management, client engagement, and commercial reporting processes.
• Support the preparation of management presentations, strategic review documents, and business performance reports.
• Maintain the confidentiality of commercially sensitive information, client records, strategic plans, and business proposals.
• Ensure that business development activities comply with company policies, approved processes, ethical business practices, and applicable regulatory requirements.
• Perform other relevant strategy and business development duties as assigned by the line manager.

Key Requirements
Qualifications:

• Minimum of a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Economics, Finance, Marketing, Management, Engineering, or a related discipline.
• A postgraduate qualification in Business Administration, Strategic Management, or a related field is an advantage.

Work Experience:

• 5–10 years of relevant experience in strategy, business development, market research, commercial analysis, bid management, or a related role.
• Experience identifying business opportunities, conducting market research, preparing business proposals, and supporting strategic planning initiatives is preferred.
• Experience within the construction, engineering, EPC, oil and gas, infrastructure, or related sectors is an advantage.
• Experience coordinating tender submissions, managing opportunity pipelines, preparing commercial reports, and engaging prospective clients is desirable.

Technical Skills:

• Good understanding of strategic planning, business development processes, market analysis, and commercial opportunity assessment.
• Ability to conduct market research, competitor analysis, industry assessments, and business opportunity mapping.
• Strong analytical skills, including the ability to interpret business data, assess commercial trends, and develop evidence-based recommendations.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, Word, and PowerPoint for data analysis, reporting, proposal preparation, and management presentations.
• Knowledge of the construction, engineering, contracting, oil and gas, or infrastructure sectors is desirable.
• Familiarity with financial modelling, business case development, cost-benefit analysis, and commercial evaluation techniques.
• Understanding of tendering processes, bid management, proposal development, prequalification requirements, and contract acquisition processes.
• Ability to develop business reports, client presentations, capability statements, and strategic planning documents.
• Familiarity with customer relationship management (CRM) systems, business development trackers, and reporting dashboards is an advantage.
• Strong written and verbal communication, negotiation, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Knowledge Requirements:

• Knowledge of strategic planning principles, business growth strategies, market research methodologies, and competitive analysis.
• Understanding of business development pipelines, opportunity qualification, client relationship management, and partnership development.
• Familiarity with tendering procedures, requests for proposals, prequalification processes, commercial documentation, and bid submission requirements.
• Understanding of basic financial analysis, revenue projections, cost-benefit analysis, and commercial risk assessment.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, particularly Excel and PowerPoint; familiarity with CRM systems and business intelligence tools is an advantage.
• Knowledge of the construction, engineering, contracting, oil and gas, or infrastructure market and its commercial environment is desirable.
• Ability to synthesise complex information, develop practical recommendations, communicate effectively with stakeholders, and maintain confidentiality.

Professional Certification / Affiliations:

• Relevant professional certification or training in business development, strategic management, project management, marketing, market research, or business analysis is an advantage.
• Membership of a recognised professional body relevant to business management, marketing, strategy, or project management is desirable.

Competencies Required:

• Strategic Thinking and Business Acumen.
• Market Research and Competitive Analysis.
• Business Development and Opportunity Identification.
• Commercial Analysis and Decision-Making.
• Planning, Organising and Results Orientation.
• Problem-Solving and Analytical Thinking.
• Integrity, Confidentiality and Professional Judgement.
• Writing, Reporting and Presentation Skills.
• Relationship Building and Stakeholder Management.
• Initiative, Innovation and Continuous Improvement.

Application Closing Date
31st October, 2026

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should send their CV to: [email protected] using the Job Title as the subject of the email.

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