Drinking Water Business Development Director

We are seeking an experienced Drinking Water Business Development Director to lead growth across the drinking water sector. This senior role will be responsible for identifying new market opportunities, developing strategic partnerships, and expanding relationships with public and private water utilities, engineering firms, infrastructure providers, regulators, and other industry stakeholders. You will shape and execute a business development strategy that supports long-term commercial growth while responding to evolving regulatory, environmental, and customer requirements. Key responsibilities will include managing the full business development cycle, from market analysis and lead generation through to opportunity qualification, proposal development, negotiation, and contract award. You will build and maintain a strong pipeline of opportunities, develop account plans for priority customers, and work closely with technical, operational, commercial, and project delivery teams to create compelling solutions. The role will also involve monitoring sector trends, including water quality standards, treatment technologies, network resilience, digitalisation, sustainability, and capital investment programmes. You will represent the business at industry events, conferences, and stakeholder meetings, while preparing clear reports, forecasts, and recommendations for senior leadership. The successful candidate will have substantial experience in business development, sales, consultancy, or commercial leadership within the drinking water, water infrastructure, environmental services, engineering, or utilities sector. A strong understanding of water treatment, distribution networks, regulatory frameworks, and public-sector procurement is highly desirable. You should be commercially astute, confident working with senior stakeholders, and capable of translating complex technical and market information into clear value propositions. Excellent communication, negotiation, presentation, and relationship-building skills are essential, along with a proactive and strategic approach to achieving results. A relevant degree or equivalent professional experience is expected, and familiarity with customer relationship management systems, competitive tendering, and long-term framework agreements would be advantageous.