Business Development Manager

Mott MacDonald; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering consultancy based in Bristol seeks a Business Development Manager to enhance growth in Nuclear Defence and Civil portfolios. You will engage with key clients and lead complex bids while managing a team of 30 staff. A degree is required alongside experience in regulated environments. The position offers a hybrid working policy and various benefits including pension contributions, life assurance, and extensive leave options.

Benefits

Pension contributions

Life assurance up to 4x salary

Private medical insurance

Flexible benefits

Learning and development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven experience in business development within nuclear, defence or similarly regulated environments.
• Strong track record of leading complex, high-value bids.
• Comfortable working in security environments and handling sensitive information.

Responsibilities

• Lead business development activity across Nuclear Defence markets.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients and government bodies.
• Own and lead complex bids, ensuring successful delivery.

Skills

Business development

Client relationship management

Bid leadership

Team management

Commercial awareness

Education

Degree qualified or equivalent professional experience

Job description

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit

The Energy unit delivers services to clients globally across several sectors including hydropower, nuclear, waste, renewable generation and transmission & distribution networks. Together we provide integrated engineering and project management services across the project lifecycle – from concept and design to construction and operations, to decommissioning or repowering and life extension. Together with our clients, we’re helping to deliver the energy transition globally.

Overview of the role

We have an opportunity for a Business Development Manager to lead business development and bid activity across our Nuclear Defence and Nuclear Civil portfolios. Based in our Bristol office, this role plays a key part in shaping growth across regulated, security critical programmes, combining external client engagement, bid leadership and people management.

You will lead defined workstreams within the Nuclear - Defence and Civil division, building strong client relationships, identifying and capturing high value opportunities, and ensuring client-focused delivery. The role also includes line management responsibilities and a leadership presence within the Bristol office, supporting team performance, communications and collaboration.

Key responsibilities and duties include:

• Lead business development activity across the Nuclear Defence (and occasionally Nuclear Civil) market, from early engagement through to contract award
• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, government bodies, primes and delivery partners
• Own and lead (if necessary) complex bids, including win strategy, governance, submission and post-bid review
• Manage and co-ordinate (if necessary) multi-disciplinary bid teams across technical, commercial, finance and delivery functions
• Provide line management and day to day leadership for team members within the Bristol office, some 30 staff
• Develop and implement market, client and engagement plans aligned to wider growth strategy
• Identify emerging themes and opportunities across the nuclear defence landscape
• Influence client-focused project delivery by working with Key Account Leads on capability and resource needs
• Support tender activity across the civil nuclear portfolio and selected defence programmes
• Contribute to international development opportunities where appropriate
• Proven experience in business development and bid leadership within nuclear, defence or similarly regulated environments
• Strong track record of leading complex, high-value bids across the full lifecycle
• Experience managing multi-disciplinary teams and working within structured bid governance frameworks
• Confident engaging senior stakeholders, clients, government bodies and supply-chain partners
• Commercial awareness, including pricing, risk and contracting models
• Comfortable working in security environments and handling sensitive information
• Able to translate technical capability into clear, client focused value propositions
• Resilient and organised, with experience managing multiple concurrent opportunities
• Experience of line management, mentoring and developing people
• Degree qualified or able to demonstrate equivalent professional experience

Please be advised that offers for this role are conditional upon obtaining the appropriate level of Security Clearance.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at [e-mail] and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

Benefits and wellbeing

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.