Associate Director - Market Development Lead

APEM Ltd; Manchester; On-site; GBP 70,000 - GBP 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading environmental consultancy in Manchester seeks an Associate Director – Market Development Lead to shape market growth and strategy in marine infrastructure. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in project delivery within marine or coastal infrastructure, strong client engagement skills, and the ability to develop impactful market strategies. This role offers competitive pay and flexible working arrangements, along with opportunities for personal and professional growth within a collaborative environment.

Benefits

Private medical insurance

Flexible working options

Access to mental health support

Income protection benefits

Qualifications

• Proven experience in marine infrastructure projects.
• Strong understanding of client needs and market drivers.
• Ability to identify and capitalize on market opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Lead market growth strategies for marine infrastructure.
• Coordinate market activities and support bid preparation.
• Work with technical specialists to maximize business opportunities.

Skills

Client relationship management

Commercial acumen

Delivery experience in marine infrastructure

Tender writing

Networking in marine sector

Job description

About The Role

Do you enjoy spotting where a market is heading before everyone else catches up? Are you at your best when turning insight, relationships and credibility into real opportunities? Are you looking for a senior role where you can genuinely shape growth, not just respond to it?

APEM Group are looking for an Associate Director – Market Development Lead to take a clear, focused lead, building on our strong legacy in marine infrastructure consenting and impact assessment as we look to diversify and grow into adjacent, high-value markets.

You’ll work closely with the Divisional Director, Client Engagement & Marketing team, and technical leaders across the APEM Group to help establish action plans, coordinate market activity, position for and capture new project opportunities and support/inform the planning and preparation of bids and tenders. You’ll work closely with technical specialists across the Group to maximise opportunities for cross-sector business development.

You’ll lead the development and execution of market growth and diversification strategies for the Marine Infrastructure Services (MIS) division, with a particular focus on subsea cables (interconnectors and fibre optics), ports and harbours, coastal infrastructure, and oil & gas (especially decommissioning). Alongside this, you’ll help maximise opportunities adjacent to our established offshore wind strengths, including FLOW, due diligence and decommissioning-related work.

This is not a pure sales role. It’s a role for someone with real delivery experience in marine or coastal infrastructure who understands what clients need, what can actually be delivered, and how to turn that into sustainable growth.

You will define and deliver clear, go-to-market strategies for priority marine infrastructure segments, backed by a stronger, more diverse opportunity pipeline and measurable revenue growth. You’ll be establishing an increasingly visible and credible position in new markets, enabling joined-up delivery and growth across the APEM Group.

You’ll have:

• Proven experience delivering projects within the marine infrastructure or related sectors, with a strong understanding of market drivers, client needs, and real‑world delivery challenges.
• A track record in writing tenders, presenting to clients and contributing to service growth, ideally built on hands‑on industry experience rather than pure business development.
• Strong commercial acumen, with the ability to support business planning, quantify opportunities, and understand the commercial implications of delivery.
• Excellent client relationship management and communication skills, grounded in credibility built through sector experience.
• An established and well-networked profile within the UK environmental and marine and coastal infrastructure sector
• Ability to identify, evaluate and capitalise on emerging market opportunities, underpinned by sector knowledge and practical insight into what is deliverable.
• Demonstrated ability to rapidly reassess and redirect effort in response to new market intelligence.

Bonus points for:

• Broader knowledge of marine‑related infrastructure markets, which may include renewable energy, subsea cables and transmission, ports and shipping, coastal defence and, where relevant, oil & gas transition activities.
• International experience
• Confidence in discussing cross‑sector innovations and evolving market themes with senior clients
• Consultancy experience with significant exposure to Business Development
• Chartered membership of a relevant professional body (e.g., IMarEST, IEMA, ICE, CIWEM, RICS).

You’ll be joining at a point where your influence will genuinely matter. This role offers the opportunity to shape markets, services and teams — not just respond to demand — within a growing consultancy known for technical excellence, collaboration and integrity.

You will be offered the chance to work on a variety of projects, many of our employees have worked on projects that have been of personal interest to them. We match this with a commitment to continuous development and learning to support your career. We also offer benefits to look after you, from private medical insurance for all employees, access to mental health first aiders and comprehensive income protection if you cannot work. We also offer superb flexible working options, balancing work with your life.

Next steps

We are focused on creating a diverse and inclusive team. If you can’t tick every box on our job description, then we are still keen to hear from you and are open to supporting your development. That may be working part time or supporting you to gain experience in a specific area – we are a growing company and are able to adapt roles to reflect individual skills.

If you think you have what it takes to join our fast-growing business, then please apply immediately on our website. All we need some basic information and your CV, we will review all applications quickly and will respond to all applications.

About Us

The APEM Group is a global environmental consultancy, we work with a range of clients including large corporations and governments to help themunderstand and solvea wide variety of environmental projects in the UK andglobally.

Our successful pioneering work has enabled usto grow and combine forces with other businesses who share our ethos andintegrity. At our core, our people are working towardsthe protection of the environment across the globe.