Civil Engineer - Moving into Sales Career

Job description

VANRATH are delighted to be recruiting on behalf of a leading manufacturer of innovative infrastructure products for the appointment of a Business Development Manager.

This one is aimed squarely at civil engineers. If you've spent your career on site, in a design office or with a consultancy, and you've started to wonder whether the commercial side might suit you better, this is a genuine route across - with the training and support to make it work. Our client is a market-leading organisation with a strong reputation across the utilities, construction and infrastructure sectors, covering both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Remuneration

• Competitive salary
• £7,500 car allowance
• Up to 20% bonus
• Company pension
• Private healthcare options
• Enhanced annual leave including Christmas shutdown
• Ongoing training and career development opportunities
• Employee wellbeing initiatives
• Enhanced family-friendly policies

The Role

Reporting to the Head of Sales, you will be responsible for driving product specification and commercial growth across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. You'll work closely with contractors, consultants, utilities, merchants and local authorities - getting in early on projects, influencing what gets specified, and building the kind of long-term technical relationships that turn into repeat work.

This is a field-based position requiring regular travel throughout NI & ROI.

Key Responsibilities

• Work with design teams and consultants to encourage product specification during the early design stages of projects.
• Deliver technical presentations, product demonstrations and CPD-style awareness sessions to engineers and specifiers.
• Interpret drawings, specifications and project documentation to identify the right product solution for each scheme.
• Manage a pipeline of projects from early specification through to successful order placement.
• Identify and secure new opportunities across the construction, utilities and infrastructure sectors.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with contractors, consultants, utility providers, merchants and public sector organisations.
• Develop and implement a regional business development strategy to achieve sales and profitability targets.
• Manage existing accounts while developing new business across the territory.
• Promote products through customer meetings and site visits.
• Attend industry exhibitions, networking events and trade shows to strengthen market presence.
• Collaborate with internal sales, technical and operations teams to ensure a seamless customer experience.
• Provide accurate sales forecasts, pipeline updates and market intelligence to senior management.
• Support regional marketing initiatives and product launch activities.
• Maintain accurate CRM records and monitor key sales performance metrics.
• Ensure all activities are completed in accordance with company health and safety standards and compliance procedures.

The Person

• Degree or HNC/HND in Civil Engineering, Structural Engineering or a closely related discipline.
• Experience in civil engineering - contracting, consultancy, design, utilities or local authority. Site or design office background equally welcome.
• Working knowledge of drainage, ducting, cable management or below-ground infrastructure products and how they are specified and installed.
• Confident interpreting technical drawings, specifications and project documentation.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the credibility to hold a technical conversation with engineers and specifiers.
• Commercially curious.. a real interest in the business side of infrastructure, and the motivation to build a career in a customer-facing role.
• Highly organised, self-motivated and comfortable managing your own territory and diary.
• Full UK driving licence with flexibility to travel throughout Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.

Desirable Criteria

• Chartered or working towards chartership (ICE / IStructE).
• Previous exposure to specification-led, technical or project-based sales.. though this is by no means essential.
• Experience working with utilities, framework agreements or local authorities.
• Experience delivering CPD presentations or technical briefings.
• Familiarity with CRM systems and pipeline management software.

Some positive candidate feedback we've received-

''5*'s for Vanrath. They found me a suitable agency post right away, it was a great fit, now I have got the job permanently! Very personable and knowledgeable to deal with and always took the time to understand and help out. Extremely professional service all round.''

''I contacted Vanrath after being laid off by my previous employer. They were fantastic to deal with and found me the perfect role that matched my skill set and experience and within a day or two had an interview lined up. Within the same week I was made a job offer which I happily accepted. So thankful that I contacted Vanrath. Couldn't have asked for a quicker and more professional service.'