Business Development Manager

About the role

We are looking for a Business Development Manager to help CES build customer relationships and win new work across battery storage, solar and data center services.

You will work with CES business development leadership, operations and technical teams to identify opportunities, understand customer needs and develop proposals. The work includes long-term operations and maintenance (O&M) agreements, remote operations services, commissioning support and transactional field services.

You do not need a long sales background to succeed here. We are interested in people who communicate well, follow through and want to learn the commercial side of the business. Experience and existing relationships in renewable energy or data center services is preferred but not required.

Position summary

The Business Development Manager helps move opportunities from the first conversation with the potential customer through proposal, award and handoff to operations. You will develop new contacts, stay close to existing customers and keep opportunities moving with consistent outreach and follow-up. Critically, you will also pursue new customers for CES through various channels, and will have the support of the existing business development team in doing so.

You will work with business development leadership on account strategy and commercial discussions, operations on scope and staffing, technical teams on service requirements, and estimating and legal on pricing and agreements.

This is a hands-on business development role with support from experienced leadership and significant interaction with customers. You should be comfortable starting conversations, asking questions and bringing the right CES people into a discussion when needed.

Key responsibilities

Customer relationships and outreach

• Build relationships with asset owners (including utilities and independent power producers), developers, data center owners and operators, EPC contractors and equipment manufacturers.
• Reach out to prospective customers, introduce CES and arrange meetings.
• Assist the business development team in “closing deals” with prospective customers to generate revenue for CES.
• Stay in regular contact with existing accounts to understand upcoming work and additional service needs.
• Prepare for customer meetings and document priorities, commitments and next steps.

Opportunity development

• Identify opportunities across BESS, solar and data center infrastructure for O&M, remote monitoring, commissioning support, preventive and corrective maintenance, and field services.
• Research upcoming projects, customer portfolios and contract expirations.
• Gather the information needed to evaluate an opportunity, including scope, equipment, location, schedule and procurement requirements.
• Work with CES leadership to prioritize opportunities based on customer needs, operational fit and commercial potential.

Proposals and commercial support

• Coordinate with operations, estimating and technical teams to develop scopes of work and pricing.
• Prepare proposals using CES templates and established approval processes.
• Track RFP requirements, submission deadlines and customer clarification requests.
• Follow up on proposals and help address customer questions.
• Support commercial discussions and contract negotiations with guidance from CES leadership.

Pipeline and reporting

• Keep CRM records current with customer activity, opportunity value, stage, timing and next steps.
• Provide regular updates on active opportunities, expected awards and items requiring support.
• Help maintain realistic forecasts based on customer conversations and project schedules.
• Share customer feedback and market observations with the CES team.

Internal coordination and handoff

• Confirm proposed services and customer commitments with the teams responsible for delivering them.
• Bring operational or commercial concerns forward early.
• Keep the CRM current with accurate account information, opportunity status, customer interactions, and next steps to support reporting, pipeline tracking, and internal handoffs.
• Help hand awarded work over to operations with clear scope, pricing, schedule and customer expectations.
• Stay engaged with customers after award to support the relationship and identify future needs.

Industry engagement

• Represent CES at conferences, networking events, customer meetings and site visits.
• Build familiarity with BESS, solar and data center technologies, service requirements and market activity.
• Work with leadership and marketing to keep customer presentations and capabilities materials relevant.

What we are looking for

• Strong communication skills and an ability to build relationships with different types of people.
• Initiative and comfort reaching out to new contacts.
• Someone who will grow into the role of owning the entire sales life cycle, from securing the initial meeting with the customer to finalizing a customer contract and sales win with the customer.
• Organized person with strong attention to detail and consistent follow-through.
• Willingness to learn CES’s services, ask questions and take guidance.
• Ability to manage multiple opportunities and deadlines while working remotely.
• Comfortable working with Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook, and learning CRM tools.
• Experience in operations, field services, project coordination, customer service, account management or sales is helpful.
• Experience with BESS, solar or data center infrastructure, along with existing industry contacts is preferred but not required.
• Extensive sales experience is not required. We will consider candidates with transferable skills and a strong interest in business development.

What success looks like

• Customers receive timely responses and clear next steps.
• New relationships turn into qualified opportunities and awarded work.
• Begin to demonstrate the ability to lead the full sales lifecycle, from securing customer interaction to contractual closing of CES services with customer.
• Proposals are accurate, coordinated internally and submitted on time.
• CRM records and forecasts reflect what is actually happening with customers.
• Operations receives a clear handoff and can deliver what was promised.
• New team member will gain more industry expertise, take greater ownership and contribute to profitable growth.

What employees can expect from CES

• Fair treatment and opportunities for professional growth.
• Support from business development leadership, operations and technical teams.
• Exposure to customers, including at the very senior levels, and inclusion in all aspects of CES business development efforts.
• Investment in employees who want long-term careers with CES, with clear paths for advancement.
• Annual performance bonuses based on results and tenure.

Location and travel

• Remote, with travel for customer meetings, site visits, industry conferences and CES team meetings.
• Travel will vary based on customer needs and business activity.
• Being located in Houston is a plus.

In addition to federal law requirements, CES complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location in which the company has facilities. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

To the extent permitted by law, employees are subject to periodic random drug testing, and post-accident and reasonable suspicion drug and alcohol testing.