Business Development Lead - Water

GHD Group Pty Ltd•Houston, TX

8h•Hybrid

About The Position

Water shapes every community, every ecosystem, and every future. As floods, droughts, and storms become more frequent and severe, the need for bold, resilient water solutions has never been greater. At GHD, we’re reimagining what’s possible, partnering with clients to anticipate change, safeguard resources, and create lasting impact. Join a diverse, purpose-driven team of water professionals who are leading from the front, solving complex challenges, and inspiring sustainable outcomes for generations to come. Here, you’ll tap into a global network of experts and decades of experience to deliver projects that honor nature, strengthen communities, and secure a healthier future for all. In response to steady growth within our Water/Wastewater business, our Central Region Water group is looking to bring onboard a motivated Relationship Manager to oversee the expansion of GHD’s Water business in the Metropolitan Houston area. As a Client Relationship Manager, you will be a seller/doer, leading GHD pursuits of traditional and collaborative delivery projects for public clients responsible for safe and reliable water resources (drinking water, wastewater, and stormwater). To better serve our clients and foster collaboration, this position will be based in our future Metro-Houston office. Come plan and implement sales to specific, existing major accounts where growing relationships, identifying opportunities, and utilizing account management skills are critical. The role requires full knowledge of water and wastewater, along with a strong understanding of the client's objectives and challenges. In an ever-changing world, it requires creativity and innovation to stay ahead. We’re seeking the curious, those who are stimulated by fresh thinking and a desire to shape our communities in new, positive ways. As part of a truly global team, working on complex and rewarding projects, you'll be at the forefront of driving change. See what the power of commitment can do for you. Working with an energetic and high performing team, this position offers a variety of duties and will see you involved in:

Requirements

Professional Engineer (PE) license in Texas
15 + years of experience in the water, wastewater process or conveyance infrastructure field along with strong experience working with municipal clients.
Proven experience delivering water projects within the Houston Metro area.
Strong client focus with at least 5 years serving municipal clients in Metro-Houston preferred (i.e. City of Houston, Harris County, Montgomery County, Galveston County, Waller County) and (Demonstrated experience with Houston Metropolitan area clients a plus).
A Seller/Doer with strong business development, proposal preparation and marketing skills.

Nice To Haves

Demonstrated experience with Houston Metropolitan area clients a plus

Responsibilities

Lead Key Accounts: Manage and grow relationships with priority municipal and utility clients. Serve as a trusted advisor by understanding their strategic needs and connecting them to GHD’s full capabilities.
Build Trusted Partnerships: Develop and implement account plans that strengthen long-term client relationships, ensure satisfaction, and align with GHD’s regional growth objectives.
Shape Client Solutions: Engage directly with decision-makers to clarify needs, identify opportunities, and present tailored service offerings that deliver value and advance community outcomes.
Champion Client Experience: Act as the client’s advocate across internal teams, ensuring seamless delivery, proactive communication, and a culture of responsiveness and accountability.
Expand Market Presence: Network across the Houston metro water and infrastructure community, attend industry forums, lead proposal development, and contribute to pursuit strategies that enhance GHD’s visibility and market share.
Leverage CRM Intelligence: Maintain accurate client and opportunity data in Salesforce (or equivalent system) to support transparent, data-driven business development.
Invest in Growth: Pursue ongoing professional development—through training, mentorship, and industry engagement—to deepen your technical, commercial, and leadership capabilities.
Personal Capability Building: Act as subject matter expert in an area of technology, policy, regulation, or operational management for the team. Maintain external accreditations and in-depth understanding of current and emerging external regulation and industry best practices through continuing professional development, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.
Key Account Management: Ensure quality service and profitable business growth by managing a portfolio of complex customer relationships and/or a small team of account managers.
Sell Customer Propositions: Configure a complex product-and-services solution and associated contractual terms that meet the customer's mid- to long-term needs, taking input from relevant internal specialists. Present the solution to customer representatives and negotiate agreement within a predefined range of commercial parameters, or, alternately, review sales proposals from team members and authorize those that deviate from standard terms, escalating issues to senior management where appropriate.
Operational Compliance: Maintain and renew a deep knowledge and understanding of the organization's policies and procedures and of relevant regulatory codes and codes of conduct, and ensure own work adheres to required standards. Or identify, within the team, patterns of noncompliance with the organization's policies and procedures and with relevant regulatory codes and codes of conduct, taking appropriate action to report and resolve these and escalating issues as appropriate.
Customer Relationship Management / Account Management: Develop and implement relationship management plans for complex existing customer accounts to identify and build relationships with relevant decision-makers and influencers within the customer organization and to enable effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues. Manage ongoing relationships with identified customer segments to ensure their needs are met, providing themes, summary analyses, and recommendations for changes based on customer input.