Lead, Corporate Business Development Specialist

American Water•Camden, NJ

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Lead, Corporate Business Development Specialist serves as a key strategic contributor responsible for independently coordinating, communicating, and advancing acquisition initiatives aligned with American Water’s growth objectives. This role leads the development, writing, and management of complex RFP and bid responses, ensuring all submissions are persuasive, compliant, and delivered with minimal supervision. Additionally, the position produces high‑quality external communications that strengthen American American Water’s market presence, support strategic priorities, and effectively position growth opportunities across target audiences. This role will be Hybrid with 3 days in the office and 2 days work from home.

Requirements

Deep knowledge of end to end proposal development (intake, compliance matrices, win themes, storyboarding, color reviews, production, submission).
Working knowledge of pipeline management, opportunity qualification, competitive analysis, pricing narratives, and value proposition design.
Understanding of the regulatory environment impacting acquisitions and service delivery preferred.
Familiarity with confidentiality, conflict of interest, and data handling protocols; ability to maintain audit ready documentation.
Understanding of brand architecture, tone of voice, and message discipline across channels.
Advanced written and excellent verbal communication skills, including proficiency in drafting RFP responses and developing presentations.
Excellent interpersonal skills (e.g., persuasion, listening, cooperation, diplomacy, problem solving, and internal consulting).
Strong project management skills (e.g., planning, organizing, directing, monitoring, and reporting on project activities).
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
Ability to work both individually and within a team environment.
Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite including PowerPoint, Word, and SharePoint.
Demonstrated ability to prioritize and re-prioritize quickly, multi-task, and meet strict deadlines while maintaining high-quality standards.
Bachelor’s degree in Communications, Marketing, English or related field.
Relevant work experience in lieu of degree may be considered.
With a bachelor’s degree, 8+ years’ experience in communications or marketing.
Without a bachelor’s degree, 14+ years’ experience in communications or marketing.
Proven experience in developing bid/proposal responses and managing complex projects.
Experience working in a regulated industry or utility sector preferred.
This role involves regular written communication. As part of the recruitment process all finalist candidates will be asked to submit a writing exercise.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary writer for high‑quality, persuasive, and fully compliant bid and proposal responses, letters of intent, and related materials—consistently delivering polished content with minimal oversight.
Develop and refine bid response templates to streamline future submissions.
Lead continuous improvement efforts by independently identifying opportunities to enhance processes, templates, and workflows, and by implementing best‑practice standards for the bid and proposal function.
Write, edit, and produce quarterly external newsletters for American Water’s regulated states, regularly achieving engagement rates that exceed industry benchmarks.
Support State Business Development growth initiatives by independently creating strategic, deal‑specific collateral—including one‑pagers, educational content, presentations, and talking points—that effectively position American Water as a trusted solutions provider.
Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with acquisition and origination stakeholders to ensure seamless communication and alignment on key priorities.
Manage partnerships across assigned business areas, ensuring timely delivery of high‑quality projects and continually driving improvements in content development and communication processes.
Proactively identify risks, issues, or improvement opportunities and escalate them with clear, concise recommendations.
Perform additional writing, communication, and project responsibilities as needed, demonstrating agility and the ability to operate with limited supervision.