Business Development Director
Kansas City (Leawood, Kansas) On-Site with Regional Travel
Russell is an award-winning general contractor and real estate development firm providing construction leadership and development for complex commercial projects across industrial, manufacturing, office, retail, health care, higher education, K-12, and government markets. Ranked #240 on the ENR Top 400, Russell has delivered more than $7 billion in projects across 34 states since its founding in 1983.
Headquartered in Davenport, Iowa, with regional offices in St. Louis and Springfield, Missouri, and Leawood, Kansas, Russell team members live where they work — a commitment that fuels the company's culture of building great people, relationships, and communities.
Ask our team members what they value most about Russell, and culture tops the list. Employees describe Russell as more flexible than any place they've worked — supported, empowered to do their best work, and backed by real career development. Russell's reputation for culture, flexibility, and growth makes it a place to build a career, not just take a job.
As the Business Development Leader for our Kansas City region, you will drive new business opportunities, cultivate long-term client relationships, and align business development, preconstruction, and operations teams — with particular focus on the manufacturing and industrial sectors. You won't wait for the market to hand you opportunities; you'll proactively build a pipeline of new and repeat business and serve as a key ambassador for Russell's value proposition throughout the region.
Lead Generation & Pipeline Development
- Identify and pursue project opportunities through proactive networking, industry engagement, and strategic partnerships.
- Build and maintain a robust pipeline of qualified leads using strategic account planning and sales pipeline management tools.
- Follow a proven sales process: prospecting, qualifying, targeting, identifying customer needs, developing value propositions, presenting solutions, and closing the sale.
Value Proposition & Market Positioning
- Define and articulate Russell's capabilities and differentiators in the market.
- Partner with marketing and strategy teams to develop compelling proposals, presentations, and thought leadership content.
- Maintain current knowledge of marketplace issues, industry trends, competitive intelligence, and public policy affecting the region.
Key Account Management
- Build and nurture relationships with key clients to secure repeat business and expand market share.
- Serve as the primary point of contact for strategic accounts, ensuring an exceptional client experience.
- Quickly establish credible relationships with executive-level buyers at middle-market corporations and agencies.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner with regional operations and preconstruction teams to implement strategic plans that generate business opportunities and achieve revenue objectives.
- Provide market intelligence and feedback to inform pricing strategy, resource planning, and operational readiness.
- Lead cross-functional teams as needed to complete a sale.
Brand Ambassadorship
- Participate in industry and community organizations, representing Russell's brand throughout the Kansas City region.
- Make decisions grounded in Russell's long-term growth philosophy and core values.
- Bachelor's degree in Business, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field.
- 5+ years of business development / sales experience; 10+ years and a proven record securing large-scale projects preferred.
- Business development experience within construction, particularly manufacturing and industrial markets, strongly preferred.
- Proven track record developing new business and long-term client relationships.
- Established business and community relationships in the Kansas City region.
- Strong understanding of construction processes, preconstruction planning, and operational execution.
- Exceptional communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills.
- Formal sales training and experience with client management/CRM software is a plus.
- Ability and willingness to travel overnight for conferences and client meetings as needed.
- Must possess and maintain a valid driver's license in good standing.
- Annual revenue growth across target market sectors.
- Pipeline development and lead-to-win conversion rates.
- Client satisfaction and repeat business.
- Contribution to strategic initiatives and regional market positioning.
At Russell, you're not just building projects — you're building great people, relationships, and communities. If you're a self-starter who thrives on creating opportunity rather than waiting for it, we'd like to hear from you.
Russell is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
