Business Development Director

Reporting to the President, Aqua Virginia, the Director, Business Development (BD) plays a critical role in developing a pipeline of municipal acquisition opportunities to grow Aqua Virginia's water and wastewater services in desired geographical areas. This individual will leverage their existing business contacts and establish new relationships to uncover opportunities to acquire water and wastewater assets.  The Director, Business Development (BD) will be responsible for prospecting for new business, leading the due diligence process, financial analysis, and negotiation of acquisitions.   

At Aqua, a subsidiary of Essential Utilities, Inc., we know that water is a precious resource – one that plays a critical role in sustaining life. That’s why we take seriously our mission: protecting and providing Earth’s most essential resource. At Aqua, we are guided by a set of principles that embody the character of our company and inspire our work together. They are embedded within our business practices and our behavior. We are proud to be united by integrity, respect, and the pursuit of excellence to be the best we can be for the customers and communities we serve. 

Together, the women and men of Aqua, a subsidiary of Essential Utilities, Inc. serve 1 million customers across eight states. Aqua uses science, technology, capital investments, and amazing talent to provide communities with clean, safe drinking water and responsibly return wastewater to our rivers and streams. Join our team and make a difference!

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Develop and sustain relationships with municipal leaders and key stakeholders to generate acquisition opportunities for Aqua Virginia
• Target, approach and engage with prospective targets to “sell” Aqua’s value proposition
• Maintain a robust pipeline of opportunities by prospecting new opportunities and managing existing opportunities through the business development process
• Partner with all primary functional areas of the organization in the pursuit and development of potential acquisitions including Finance, Engineering, Operations, Environmental Compliance, Human Resources and Legal. 
  • Manage the proposal process and ensuring that all requirements have been satisfied so that a deal can be submitted.
  • Advocate for approval of his/her deals through the Aqua America Investment Committee.  This position will provide significant exposure to senior leaders within Essential 
• Coordinate activities with external lawyers, advisors, accountants, and consultants to successfully consummate a transaction.
• Liaise with elected and appointed officials, state agencies (i.e. VA Public Utilities Commission,

QUALIFICATIONS:

• 5 years or more experience assisting organization(s) with generating new business opportunities, acquisitions, or joint ventures.  Alternate high-demand career experiences will also be considered.
• Bachelor’s degree preferably in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance, or Engineering required. (MBA a plus)
• Demonstrate a successful track record in business development or consultative selling
• Experience with municipalities or utilities is a strong positive, but not required.  Experience with civil engineering/land development would also be beneficial.
• Previous experience with CMR (i.e. Salesforce) is desired, but not required 

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Results oriented with a strong desire to win
• Be highly motivated and possess vision and enthusiasm; can easily function in a high demand, performance-driven environment.
• General knowledge of the water supply and wastewater market in Virginia is a strong positive, but not required.
• Effective verbal and written presentation and communication skills. Well versed in making presentations and thinking on his / her feet.  
• Mastery of Microsoft PowerPoint and Excel is critical to this role.  
• Superior analytical abilities including advanced knowledge of financial and valuation techniques is desired.
• Ability to identify and address cross-functional issues that may be relevant to completing or implementing acquisitions and alliances. 
• Excellent written and verbal communications skills; communicate effectively (clearly, concisely, and professionally) with internal customers
• A team player able to work effectively in a team fostered multi-tasking environment

WORKING CONDITIONS/PHYSICAL DEMANDS:

• Perform sedentary work- exerting up to 20 pounds of force occasionally, and/or a negligible amount of force frequently or constantly to lift, carry, push, pull, or otherwise move objects, including the human body. Sedentary work involves sitting most of the time.
• Working conditions include travel to work sites of Essential Utilities and/or other constituents – Company vehicle is provided.
• Travel Requirements up to 50% (with occasional overnight travel required)               

Aqua, a subsidiary of Essential Utilities, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity / Affirmative Action employer. Equal employment opportunity is provided to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to the following legally protected characteristics: race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions, including medical conditions related to lactation), physical or mental disability, covered-veteran status, genetic information (including testing and characteristics), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression or any other characteristic protected by applicable local, state or federal law.

Aqua, a subsidiary of Essential Utilities, Inc. is committed to providing reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities.  If you have a condition that may prevent you from applying for a job online or need to request an accommodation during the interview process, please call (1-877-271-9012). 

TO APPLY: AQUA AMERICA