Director of Business Development (Underground & Dry Utilities)

Arena Staffing has partnered with a confidential Southern California electrical and utility contractor that is hiring a Business Development Manager / Director, Underground & Dry Utilities to help grow an established underground/dry-utility operation and potentially take on broader division leadership.

This is not a traditional electrical construction sales role. The company is looking for a true seller-doer with direct underground/dry-utility experience who can personally open new client relationships, generate measurable revenue, qualify legitimate opportunities, understand scope and estimating, help price the work, and transition awarded projects into operations.

The existing operation is already producing approximately $6M-$7M in annual revenue, and the opportunity is for someone who can significantly expand the client base, add substantial new revenue, and potentially grow into leadership of the Western division.

What's in it for you?

• Significant Earnings Upside: Base compensation starts around $150,000, with strong producers having the potential to earn approximately $275,000-$375,000 in total compensation, depending on performance and final structure.
• Build and Grow an Established Division: Step into an operating underground/dry-utility business with an existing revenue base, equipment, field capabilities, and customer history.
• Potential Division Leadership: This opportunity can grow beyond individual business development into broader responsibility for the Western division.
• High-Impact Role: Personally influence the customer base, revenue pipeline, market strategy, and long-term growth of the business.
• Entrepreneurial Environment: Work directly with ownership and have the autonomy to pursue opportunities, build relationships, and drive results.
• Strong Business Development Resources: Role-dependent support may include a company vehicle or car allowance, client entertainment, sporting events, industry events, and other business-development expenses.
• Broad Southern California Territory: Develop business from Santa Barbara through the Inland Empire and Apple Valley area, with additional growth opportunity in Arizona.
• Established Operating Platform: Join a business with owned underground equipment and existing field operations rather than building from zero.
• Performance-Driven Culture: The company is highly results focused and willing to compensate strong producers aggressively.

Role Snapshot

The Business Development Manager / Director will be responsible for growing underground and dry-utility construction revenue throughout Southern California.

This person will build and maintain relationships with builders, developers, general contractors, utilities, municipalities, owners, and other project stakeholders, identify projects early, qualify opportunities, participate in scope and pricing discussions, and help move awarded work successfully into operations.

The ideal candidate already understands underground/dry-utility construction and has a proven track record of personally opening customers and generating revenue.

What You Will Own

• Develop and originate new underground and dry-utility construction opportunities.
• Build relationships with builders, developers, GCs, utilities, municipalities, owners, and other decision-makers.
• Personally open new customer relationships and convert them into awarded work.
• Maintain a qualified pipeline of current and upcoming opportunities.
• Identify projects early and determine whether they are commercially and operationally viable.
• Review plans, drawings, specifications, and bid documents to understand project requirements.
• Work with estimating and operations to define scope, budgets, pricing, assumptions, and project risks.
• Participate in client meetings, job walks, proposals, negotiations, and preconstruction discussions.
• Understand both the revenue potential and profitability of the work being pursued.
• Maintain ownership of the customer relationship throughout the sales cycle.
• Coordinate the handoff of awarded projects into estimating, project management, and field operations.
• Develop repeat and referral business from newly established customer relationships.
• Help ownership identify new markets, services, customers, and long-term growth opportunities.
• Potentially take on broader responsibility for growing and leading the Western division.

Must-Have Requirements

• Direct professional experience within underground utilities, dry utilities, joint trench, underground electrical infrastructure, utility construction, or a closely related market.
• Proven business development experience with demonstrated success personally opening new customers and generating measurable revenue.
• Strong relationships with Southern California builders, developers, general contractors, utilities, municipalities, owners, or similar decision-makers.
• Ability to clearly identify customers personally opened, scope sold, projects awarded, revenue generated, and ideally profitability.
• Strong understanding of underground and dry-utility construction.
• Ability to understand project scope and participate meaningfully in estimating, budgeting, pricing, and preconstruction discussions.
• Ability to review plans, specifications, drawings, and bid documents at a commercially useful level.
• Strong new-business development skills, not simply account management or relationship maintenance.
• Ability to independently prospect, qualify opportunities, close business, and transition projects into operations.
• Comfortable working directly with ownership and being measured primarily on revenue, profitability, and results.

Preferred Experience

• Previous experience running or owning a company, division, territory, P&L-driven business unit, or significant book of business.
• Existing relationships throughout the Southern California underground/dry-utility market.
• Experience with joint trench, conduit, duct banks, vaults, trenching, underground electrical distribution, utility infrastructure, or site electrical work.
• Experience supporting work for utilities such as Southern California Edison, Southern California Gas, or similar organizations.
• Previous estimating, project management, preconstruction, field operations, or construction-management experience.
• Experience helping launch or significantly grow a division, territory, market, or business unit.
• Ability to identify additional services or revenue opportunities the company may not currently be providing.

Technical Industry Scope

This role is focused on:

• Underground / dry utilities
• Joint trench
• Underground electrical infrastructure
• Utility infrastructure
• Conduit, duct banks, vaults, and trenching
• Utility and site-development infrastructure

This is not a wet-utilities position and is focused on infrastructure installation rather than electrical wire pulling.

Territory and Travel

The primary territory is Southern California, with business-development opportunity from Santa Barbara through the Inland Empire and Apple Valley region.

There is no fixed travel percentage. The expectation is simple: travel where necessary to develop relationships, meet clients, attend project walks, participate in industry events, and generate business.

Additional growth opportunity exists through the company’s Arizona operation.

Compensation and Benefits

Base Compensation: Approximately $150,000+, based on experience.

Total Compensation Potential: Approximately $275,000-$375,000 annually for a strong producer, depending on performance and final compensation structure.

The company is highly bonus driven and willing to compensate exceptional performers based on results.

Benefits may include:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• Paid holidays
• Flexible Spending Account
• Voluntary insurance
• Company vehicle or car allowance, case by case
• Sporting-event and client-entertainment opportunities
• Potential additional relationship-development resources based on the role

Interview Process

• Round 2: In-person interview with leadership
• Additional steps may be added based on the candidate and level of responsibility

Equal Opportunity Statement

Arena Staffing and our client are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants are considered for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law. We comply with applicable federal, state, and local employment laws, including California requirements related to pay scale disclosures, paid sick leave, and required reporting and recordkeeping.

Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities throughout the hiring process.

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