Senior Vice President of Business Development

Together We Build – Partnership, Innovation, Excellence, and Safety At Kelso Industries, 4,000+ employees across 40+ companies work together to deliver exceptional HVAC, mechanical, plumbing, refrigeration, and electrical solutions nationwide. Join us to grow your career, make an impact, and be part of a team where innovation, excellence, and safety come first. Recruiter Notice: We respectfully ask external recruiters and staffing agencies not to submit candidates. We only accept direct applications. We are hiring a Senior Vice President of Business Development to build the demand engine for the entire Kelso platform. This is a national, top-of-funnel role. You will identify, develop, and qualify large MEP+ opportunities across the country, then position the right Kelso operating company to pursue and close them. You are not competing with our operating companies for deals — you are finding the work they could never have reached alone and putting it in front of them. That distinction matters. Kelso's operating companies have deep local relationships and strong regional books. What no single one of them has is a national view: the multi-site owner rolling out across twelve states, the program-level developer, the strategic account that wants one MEP+ partner instead of eleven. Capturing that is the job. You will report directly to the CEO and operate as a senior member of the platform leadership team. This is a build — you will define the pursuit strategy, the target account list, the qualification standards, and the hand-off model, then execute against them. What You'll Do Build and own the national pipeline • Develop and execute a platform-level business development strategy covering the full MEP+ portfolio — mechanical, electrical, plumbing, building automation, prefabrication, engineered solutions, and service • Identify and prioritize national and multi-regional opportunities that exceed the reach of any single operating company • Build a qualified, forecastable pipeline with clear stage definitions, value estimates, and probability weighting Develop senior-level relationships • Establish and maintain executive relationships with facility owners, developers, general contractors, construction managers, program managers, and multi-site end users • Represent Kelso at the national level with strategic accounts, industry associations, and major market events • Position Kelso's full MEP+ capability set — including our ability to follow a facility from construction through retrofit, maintenance, and ongoing service Orchestrate the hand-off • Match qualified opportunities to the operating company or companies best positioned to win and deliver them, based on geography, trade capability, capacity, and client fit • Partner with operating company presidents and their preconstruction and estimating teams to transition pursuits cleanly, with full context and warm introductions • Stay engaged through the pursuit as an executive sponsor and relationship owner, without taking operational control of the bid • Build multi-opco pursuits where a single client need spans trades or regions Build the function • Establish CRM discipline, pipeline reporting, and pursuit governance across the platform • Define what a qualified opportunity looks like and hold the standard • Provide market intelligence to executive leadership on demand trends, competitive positioning, and end-market shifts • Partner with corporate development to identify where acquisition would accelerate access to a market or capability • Recruit, develop, and lead a business development team as the function scales What You Bring Required • 12+ years in business development, sales, or preconstruction leadership within MEP, specialty trade, general contracting, or industrial services • Demonstrated record of sourcing and influencing large, complex construction or facilities opportunities — the kind measured in tens - hundreds of millions, not thousands • Executive-level relationships with owners, developers, GCs, or multi-site end users, and the credibility to open doors at that level • Working fluency in MEP scopes, construction delivery methods, and the preconstruction process — enough to qualify an opportunity accurately and speak credibly with a client's technical team • Experience operating in a decentralized or multi-entity organization, with the influence skills to get results from people who don't report to you • Willingness to travel 50%+ Preferred • Experience in a private equity–backed platform, roll-up, or multi-brand operating environment • Background in data centers, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, or another high-complexity end market • Familiarity with design-build and design-assist delivery • Experience selling recurring service and maintenance agreements alongside capital projects • Prior experience building a business development function rather than inheriting one Who Succeeds Here The right person is a hunter who is genuinely comfortable handing the ball off. You will source opportunities that someone else closes and someone else delivers, and you will be measured on the platform’s win, not your own. If you need to own the signature, this is the wrong seat. If you want to build a national demand engine across a $1B+ platform and watch dozens of businesses grow because of work you put in front of them, this is a rare one. How Success Is Measured • First 90 days — Meet every operating company president. Map the platform’s combined capabilities, capacity, and geographic coverage. Deliver a prioritized national target account list. • First 6 months — A qualified, forecastable pipeline in place with defined stages and governance. Hand-off model built and tested on live pursuits. First national opportunities in active pursuit with operating company teams. • First 12 months — Measurable platform revenue sourced through the national business development function. Named strategic accounts established. Repeatable, documented process ready to scale with a team. Our Core Values Partnership — Partnerships drive success. True partnerships are mutually beneficial. We act like owners and build enduring relationships with customers, suppliers, team members, and shareholders. Innovation — Innovation changes the game. We stay agile, look for the better way, and experiment without fear of failure. Excellence — Excellence is intentional. We lead the pack by being extraordinary in our work, our service, and our continuous improvement. Safety — Safety is foundational. Safety is personal. Safety comes first — physical and psychological alike. Why Join Kelso Industries? Join us and be part of a team dedicated to creating efficient, sustainable, and high-performance environments that make a lasting impact across the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors. Here you will experience: Growth Opportunities: Develop new skills, take on exciting challenges, and advance your career in meaningful ways. Company Culture: You’ll thrive in an environment that supports your growth, values your contributions, and makes work fulfilling and enjoyable. Impact: Your work directly contributes to meaningful outcomes, allowing you to see the difference you make and feel a sense of purpose every day. Competitive Compensation & Benefits: You’ll be rewarded fairly for your contributions while enjoying perks that enhance your financial security, health, and overall well-being. Kelso Industries celebrates diversity and is committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We do not discriminate in any aspect of employment based on race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, age, veteran status, disability, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local employment discrimination laws where Kelso does business