Business Development Manager – Europe
Department
Business Development
Reporting To
Business Development Director – EMEA
Role Overview
We are seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to take ownership of new business opportunities across Europe, with a primary focus on Italy and Spain.
This role is responsible for the end-to-end management of tender opportunities, from early-stage market intelligence through to submission and post-award support. Acting as the opportunity owner, you will bridge strategy and execution, ensuring bid readiness, commercial accuracy, and full compliance with authority requirements.
Key Responsibilities Opportunity Ownership
- Proactively identify, scope, and generate new business opportunities across Italy and Spain.
- Manage the full lifecycle of tenders, from initial intelligence gathering through to final submission.
- Conduct detailed market research, competitor benchmarking, airport ecosystem mapping, and passenger flow analysis.
- Assess commercial viability, including CAPEX, OPEX, vendor quotations, and revenue potential.
- Provide regular updates to EMEA leadership on risks, dependencies, and progress.
Tender Preparation
- Prepare and coordinate high-quality technical submissions, including operational concepts, service models, staffing plans, and implementation strategies.
- Ensure all tender documentation complies fully with authority requirements, including formatting, declarations, annexes, and compliance checklists.
- Align operational layouts, general arrangements, and design concepts with internal design and operations teams.
Commercial & Financial Inputs
- Provide accurate local inputs into financial models, including:
- Labour costs
- Local tax structures
- Supplier quotations
- Utilities and maintenance estimates
- Validate assumptions and challenge inaccuracies to ensure robust and realistic financial projections.
Stakeholder Engagement
- Build and maintain strong relationships with airport authorities, regulators, joint-venture partners, and third-party service providers across the region.
- Support negotiation phases by providing market insight, local intelligence, and scenario analysis.
Post-Award Support
- Support mobilisation planning, regulatory approvals, and early-stage operational coordination.
- Track early performance against the approved business plan and support handover to operations teams.
Requirements Experience & Knowledge
- 5–8 years experience in business development, tendering, consulting, aviation operations, or airport commercial roles.
- Strong understanding of airport-related services such as hospitality, lounges, F&B;, meet & greet, hotel concessions, or infrastructure projects.
- Proven ability to interpret tender documentation, technical drawings, and concession agreements.
Education
- Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, Architecture, Engineering, Hospitality, or a related discipline.
Technical Skills
- Strong Excel modelling and financial analysis capability.
- Advanced PowerPoint and written presentation skills.
- Experience conducting site surveys and technical validations.
Languages
- Fluent English required; Italian or Spanish language skills are highly advantageous.
Other Requirements
- Willingness to travel regularly across Italy and Spain.
- Ability to manage multiple complex projects under tight deadlines.
Benefits
- Worldwide lounge access for you and your family (including parents)
- Hotel discounts of 20%
- All business-related expenses fully covered by the company