Client Engagement Director - Digital Consulting - 1898 & Co.

Description

The Digital Consulting Client Engagement Director role within 1898 & Co., a part of Burns & McDonnell, will lead strategic client engagement and market growth activities across the electric utility industry. This role will develop executive-level relationships, identify critical business and technology challenges, and position technology-focused consulting solutions that improve operational performance, enable digital modernization, and create long-term business value.

The ideal candidate will serve as a trusted advisor to utility executives and key stakeholders, translating complex business challenges into actionable consulting strategies. This individual will lead major pursuits, shape winning strategies and proposals, and clearly articulate how 1898 & Co. capabilities address client priorities. The role requires a deep understanding of digital consulting, utility operations, and technology-enabled transformation, as well as the executive presence to influence client investment decisions and build lasting business relationships.

The Client Engagement Director will be accountable for growth across assigned markets and strategic accounts, including revenue, backlog, profitability, client development, and opportunity advancement. This role will help establish market priorities, guide the evolution of service offerings, and lead multidisciplinary pursuit teams. The Director will partner closely with practice leadership, delivery leaders, project managers, solution architects, consultants, sales, and marketing teams to expand the Digital Consulting business and help clients move from their current state to their desired future state.

What You’ll Do

Strategic Leadership & Market Growth

• Develop and execute long-term growth strategies for Digital Consulting services within assigned utility markets, client segments, and strategic accounts.


• Identify emerging industry trends, client needs, competitive dynamics, and technology disruptions to inform market priorities, service development, and business investments.


• Collaborate with practice leadership to establish annual business objectives, revenue and backlog targets, strategic account priorities, and growth initiatives.


• Influence the development and expansion of consulting offerings, alliance relationships, and go-to-market strategies based on market intelligence and client feedback.


• Serve as a visible industry leader through client forums, conferences, professional organizations, and thought leadership activities.


• Champion collaboration across practices and business lines to bring integrated technology, engineering, cybersecurity, and advisory solutions to clients.

Executive Client Relationships & Business Development

• Establish and lead executive-level relationships with key utility stakeholders, serving as a trusted advisor on digital transformation, technology strategy, operational improvement, and business modernization initiatives.


• Develop and lead client-focused strategies and action plans that align consulting services and solution offerings with client business objectives.


• Build and maintain long-term relationships with new and existing clients, customers, contractors, technology partners, and industry stakeholders to create sustained business opportunities.


• Define and execute account growth and market penetration strategies for targeted utility segments, key accounts, and strategic industry opportunities.


• Leverage relationships across Burns & McDonnell to identify opportunities, generate qualified leads, and expand the company footprint within strategic accounts.


• Provide executive sponsorship for key accounts and major engagements, helping maintain alignment, resolve concerns, and strengthen long-term client value.


• Accountable for achieving annual revenue, backlog, profitability, and client growth objectives for assigned markets and strategic accounts.


• Forecast and manage sales performance, resource demand, and business development investments to support near-term performance and long-term growth. Solution Positioning & Strategic Pursuits.


• Lead the positioning of Digital Consulting services and solution offerings with prospective and existing clients, both virtually and in person.


• Provide executive leadership throughout complex pursuit, capture, negotiation, and contracting processes for strategic opportunities.


• Lead capture strategy and pursuit planning for complex, high-value opportunities, including executive sponsorship of major proposals, interviews, and presentations.


• Guide multidisciplinary teams in shaping solution scope, delivery approach, staffing strategy, pricing, value proposition, and competitive differentiation.


• Lead the development and refinement of value propositions, pursuit strategies, offering collateral, templates, case studies, and executive-level messaging.


• Direct responses to RFIs and RFPs, ensuring alignment with client priorities, win themes, delivery capabilities, and commercial objectives.


• Lead quarterly business and strategy reviews using market intelligence, opportunity data, and performance indicators to evaluate progress and adjust priorities.


• Maintain accurate sales funnel and opportunity information to support forecasting, investment decisions, resource planning, and leadership reporting.


• Partner with the broader sales organization to position services in new accounts and expand relationships within existing accounts.

Service Offering & Portfolio Development

• Drive the evolution of service offerings, market positioning, and portfolio strategy to align with changing customer needs, technology trends, and utility industry priorities.


• Provide market and client insight to offering leaders and delivery teams to inform investment decisions, capability development, and solution refinement.


• Evaluate sales, proposal, and client engagement processes and sponsor improvements that increase consistency, effectiveness, and market penetration.


• Maintain deep market awareness of utility operations, digital technologies, regulatory developments, competitive offerings, and industry trends to influence business strategy and client investment decisions.


• Communicate the business value and strategic benefits of Digital Consulting solutions to executive client stakeholders and internal leadership.


• Champion technology innovation, digital modernization, and continuous improvement across client engagements and internal teams.

Engagement Leadership & Delivery Alignment

• Partner with delivery leaders to ensure proposed solutions align with client expectations, delivery capabilities, quality standards, commercial objectives, and measurable business outcomes.


• Oversee the transition of strategic opportunities from pursuit through delivery, ensuring alignment on scope, outcomes, responsibilities, risk, and success measures.


• Direct the interpretation of complex customer requirements and establish clear expectations with clients and internal teams.


• Serve as an executive escalation point for strategic client engagements and help resolve issues affecting client satisfaction, scope, commercial performance, or relationship health.


• Promote value realization by helping clients connect technology investments to operational improvement, risk reduction, and long-term business objectives.


• Champion adherence to QA/QC requirements, commercial standards, and effective engagement management practices.

Organizational Leadership & Talent Development

• Provide leadership and direction to consulting, sales, and delivery teams supporting strategic accounts, pursuits, and client engagements.


• Promote collaboration across Digital Consulting and other Burns & McDonnell practices to deliver integrated solutions and drive enterprise growth.


• Support workforce and capability planning