Business Development Representative / Gap Selling Professional

Position Overview

Axe Engineering is a high-performing civil engineering firm with offices in Bellingham and Arlington. We work with private builders and developers across Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish Counties — site civil design, land use entitlements, permitting, and everything it takes to get a project from raw land to construction.

We're good at what we do. Our clients come back. Our reputation is strong.

And we're leaving revenue on the table.

Not because the market isn't there — it is. Not because our services aren't competitive — they are. But because our engineers are engineers. They're not salespeople. They shouldn't have to be.

That's where you come in.

We are looking for a commission-driven Business Development Representative who lives and breathes gap selling — someone who can identify where a builder or developer is, where they want to be, and exactly why Axe Engineering is the solution to close that gap. Someone who doesn't pitch features and benefits. Someone who diagnoses first, and sells second.

This is outbound-first, with support for inbound leads we're already generating but not fully converting. You will own the pipeline from first contact through signed contract. Our engineers take it from there.

This role is part-time or full-time — we're flexible for the right person. Compensation is commission-based, structured to reward results aggressively. If you're a producer, this is a significant earning opportunity in a market with a real floor and no ceiling.

We don't need a rep who can explain what civil engineering is. We need a closer who can get a developer to admit what's standing between them and their next project — and then show them we're the team to remove that obstacle.

What You'll Actually Be Doing

This is not an account management role. This is not a “check in and upsell” role. This is outbound prospecting, pipeline development, and closing — in a market full of builders and developers who have projects in their heads that haven't been engineered yet.

• Identify, research, and prospect private builders, developers, and land owners in Whatcom, Skagit, and Snohomish Counties who are planning or considering development projects
• Execute outbound outreach — calls, emails, site visits, industry events, referral development — with the discipline of a system and the instincts of a closer
• Diagnose prospect problems before pitching solutions — understand where they are, where they want to be, and what's standing in the way
• Qualify leads ruthlessly — not every project is the right fit, and your job is to know the difference before we spend engineering time on it
• Support and convert inbound leads that are already coming in but need a skilled closer to get across the finish line
• Own the pipeline from first contact to signed contract — then hand off to our engineering team with a complete project brief
• Maintain accurate pipeline data and prospect notes so the team always knows where things stand
• Represent Axe Engineering at industry events, builder associations, and developer networks across the region

You will work closely with our principals to understand our services, our capacity, and what types of projects we want more of. You won't be selling blind — but you will be selling proactively.

What We're Looking For

We don't care what industry you've sold in. We care how you sell.

• Demonstrated experience with gap selling methodology — you've read the book, internalized the framework, and used it in the field
• Proven track record of outbound prospecting and closing — you've built pipeline from scratch, not just managed existing accounts
• High emotional intelligence — you know how to ask the questions that get to the real problem, and you know when to stop talking
• Comfortable with ambiguity — this is a new role at a growing firm; you'll help define what success looks like
• Self-directed and disciplined — no one is going to manage your daily activity; you manage yourself
• Excellent communicator, in person and in writing — you can hold your own in a conversation with a developer, a builder, or a county official
• Familiarity with the local construction, development, or real estate market is a strong plus — but a fast learner beats a slow expert
• CRM experience — you track your pipeline, your notes, and your follow-ups religiously

Civil engineering experience is not required. An obsession with understanding your buyer's world is.

Who We Are

Big firms have more people. We have better ones.

We operate out of Bellingham and Arlington with a lean team of engineers and designers who run circles around the big regional players on local private development. Our land-use practice is deep, our clients keep coming back, and our work shows up in the communities around us.

We are not a government agency. We are not a 200-person firm running projects through a production machine. We are a small, high-performing team that moves fast, thinks hard, and takes ownership of every project we touch.

We're adding a sales professional to this team for the first time — because we're ready to grow, and we know that growth doesn't happen by accident. It happens when the right person decides to make it happen.

That person reports directly to ownership. No layers. No bureaucracy. You will have direct access to the people who can say yes to any resource, any strategy, and any deal structure you need to close business.

The Axe Creed · Cutting Through Project Barriers

We find a way. Every time. No exceptions.

Most projects don't die because of bad engineering. They die because someone accepted “no” from an agency, a neighbor, a jurisdiction, or a process — and stopped pushing. We don't stop pushing.

Our pledge to every client: “we treat your project like it has our name on it — because it does.”

The words we live by. On every project. Every day.

• Assumptions are the enemy. Find the truth.
• Show me your results, not your intentions.
• How you do anything is how you do everything.
• Your word is your contract.
• Winners want pressure.
• Less words, more meaning.
• We work the problem until the problem is solved.

If those resonate — you might belong here.

Who Thrives Here

You might be a fit if:

• You've walked into a sales conversation knowing more about a prospect's problem than they did — and used that to close
• You've been told “we're happy with our current provider” and treated it as the beginning of a conversation, not the end
• You've built a sales territory or pipeline from zero — no hand-holding, no warm leads handed to you
• You keep a CRM like it's a weapon, not an administrative burden
• You've walked away from a bad-fit deal because you knew it would cost more than it was worth — and you were right
• You find civil engineering and land development genuinely interesting — or you're confident you will once you understand the market

You're probably not a fit if:

• You pitch before you diagnose
• You rely on inbound leads and referrals to hit your number
• You need a manager to hold you accountable to daily activity
• You think a great product sells itself
• Commission-only compensation makes you nervous instead of excited

Compensation & Structure

This is a commission-based role. We're not going to bury that or dress it up.

What we will tell you is this: our average project engagement is meaningful, our clients are repeat buyers, and our market — private land development across three growing counties in Western Washington — is active. The pipeline opportunity is real.

Commission structure is tiered and aggressive. We will design it together with the right candidate to ensure it rewards the behaviors we want and the results we need. Part-time and full-time structures are both on the table.

High performers will earn well here. That is not a line — it's a commitment.

Benefits (full-time)

• 100% company-paid health, dental, and vision
• PTO, sick time, 7 paid US holidays, and flex-time
• On-time direct deposit bi-weekly
• 401(k) option with company match

Your Move

Don't send us a cover letter telling us why you're a great salesperson.

Show us.

Research Axe Engineering. Study our market. Identify our gap. Then reach out with a cold outreach — email, call, LinkedIn message, whatever you'd use on a real prospect — and close us on taking the next step.

That's your application. We'll know immediately if you're the right fit.