Business Development Manager

About the Opportunity

Summary

Founded in 1898, Northeastern is a global research university and the recognized leader in experience-driven lifelong learning. Our world-renowned experiential approach empowers our students, faculty, alumni, and partners to create impact far beyond the confines of discipline, degree, and campus.

Our locations—in Boston; Charlotte, North Carolina; London; Portland, Maine; San Francisco; Seattle; Silicon Valley; Toronto; Vancouver; and the Massachusetts communities of Burlington and Nahant—are nodes in our growing global university system. Through this network, we expand opportunities for flexible, student-centered learning and collaborative, solutions-focused research.

Northeastern’s comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate programs— in a variety of on-campus and online formats—lead to degrees through the doctorate in nine colleges and schools. Among these, we offer more than 195 multi-discipline majors and degrees designed to prepare students for purposeful lives and careers.

Northeastern University’s Roux Institute is designed as an engine of innovation, talent-building, and economic growth for Portland, Maine, and northern New England. Partnerships set our model of graduate education and research apart. With leading companies and nonprofit organizations at the table from day one, we are creating programs that are preparing the workforce to stay agile and thrive in a competitive landscape powered by artificial intelligence. We are nurturing an environment for high-impact research and innovation in computer and data science, digital engineering, the advanced life sciences and medicine, and other tech fields. And we are helping entrepreneurs launch businesses focused on and powered by technology. Together, we envision an “innovation corridor” that in the coming years will stretch from Boston to Portland and beyond.

JOB SUMMARY

As a Business Development Manager, you will source new partnerships for the Roux Institute’s Custom Learning practice. Collaborating with the Learning Design team, you will identify new learning engagement opportunities, qualify them, and close them. The right candidate will possess a variety of sales skills including relationship building, self-discipline, collaborative selling, and creative problem solving.

The role requires you to interface with executive-level leaders as well as data practitioners and learning & development program experts, so understanding your audience and tailoring your message accordingly is paramount. The Custom Learning business development org is a small team composed of individuals who wear many hats, and you’ll be asked to take on a wide range of responsibilities as well: hunter and farmer, proposal designer and presenter, leader and collaborator.

The core KPI for this role is a revenue target. You will be selling customized learning solutions. Each opportunity is different, so an ability to understand the prospect’s needs (stated or unstated) and connect them with the right program is crucial. You will focus primarily on supporting organizations’ digital transformation goals through our core learning domains of data, analytics, AI, and project management.

This role combines the dynamic “we will learn as we go” nature of a start-up – the Roux Institute and Custom Learning enterprises are in their fifth years – with the institutional power and backing of Northeastern University. While Custom Learning is a small team, our value is powered by our alignment with Northeastern University’s large and complex network of resources and its educational and research mission. To leverage that alignment properly, you will need to be agile, creative, efficient, curious, and a clear communicator.

Responsibilities

• Meet and exceed revenue targets
• Design, develop, and execute business development plan
• Identify and close new learning engagements
• Understand custom learning offerings and articulate their value to potential partners
• Create, design and present proposals and written Statements of Work
• Work closely with Northeastern University colleges, partnership teams, and product teams to drive customer satisfaction and continually improve offerings
• Connect prospects and partners with the right Northeastern University resources
• Document and communicate business development efforts in meetings and via tools such as Salesforce
• Meet regularly with industry prospects and client partners, both virtually and in person

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

The successful candidate will possess the following:

• 3-5 years of B2B solution selling experience, preferably in advanced technology or corporate learning
• Demonstrated ability to achieve revenue targets
• Demonstrated ability to build long-term value-driven relationships with stakeholders at partner organizations
• Strong understanding of how to navigate large organizations to drive deals to close
• Strong interpersonal skills to inspire others and work collaboratively with colleagues
• Excellent problem-solving and strong analytical skills
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• A sense of personal accountability to take engagements across the finish line

Preferred Skills, Experience

• Salesforce
• Project Management
• Existing relationships with data practitioners and industry leaders is desirable

Travel Requirement

• You will be required to travel, mostly regionally, to strategically meet important prospects and partners

Location: Maine preferred. Candidates located in Massachusetts, Vermont, or New Hampshire will also be considered.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

Identify prospective partners:

• Design and develop a targeted business plan
• Build personal lead funnel and network
• Nurture the funnel to convert leads into prospects, and eventually to partners
• Collect data on outreach efforts and continually refine techniques, tactics, and strategies

Scope learning engagements:

• Identify prospective partner business challenges and needs
• Propose learning solutions aligned to business priorities
• Create, design, and present pitches and proposals
• Build internal opportunity teams to win business

Close learning engagements:

• Close engagements with favorable terms for partners and the University
• Draft and execute contracts and statements of work

Ensure partner satisfaction and retention

• Ensure partner needs are being met in delivery of learning engagement
• Advocate for partner needs/issues cross-departmentally
• Identify opportunities to grow depth and breadth of learning engagements with existing partner organizations

Operations & Emergent Work:

• Execute best practices in Salesforce
• Respond to new priorities and initiatives with energy and enthusiasm

Position Type

Additional Information

Northeastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.

Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.

Northeastern University is an equal opportunity employer, seeking to recruit and support a broadly diverse community of faculty and staff. Northeastern values and celebrates diversity in all its forms and strives to foster an inclusive culture built on respect that affirms inter-group relations and builds cohesion.

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

To learn more about Northeastern University’s commitment and support of diversity and inclusion, please see www.northeastern.edu/diversity.