Senior Manager, Business Development

Chicago, IL, United States

Start Early (formerly known as the Ounce) is an energized, future-focused organization devoted to providing quality early learning and care across the country.

Our desire to close the opportunity gap and build more equitable early learning experiences for our youngest learners guides everything we do. As a leader in early learning and care, we scale our deep expertise across program, policy and research through partnerships across the country.

We are recruiting individuals who want to join us in this mission and share a commitment to our core values of appreciation & respect, empowerment, diversity, excellence, learning and communication.

Become part of our rewarding, mission-driven culture! We want our employees to feel empowered, motivated, energized, and passionate about the work they do!

Start Early Consulting supports our partners to ensure that early childhood systems are high-quality and aligned, are resourced to be sustainable, and meet the needs of children and families of color from historically marginalized communities. The Senior Manager, Business Development plays a critical, strategic role in leading business development for Start Early Consulting. This position will develop strong relationships with public sector leaders, advocates, and partners in states and communities across the country to understand their needs and strengths and to connect them with Consulting and other Start Early offerings. Internally, the position works cross-functionally and with other teams across the organization at every level. Develop and lead business development; define and oversee business development processes; identify and cultivate external partnerships and relationships.

Reporting to the Managing Director, Consulting, you will: As a public ambassador for Start Early, cultivate and maintain a wide range of relationships with public sector leaders, advocates, networks, funders and partners to generate new business and renewals. Identify and create business development plans for existing and new initiatives based on assessments on the landscape of the early childhood field and new opportunities as they arise.

Refine and operationalize business development model, processes and structures. Lead cross-functional business development efforts, including meeting annual sales revenue goals and managing the pipeline of engagements in SalesForce. Partner with leadership, Development, Marketing, and Consulting team on business development with potential clients and funders to scope and secure engagements.

Lead efforts to center client needs and ensure a positive experience end-to-end. Partner closely with consultants to develop and manage relationships with clients and develop scopes of work to meet client need. Ensure smooth handoff to consulting teams for implementation. During implementation, check-in on client satisfaction. At end, seek feedback, renewal and referralsDesign and execute client-facing scopes of work, including the problem to be solved, the services that will be delivered, and estimating effort and assigning a price. Facilitate assessment of opportunities, including potential for systems change and alignment with equity values. Monitor and lead response to RFPs & public grants. Execute contracts and invoicing with clients, with support from Business Development Operations team.

Collaborate with Marketing to develop the strategy and implementation plan for marketing efforts and with Development to develop and implement a cohesive plan for fundraising related to business development with clients. Engage consultants to implement marketing efforts highlighting our subject matter expertise, experience, and offerings (e.g. conferences, website, thought leadership).

Serve as the business development representative/voice at operational tables, coordinate the work with cross functional business development teams across the organization.

Qualifications: Bachelor’s in business, human services, education, policy, program administration or other related field.

Minimum of 5 years’ relevant and progressive experience required.

Experience with start-up, development and launch of new products, services and initiatives. Proven ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams focused on achieving both mission and sustainability.

Demonstrated ability to cultivate and sustain relationships with diverse audiences including peers, leadership and customers.

Knowledge of early childhood systems and programs, or ability to quickly acquire this knowledge, to effectively communicate and collaborate with content team and customers.

Exceptional communication and time-management skills.Demonstrated ability to prioritize and articulate complex issues and think systematically about potential solutions.

Commitment to racial equity, including an understanding of institutional and structural racism and bias and their impact on underserved and underrepresented communities.

Excellent interpersonal and communications skills, including the ability to write clearly, speak to diverse audiences, listen and communicate effectively with clients, funders, and staff.

Demonstrated capabilities in fiscal responsibility, drive for results, customer focus.

Highly skilled in managing team projects, with strong organizational and operational skills. Strong knowledge of project management, budgeting, and strategic planning.

Comfort with iterating and learning in context; Willing to embrace risk, adjust thinking and plans to capitalize on new opportunities.

Strong organizational and management skills, including project planning, development and project assessment.

Ability to thrive, prioritize and advance work in fast-paced, sometimes ambiguous environment with complex projects.

Ability to travel up to 25%.

We recognize that few candidates might meet every single piece of knowledge, experience, or education listed here. Research shows that women and people of color, among many other historically excluded groups, are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. Start Early is dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and equitable workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your qualifications don’t perfectly align with everything in the job description, we still encourage you to apply !

We believe that all employees should be paid fairly and equitably. As of the time of this posting, this is the expected base annual salary range. The base annual salary will be based on a wide range of factors, including skills, qualifications, experience, as well as business needs and limitations.

Comprehensive Health Plans, Commitment to Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, Holistic Wellness Program, Professional Development Program, 401k Contribution, Paid Volunteer Days, 6 months paid parental leave, and much more.

Start Early is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to our core values by creating an inclusive environment for all staff.

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