Business Development & Partnerships ManagerJob Overview
Downtown Strategy Group, Inc. is seeking an ambitious, relationship-driven Business Development & Partnerships Manager to support the company's strategic growth throughout the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV)region.
This position will initially focus on expanding the company's education and academic support services, including tutoring, special education, related services, behavioral health, educational consulting, and other student support services. As Downtown Strategy Group continues to grow, the Business Development & Partnerships Manager will play a key role in expanding the company's portfolio into additional industries, with Information Technology (IT) services serving as the next strategic growth area, followed by government contracting, healthcare, workforce development, and other professional and consulting services.
The successful candidate will identify new business opportunities, cultivate strategic partnerships, represent the company at conferences and networking events, and build the company's business development infrastructure from the ground up, including CRM implementation, sales processes, pipeline management, and standardized business development workflows.
Candidates must reside within the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region and be available to travel throughout the area to attend conferences, client meetings, procurement events, networking functions, and other in-person business development activities.
Roles & Responsibilities
- Identify, qualify, and pursue new business opportunities throughout the DMV region.
- Develop relationships with public school systems, charter schools, private schools, colleges and universities, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, healthcare organizations, corporations, and other prospective clients.
- Identify, recruit, negotiate, and manage strategic partnerships, teaming partners, subcontractors, referral partners, and industry alliances that support the company's growth objectives.
- Represent Downtown Strategy Group, Inc. at conferences, trade shows, networking events, procurement conferences, vendor fairs, community outreach events, and professional association meetings.
- Develop and execute business development and partnership strategies that support the company's short-term and long-term growth objectives.
- Generate qualified leads and coordinate meetings with prospective clients, teaming partners, and strategic partners.
- Research and identify Requests for Proposals (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), Requests for Quotes (RFQs), grant opportunities, cooperative agreements, and other business opportunities.
- Support capture planning, opportunity qualification, and partnership strategies to increase contract awards, revenue growth, and strategic positioning.
- Establish, negotiate, and maintain strategic partnerships with organizations that complement the company's current and future service offerings.
- Design, implement, organize, and continuously improve the company's Customer Relationship Management (CRM) platform, including contact management, opportunity tracking, sales pipelines, reporting dashboards, follow-up automation, and business development analytics.
- Develop and document standardized business development processes, partnership engagement procedures, lead qualification workflows, outreach strategies, follow-up protocols, pipeline management, and client lifecycle workflows to create a scalable business development function.
- Maintain accurate and organized records of leads, client interactions, meetings, opportunities, proposals, partnership activities, and pipeline performance within the CRM.
- Prepare weekly and monthly reports summarizing pipeline activity, business development performance, partnership development, sales forecasts, networking outcomes, and strategic initiatives.
- Collaborate with executive leadership to develop market expansion strategies, growth initiatives, annual business development objectives, and new service offerings.
- Assist with capability statements, presentations, proposals, marketing collateral, strategic communications, and client-facing materials.
- Identify opportunities for cross-selling and expanding services into emerging industries, beginning with Information Technology (IT) and additional professional service sectors.
- Serve as a professional ambassador for Downtown Strategy Group, Inc., demonstrating integrity, professionalism, responsiveness, and exceptional customer service.
- Participate in executive meetings, strategic planning sessions, training programs, and professional development activities.
- Maintain confidentiality and adhere to all company policies, ethical standards, and applicable laws and regulations.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Communications, Education, Public Administration, Information Technology, Healthcare Administration, or a related field preferred.
- Minimum of three (3) years of experience in business development, strategic partnerships, sales, account management, marketing, government contracting, education, healthcare, Information Technology, or another related professional services industry preferred.
- Demonstrated success building relationships that generate new business opportunities, strategic partnerships, and long-term client relationships.
- Experience developing partnerships, negotiating collaboration agreements, or managing strategic alliances is strongly preferred.
- Experience designing, implementing, or managing Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems and business development workflows is strongly preferred.
- Strong organizational, analytical, and project management skills with exceptional attention to detail.
- Excellent written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and interpersonal communication skills.
- Comfortable representing the company at conferences, networking events, client meetings, industry functions, procurement events, and executive-level meetings.
- Ability to work independently while managing multiple priorities in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite and CRM platforms such as Salesforce, HubSpot, Zoho CRM, Microsoft Dynamics, or similar systems.
- Reliable transportation and willingness to travel throughout Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Northern Virginia.
- Must reside within the Washington, D.C., Maryland, and Virginia (DMV) region.
- Experience within education, academic support services, government contracting, Information Technology, nonprofit organizations, or professional services is highly desirable.
- Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to build scalable business development systems, strategic partnerships, operational processes, and business infrastructure from the ground up.
- Strong networking skills with the ability to establish credibility and build lasting relationships with executive leaders, procurement officials, school administrators, government representatives, community organizations, and strategic partners.
Compensation
Compensation for this position is performance-based and will be tied to business successfully generated by the Business Development & Partnerships Manager. The specific compensation structure—including incentive compensation, revenue sharing, contract award bonuses, commissions, partnership incentives, or other performance-based compensation—will be discussed with qualified candidates and formalized in a separate compensation agreement.
This role offers a unique opportunity to help build and shape the company's long-term growth strategy. As Downtown Strategy Group expands into new markets, service lines, and strategic partnerships, additional leadership responsibilities and compensation opportunities may become available based on individual performance and company growth.
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Downtown Strategy Group, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace where all employees are valued, respected, and provided equal opportunities to succeed. We encourage qualified candidates from all backgrounds to apply.
Pay: $60,000.00 - $150,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Flexible schedule
- Professional development assistance
Education:
Experience:
- K-12 Education: 5 years (Required)
- Special Education: 1 year (Preferred)
- Business Development: 3 years (Required)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Baltimore, MD 21230
