Business Development Manager, Corporate (Americas)

Inside Higher Ed•Washington, WA

About The Position

The Business Development Manager, Corporate (Americas) generates and converts new corporate business across the Americas. The role focuses on proactive prospecting, opportunity creation, stakeholder engagement, and revenue generation from organisations seeking to engage with and support the higher education sector. Business Development Managers build pipeline and win new corporate clients across a broad prospect base, develop relationships with senior stakeholders, and identify opportunities across THE’s portfolio. After a new client is secured, the relationship is handed to Account Management for delivery, retention, and future growth. The position executes the Americas go-to-market plan, including agreed priority corporate sectors and segments, and works with Marketing on campaign follow-up, lead conversion, and new business activity. It also involves maintaining accurate CRM records, following qualification and deal-logging timelines, routing bespoke or high-value deals through the Deal Desk for approval, involving delivery specialists in pre-sale when needed, and handing closed-won clients to Account Management with a strong brief.

Requirements

Typically 2–5 years of experience in B2B new business sales.
Track record of meeting new business targets and building a pipeline through outbound activity across a high volume of corporate prospects.
Strong multi-channel prospecting skills, including LinkedIn and sales outreach tools.
Familiarity with qualification frameworks.
Confidence using Salesforce.
Strong communication and presentation skills.
Willingness to travel domestically and internationally.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a SaaS, data, or information business is ideal.
Interest in higher education; understanding of organisations selling to or partnering with the sector is an advantage.
Additional languages are an advantage.

Responsibilities

Execute structured outbound sales activity across target corporate organisations using phone, email, LinkedIn, events, and referrals.
Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of qualified net-new opportunities.
Work with Marketing on campaign follow-up, lead conversion, and new business activity.
Identify decision-makers, influencers, and users within target organisations, and map buying committees and procurement processes.
Conduct discovery meetings and qualification calls to understand client objectives and identify commercial opportunities.
Present THE solutions aligned to client needs and objectives, and develop proposals and commercial recommendations.
Negotiate and close net-new business within agreed commercial guidelines.
Execute the Americas go-to-market plan, including priority corporate sectors and segments agreed with the Business Development Director.
Record competitive intelligence and complete win/loss reviews on closed deals.
Maintain accurate stakeholder and opportunity data within the CRM.
Qualify new opportunities within two business days of first contact and log discovery in the CRM.
Route bespoke or high-value deals through the Deal Desk for approval and bring delivery specialists into pre-sale where needed.
Mark deals Closed-Won and log contract value and dates within 24 hours of contract, then hand over to Account Management with a strong brief.