Business Manager

Quest Defense Systems & Solutions•Minneapolis, MN

18h•Hybrid

About The Position

Quest Defense Systems & Solutions is seeking a proactive and highly organized Business Manager to support strategic account growth and help drive execution across key customer relationships. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys bringing structure to fast-moving environments, coordinating multiple stakeholders, and ensuring important business priorities move forward on time. You will serve as a critical connector between sales, delivery, and solutions teams while helping keep customer-facing activity organized, responsive, and aligned. The right candidate is a strong communicator who is comfortable following up with internal teams, scheduling meetings, managing action items, and keeping momentum on important initiatives. This position requires someone resourceful, confident in asking questions, and motivated to solve problems rather than wait for direction. If you enjoy being the person who keeps everything moving and creates order from complexity, this could be a strong fit. Experience supporting sales operations, account management, business operations, contracts administration, or customer-facing coordination functions is highly valued. Familiarity with CRM systems such as Salesforce or similar tools is a plus. Candidates with experience in aerospace and defense, engineering services, or other deadline-driven professional environments are especially encouraged to apply. Due to the nature of this work, all candidates must be U.S. Citizens This role can be hybrid, and candidates are preferred to reside in Cedar Rapids or Minneapolis, though remote may be considered for the right fit.

Requirements

Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and follow-up items simultaneously
Excellent verbal and written communication skills with confidence interacting across all levels of the organization
Self-starter mentality with the confidence to ask questions, escalate blockers, and create momentum
Proven ability to coordinate cross-functional teams and keep projects moving forward through completion
High attention to detail with strong accuracy in reporting, scheduling, documentation, and task tracking
Experience working in fast-paced environments where priorities can shift quickly
Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to identify gaps and take action independently
Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Outlook, and general business software tools
Professional presence with strong interpersonal skills and customer-facing maturity
Ability to work effectively in a matrixed environment across sales, operations, delivery, and leadership teams
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Management, Marketing, Finance, Communications, or related field or equivalent professional experience in lieu of degree
2–5 years of professional experience in sales operations, business operations, account coordination, program support, contracts administration, customer success, or related business functions
U.S. Citizens

Nice To Haves

Experience supporting sales operations, account management, business operations, or program coordination functions
Knowledge of Statements of Work (SOWs), contracts coordination, proposals, or commercial documentation
Aerospace & defense industry experience, engineering services experience, or experience supporting technical organizations
Experience managing opportunity pipelines, forecasting inputs, and account reporting metrics
Ability to facilitate meetings, track action items, and drive accountability across teams
Strong customer service mindset with the ability to build relationships internally and externally
Experience supporting executive meetings, customer visits, or strategic account reviews
Familiarity with process improvement and building structure where processes are still evolving
Desire to grow into broader business operations, account leadership, or commercial management role
Experience using CRM systems such as Salesforce or similar platforms preferred

Responsibilities

Own and enforce adherence to sales processes
Ensure compliance with defined sales methodologies, governance, and operational standards across the account, proactively identifying gaps and driving corrective actions.
Enable Strategic Account Manager effectiveness
Provide structured support across core engagement processes, including: Scheduling and preparing customer and internal meetings (agendas, materials, briefing notes), Driving follow-ups on actions, tasks, and customer commitments to closure, Managing the internal account operating rhythm (monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual reviews and deliverables)
Drive sales proposal development, coordination, and submission in alignment with customer requirements and internal standards
Ensure sales proposal compliance, quality, and timeliness, enforcing governance throughout the lifecycle
Develop a strong understanding of Statements of Work (SOWs) to effectively support shaping proposals, ensuring scope clarity, alignment to customer needs, and commercial soundness
Drive cross-functional alignment (legal, finance, delivery) to ensure proposals are executable and compliant
Analyze monthly revenue performance against plan, identify variances, and recommend actionable corrective measures
Provide forward-looking insights to mitigate risks and capture opportunities
Pipeline and CRM management
Manage, track, and drive the sales opportunity pipeline and campaigns within CRM tools
Ensure data accuracy, hygiene, and timely updates to support reliable forecasting
Business insights and reporting
Analyze pipeline health and revenue performance to plan
Customer engagement planning
Maintain an integrated customer contact and engagement plan aligned with account strategy
Customer relationship support
Provide operational and coordination support for customer visits, executive engagements, and roadshows
Cross-functional coordination
Interface with key enabling functions (e.g., finance, legal, delivery, marketing) to align on business needs, initiatives, and execution priorities
Strategy execution support
Facilitate quarterly and annual account strategy sessions
Track, manage, and drive actions from these sessions through to completion
Account initiatives leadership
Drive and coordinate key account initiatives based on evolving business needs, ensuring alignment, accountability, and execution discipline