Director of Business Development

Compass Group•Chicago, IL

3d•$120,000 - $130,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Drive growth for a new business division by identifying, developing, and closing new food and beverage business opportunities across emerging and underserved sports and entertainment markets. This full-time business development role will focus on building relationships with prospects and guiding opportunities from initial outreach through proposal and close.

Requirements

Minimum 5-7 years of professional sales or business development experience
Background in sports sales strongly preferred, particularly outside of baseball
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to build trust with prospects, operators, and internal partners
Strong written communication skills, including comfort preparing sales materials, RFP responses, and proposal content
Flexible schedule with willingness to travel extensively
Ability to work out of the Chicago office preferred, but not required

Responsibilities

Identify and pursue new business opportunities
Focus on smaller and mid-sized accounts
Build pipeline across minor league baseball, non-MLS/USL soccer, small to mid-sized arenas, small to mid-sized colleges and universities, youth sports, and emerging professional sports
Oversee prospect communication and maintain consistent follow-up throughout the sales process
Prepare sales decks, RFP responses, and financial proposals in partnership with internal teams
Collaborate closely with operations, finance, and HR team members to develop practical, compelling solutions for prospects