Director of Strategic Growth (Potential for Future Head of Growth)

Achieve Incentives & Meetings • Westlake, OH

7d • $100,000 - $120,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Achieve Incentives & Meetings is seeking a Director of Strategic Growth to focus on new business development and pipeline creation through strategic outbound relationship-building. This is a growth leadership role with the potential to evolve into a Head of Growth position. The target audience includes VP-level leaders in Growth, Marketing, HR, Sales, Events, and executive decision-makers overseeing meetings, incentive travel, employee engagement, and customer experience initiatives within companies ranging from $75M-$750M in revenue and 150-2,500 employees. The primary goal is to build a high-quality pipeline, open the right doors, and convert qualified opportunities into profitable new revenue. The role is based in the Cleveland, Ohio area, with a hybrid work model requiring 2-3 days in the Westlake office for team collaboration. Achieve Incentives & Meetings is a global strategic partner that uses incentive travel and business events to drive performance, culture, and connection, with a history of over 70 years in designing such programs.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree required; degree in business, marketing, communications, or a related field preferred.
• Meaningful experience in business development, partnerships, consulting, fundraising, or similar roles, with a track record of building relationships and creating new opportunities (often 5+ years, but we care more about impact than tenure).
• Excellent writing and communication skills.
• Strong research and strategic thinking skills - ability to understand a company, leadership team, and where opportunities may exist.
• Confidence and professionalism engaging with senior leaders.
• Highly organized and able to manage outreach, follow-up, and relationship development over time.
• Proficient in using CRM and outreach tools (such as HubSpot), with consistent and disciplined usage.
• Ability and willingness to travel approximately 3-5 times per year; valid passport required (primarily U.S. travel with occasional international).
• Comfortable working in a relationship-driven, entrepreneurial environment where initiative and strategic thinking are valued.
• Have a track record of building pipeline or creating new opportunities.
• Are persistent and comfortable with rejection - you don't take a "no" personally and know how to re-engage over time.
• Can create momentum without a defined playbook and are energized by figuring things out.
• Comfortable building pipeline from the ground up, not relying on an existing book of business.
• Think strategically about how to access and influence decision makers.
• Thrive in relationship-driven environments, especially with longer sales cycles.
• Enjoy creating thoughtful outreach strategies rather than high-volume activity.
• Understand this role isn't easy - and are motivated by the challenge of building something meaningful over time.
• Are motivated by the opportunity to grow into leadership.

Nice To Haves

• Interest in business, leadership, events, hospitality, or travel industry is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Build Qualified Pipeline (Outbound Focus): Own the creation of new pipeline by proactively generating new client opportunities, not managing inbound leads or existing accounts.
• Identify and research target companies and decision-makers aligned with Achieve's ideal client profile.
• Execute consistent, strategic outbound outreach to open conversations with the right people.
• Lead discovery conversations to understand how companies approach meetings and incentive programs, uncover goals and challenges, and identify where Achieve can create real business impact.
• Advance and qualify opportunities, then transition to the proposal team while staying actively involved through closing.
• Maintain consistent, thoughtful follow-up and relationship development over time to move opportunities forward.
• Partner with leadership to prioritize target industries, companies, and relationships, and continuously refine outreach based on what's working.
• Set Strategy & Drive Campaigns: Work directly with Achieve's Vice President (strategy and leadership) and a dedicated Growth Administrator (execution and support) within a small, highly strategic growth team.
• Shape growth strategy, define target markets, and build the outreach approach.
• Lead campaign execution - including research, outbound efforts, and pipeline tracking.
• Turn real conversations into insight, bringing market feedback back to refine positioning, messaging, and overall go-to-market approach.
• Help shape how Achieve shows up in the market and communicates its value.
• Represent Achieve in the Market: Build relationships with senior decision-makers, program owners across event, sales, marketing, and HR teams, and key industry partners.
• Attend events and networking opportunities, with availability for occasional evening or after-hours functions.
• This role requires travel within the U.S. and occasional international travel to support relationship building and industry engagement.

Benefits

• 25 days of paid time off (including vacation, holidays, volunteer time, and your birthday)
• Opportunities to travel and see your work come to life
• Retirement plan with employer match
• Medical coverage (with employer contribution)
• Paid parental leave

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director