Vice President Business Development

Vontas•Cedar Rapids, IA

About The Position

The Vice President of Business Development is a strategic executive role responsible for driving revenue growth, developing and executing sales strategies, and leading a high-performing sales organization. This leader will oversee all aspects of sales operations, including forecasting, pipeline management, customer acquisition, and account expansion, while aligning sales performance with overall business objectives. Focused on our suite of public transportation software solutions, the Vice President of Sales will lead go-to-market strategy and revenue growth by cultivating strong relationships with transit agencies, government stakeholders, and strategic partners. This executive will bring deep knowledge of enterprise software sales and/or the public transit sector, with a proven ability to navigate complex procurement cycles, RFPs, and multi-stakeholder decision processes. This position reports directly to the P&L Leader.

Requirements

Strong consultative sales skills with a client-centric leadership approach.
Proven success in selling enterprise solutions, ideally within the public transportation sector.
Demonstrated ability to develop and execute account planning strategies.
Experience in coaching and applying strategic selling methodologies.
Skilled in developing and managing sales compensation plans.
Proven ability to attract, develop, and retain top sales talent.
Excellent executive presence and presentation skills.
Strong negotiation, communication, and active listening abilities.
Detail-oriented with a strong focus on customer care and satisfaction.
Self-starter who thrives in fast-paced, dynamic environments.
Minimum of 10 years of demonstrated experience in sales, account management, business development, or a related role (preferably in local, state, or federal government) with 5 of those years being the sales leader for a sales organization made up of a minimum of 10 reports.
Post-secondary education in Business Administration, Sales, Marketing, or related field and/or equivalent combination of education and experience.
In lieu of post-secondary education, an additional of 6 years of general industry experience will be accepted.
Advanced Salesforce CRM experience with 7+ years of proven experience building custom dashboards and reports.

Nice To Haves

Understanding of the North American Transit Industry and Agencies is preferred.

Responsibilities

Build and sustain a customer-centric sales culture focused on consultative selling and long-term relationships.
Continuously evaluate and adjust the sales coverage model (territories, resources, account teams) to optimize ROI.
Deliver strong year-over-year bookings growth to drive organic business expansion.
Set, meet, and exceed quarterly and annual sales quotas and performance objectives.
Drive expansion into new markets and identify strategic partnership opportunities.
Establish and nurture relationships with transit agency executives, technology partners, and industry associations to place the company as a trusted solutions provider.
Represent the Company at trade shows, marketing events, and industry campaigns to enhance brand visibility and reputation.
Perform deep market research and competitive analysis to inform sales strategy and execution.
Effectively manage escalations from customers and the sales team by collaborating with peers and taking decisive action.
Oversee accurate forecasting, pipeline management, and sales reporting to ensure predictable performance.
Scrub and maintain sales data integrity (primarily in Salesforce) with visibility extending 18 months out.
Partner with Product and Marketing to align sales execution with product strategy and customer needs.
Manage the proposal development team responsible for RFPs, sole source bids, and other formal submissions.
Other duties as assigned.