Business Development Manager or Director

About Provoc:

Provoc is an impact-driven communications agency committed to centering our work on racial equity while helping heal some of the world’s biggest challenges. We use all the tools and resources of a creative agency to partner with nonprofits and social change organizations in service of positive change and a truly diverse, equitable, and inclusive future for the health of people and the planet. 

Overall Vision:

Provoc is in the early stages of moving into the next iteration of our organization that will emphasize our commitment to addressing social inequity at a greater level. We seek an experienced, detail-oriented, and impact-driven Business Development Manager or Director (title and salary commensurate with experience) to manage the day-to-day progress of Provoc’s business development, helping to generate the partnerships and revenue needed for us to deepen our impact.

The role is crucial in assisting Provoc to meet its financial, revenue, and impact goals. The person in this position can think strategically about our organization’s brand and clients’ objectives and manage the processes and tasks needed to secure impactful partnerships with various nonprofits, foundations, and socially responsible clients. 

Provoc is a small agency, and while this is currently the only dedicated business development role, all full-time staff, and many contractors have time allocated to support the success of business development. This position reports to the President.

Core Responsibilities:

Proposal and Contract Management - 60%

Collaborate with the leadership team to prioritize identified opportunities based on values alignment, resourcing capacity, revenue, and likelihood to win. 
Manage the proposal response, pitching, and contracting process, and identify areas of improvement, including protocols for proposal development, tracking and monitoring, and recommending opportunities for efficiency. 
Collaborate with the Interim COO/Director of Resource Operations to assess team availability and resourcing for new and potential work.
Research potential bid opportunities and assess client readiness through inbound leads and externally posted on industry websites, social networks, etc. 
Manage the business development pipeline from client intake to signing process, including: 
Leading the proposal response process, coordinating efforts, and utilizing our CRM (ZenDesk) to ensure all records are updated, deadlines are met
Writing, revising, editing, and proofreading professional documents to ensure high-quality proposals
Collaborating with team members to obtain appropriate content and budget information for proposal responses
Preparing sales pitches, proposal presentation materials, and coordinating team members for pitch presentations
Drafting Scopes of Work and contracts
At the Director level, responsibilities also include leading strategy and decision-making to prioritize new business opportunities and pipeline progress.

Business Development Strategy and Client Relationship - 30%

Serve as the primary point of contact for all prospective clients and many returning clients, providing prompt communications.
Collaborate with the leadership team to implement goals and strategies for business development.
Collaborate across the company to create templates and workflows that increase our effectiveness and efficiency in business development, such as client intake, project vetting, post-project follow-up, etc. 
Lead weekly business development meetings to advance the deal pipeline and assess and implement strategic business and marketing opportunities.
Create reports to share updates and calls to action with the business development team at all-staff meetings.
Manage post-project client surveying, follow-up, and relationship maintenance.
At the Director level, responsibilities also include:
Explore and/ or assess funding for projects addressing social inequity. 
Cultivate relationships with new and existing clients to make space for the co-creation of new values-aligned projects.  
Lead objective setting and strategy for business development during the annual planning process.
Lead development of client and project readiness/alignment assessment criteria.
Bring in new contacts.

Marketing - 10%

Manage and drive the company's marketing functions to meet sales targets.
Manage the collaborative development/creation of blogs, case studies, and other relevant marketing materials to promote Provoc, including oversight of our social media channels.
At the Director level, responsibilities also include:
Plan and coordinate the implementation of business plans and the penetration of new markets for our core services.
Identify opportunities for campaigns, services, and distribution channels to increase Provoc’s position as a leader and partner in the social change sector. 
Identify opportunities for Provoc to present at relevant industry conferences and manage application processes with appropriate staff. 

Desired Experience:

Below is a list of desired, not required, qualifications. We do not expect candidates to have all of these qualifications, and we encourage you to apply if you have 5 or more of the following qualifications. 

Manager

Demonstrated lived and or/ work experience in contexts that center on equity and social justice. 
At least 3 years of business development and/or business management experience for impact-driven organizations, including at least 2 years of technical or proposal writing experience
Previous roles that required creative problem-solving, financial, and time management.
Experience with content marketing, such as social media, case study development, and/or email marketing
Strong communication skills and experience in effectively communicating business and operational concepts, pitching services, and collaborating with team members and clients. 
Excellent project management skills, with the ability to both see the big picture and zoom in on critical details
Experience working with leadership and senior management to align sales strategies and solutions.
Proven track record of increasing revenue through generating leads and closing deals.
Ability to strategically prioritize and guide a process of informed decision-making when working to manage competing and tight deadlines.

Director

Minimum of 5 years experience in a sales, business development, or related management or leadership role.
Skilled at both self-directing and collaborating, ease with receiving and giving feedback toward a shared purpose
Fluency in business acumen and strategic thinking
Advanced written communication and editing skills. Ability to write persuasively and articulate complex topics to less-technical audiences. 

Location: U.S. Remote

Time Commitment: Full-Time Employee; 40 hours per week. Hours are flexible, though most work should be between 9 AM - 9 PM ET, Monday through Friday.

Salary: $75,000 - $95,000 (depending on experience) 

Benefits: Provoc offers a competitive benefits package including:

Health, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their families (75% of the premium paid by Provoc)
Generous and flexible PTO, including 11 company-wide holidays, 2 floating holidays, and yearly office closure between 12/25 and 1/1
Paid parental leave
100% employer matching contributions on 401k (up to 3% of salary), 
$45 monthly wellness reimbursement 

Reports to: President 

How to apply:

Candidates are welcome to apply for a specific role (manager or director) or both. 

Send your resume, cover letter, and a writing sample (ex.: proposal, executive letter, case study, etc.) to jobs@provoc.me with the subject line, “BD role - [your name].” Applications will be accepted until May 21st. 

Timeline

5/4/2023: Job post live
Week of 5/22/2023:   Application review begins 
Week of 6/5/2023: Phone Screenings Conducted 
Week of 6/19/2023: Panel Interviews Conducted (reference checks begin)
Week of 7/10/2023: Final interviews Conducted
Week of 7/17/2023: Offer made