Director of Business Development

The Director of Business Development will be integral in significantly expanding our global business membership base and increasing our impact as we grow the movement to attain one billion dollars in lifetime certified impact and beyond.   

The Director of Business Development will be responsible for co-creating and executing a strategic vision for business membership growth at 1% for the Planet. Reporting to the VP of Impact, this individual will oversee a team of four including one international employee and will sit on 1% for the Planet’s Leadership Team, working cross-collaboratively to lead the team, systems, and resources needed to 10x our impact through both inbound and outbound membership growth. In addition to organizational leadership, the priority focus for this individual will be to lead our outbound business development efforts through prospecting, pitching, and signing on new enterprise-level 1% for the Planet members. 

The ideal candidate is a seasoned salesperson and organizational leader who is highly motivated by closing deals and building a thriving and high-performing team. They’re focused on whole-system sales enablement, including CRM optimization, customer experience, and marketing collateral and are eager to work with others to deliver excellence. This candidate has proven their ability to successfully execute highly cross-collaborative work and uses exceptional communication to influence decision-making at all levels. Creativity, entrepreneurial spirit, strategic vision, and a passion for the growth of our membership base are required. 

Sales and Strategy‍

• Achieve personal outbound sales targets, consistently generating and converting leads through proactive outreach 
• Leverage existing and new connections to drive business growth, foster strategic partnerships, and contribute to the company’s expansion goals
• Work collaboratively to close deals; get the right people in the room, represent the organization, and guide team members to learn and develop new skills
• Leverage staff leadership, Board members, and key stakeholder connections to optimize referrals and orchestrate sales introductions
• Work with leadership to develop and execute a strategic vision for inbound and outbound business development at 1% for the Planet, identify new market opportunities, and create go-to-market plans in targeted industries (notably: CPG, outdoor, apparel, beverage) 
• Set our Business Development annual and quarterly growth goals, budgets, and forecasts to include priority international market growth 
• Create a broader definition of what business development means at 1% for the Planet; center diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging in our strategic growth
• Gain an understanding of prospective member insights and incorporate them into business development efforts and offerings
• Collaborate with Membership team to optimize the member onboarding journey and clearly communicate our value proposition
• Collaborate with Brand & Marketing team to create an effective paid marketing strategy that builds our pipeline
• Collaborate with Environmental Partners team to identify prospects who are already funding our in-network nonprofits 
• Develop and execute go-to-market strategies in primary markets (US, Canada, Western EU, UK/Ireland) and seed growth in secondary markets (Japan, Australia/NZ)
• The role’s primary focus is on building our outbound sales pipeline and engaging and converting large members; secondary focus is on supporting our inbound processes and performance

People management

• Lead a thriving Business Development Team which sits within the larger Membership Team 
• Foster a collaborative and motivating working environment and demonstrate a commitment to 1% for the Planet’s core values: 
  • Unleash passion every day
  • Celebrate commitment
  • Grow stronger together
  • Think big, act now
• Direct management and mentorship of one US-based Business Development Manager, two US-based Membership Coordinators, and one internationally based Business Development Manager

‍Cross-functional

• Work cross-functionally, especially with Brand & Marketing, Membership, Business Operations, Finance, and Leadership Team members, to execute the business development function 
• Collaborate with marketing counterparts to create, manage, and optimize paid campaigns that drive revenue growth and support overall sales objectives
• Work closely with Key Accounts Manager to foster client success, solidify new strategic opportunities, and cultivate external stakeholder relationships
• Serve as a valued member of our leadership team and act as a respected leader and mentor across the organization

Tactical

• Grow our global membership and new dues to meet annual revenue and impact targets 
• Implement robust sales processes and approaches that drive desired outcomes, including metrics and measurement tools to keep the team motivated and accountable
• Lead the team to evolve language, tools, and systems to support our inbound and outbound sales process and set members up for success
• Work with Business Operations and Brand & Marketing team to optimize our CRM use for business development purposes, as well as significantly improve our reporting metrics and forecasting capabilities
• Create and customize sales enablement collateral and pitch decks that align with our brand standards 

This role represents a first point of contact or “face” for prospective global 1% for the Planet members. Professionalism, creativity, commitment to service excellence, and comfort with strategic collaboration are key attributes that will drive its success.

The ideal candidate:

• Demonstrates a proven ability to meet or exceed individual sales goals while also leading the sales team to success
• Well-established professional network demonstrating strong relationships with key decision-makers, industry partners, and potential clients
• 8+ years of experience in business development
• 4+ years of successful B2B sales with strategic enterprise accounts, interacting with a variety of stakeholders, including C-suite level
• 4+ years of experience in people management and team leadership
• Proven track record of closing high-value deals with strategic accounts
• Proven experience collaborating with marketing teams to leverage paid advertising strategies (e.g., Google Ads, social media ads, programmatic advertising) to enhance sales performance.
• Demonstrated strategic partnership experience in a diverse range of industries, especially in CPG, outdoor, apparel, and beverage 
• P+L management experience, budget and forecasting responsibility, and a high level of financial acumen
• CRM proficiency (HubSpot + Salesforce) with experience in prospecting software (Apollo)
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills 
• Proven excellence in cross-functional project execution
• Ability to build strong relationships with both internal and external stakeholders
• Pitch deck and sales collateral-building skills 
• Strategic problem-solving; plans for multiple contingencies—when confronted with a challenge, is resourceful and finds a way to a resolution
• Experience with international market expansion a plus - particularly in Western Europe and the United Kingdom 
• Purpose-led; wants to make a difference in the world through their work 
• Knowledge of or interest in environmental philanthropy
• Commitment to justice, diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging