Director – Business Development

Afton Partners seeks a leader to guide and execute Afton’s business development and external relations initiatives. The desired outcome of this position is for our leadership to feel supported, boosted, and amplified in their marketing and sales efforts. This position will report to our Managing Partner & CEO and will be instrumental in the successful implementation of Afton’s multi-year strategic plan.

Responsibilities include: 

• Leading and executing the build out of relationship development and engagement strategies with potential clients including but not limited to: 
  • philanthropic organizations – national, regional, and/or local funders of early childhood and K12 education
  • channel partners – such as national, regional, and/or local advocacy organizations, and service providers or consultants with aligned priorities and/or connected expertise
  • government agencies – such as State Departments or Boards Education, Children’s Cabinets or similar, Early Childhood Agencies or other agencies overseeing early childhood, School Districts, and public/private partnerships
  • other field leaders – such as thought leaders, member organizations, and other conveners in early childhood and K12 education
• Collaborating with practice team leaders to inform and guide business development priorities through market research
• Collaborating and coordinating with our marketing and communications team to support thought leadership and marketing collateral creation and execute go-to-market strategies
• Planning and managing Afton's conference participation and preparing leadership for speaking and networking opportunities
• Monitoring and sourcing RFPs for consideration, developing green-lighting criteria for RFP responses, and leading RFP response development by collaborating with our service and practice teams to create effective proposal materials
• Collaborating with team members across Afton’s practices to document outcomes and impact of client work, including policy change and legislative advancement, and leading development of Afton’s annual impact report
• Developing internal protocols for management of business development, external relationships, and strategic plan implementation processes alongside Afton's operations and marketing partners
• Managing and maintaining Afton’s CRM and business development pipeline systems
• Representing Afton externally when appropriate
• Other responsibilities as necessary to advance Afton's business development and external relationship priorities

This is a full-time, remote position with geographic flexibility, requiring up to 25% travel, and offering competitive pay and benefits, including health insurance, paid time off, and 401(k) with company match. The salary range for the position is $135,000-$150,000 with bonus eligibility.

About Afton

Afton Partners is an impact-driven consultancy that reimagines and implements systems, policies, and practices that improve lives. We bring technical savvy and a relational approach to partnerships with clients across the early care and education, K-12, higher education, and workforce development sectors. Since 2011, Afton has collaborated on more than 150 initiatives in 40 states, and our clients include state and local government agencies, public school systems, charter schools, and philanthropies. We’re creative, committed, and energized by complexity. Together, we can solve our toughest societal challenges and co-create a future where each person has the opportunity for growth and fulfillment.

Qualifications 

• A minimum of seven (7) years of relevant work experience in business development roles or similar is required; demonstrated experience in professional services in public policy or administration sectors is preferred. 
• Successful experience selling philanthropic and government contracts is required; evidence of success with clients related to Afton’s target clients strongly preferred (see non-exhaustive list in Responsibilities above). 
• Demonstrated ability to build and maintain relationships with government officials and channel partners.

Apply 

To apply, please submit a thoughtful cover letter and resume that highlight your experiences developing relationships with public-sector stakeholders, leading business development and sales activities, and securing funding from diverse sources and client partners.

Afton Partners is an Equal Opportunity Employer and a Drug-Free Workplace. A full list of physical, mental and cognitive demands is available upon request. Candidates must be able to accomplish core tasks with or without reasonable accommodation. No visa sponsorship is available for this position. The above information has been designed to indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not designed to contain or be interpreted as a comprehensive inventory of all duties, responsibilities and qualifications required of employees assigned to this job.