Strategic Business & Resource Developer

Job Summary:

Developer of strategic business relationships/partnerships/alliances/sponsorships (non-membership revenue streams) and College/University institutional memberships.

The successful Strategic Business & Resource Developer will:

• Serve as a consultative field-based “sales and marketing” manager—the primary resource to ACPA’s prospective institutional members on college and university campuses, educating prospects about association membership, programs, products, and services and then converting prospects to annual memberships.  The goal is to build the current institutional membership portfolio from 412 to 800 within 5 years with a first year minimum of 75.
• Serve in the same consultative field-based capacity to build relationships with and gain commitments for sponsorship/partnership and alliances that produce non-membership revenue streams for the Association.  The goal is to build the current portfolio from 20 to 60 within 3 years with a direct cash contribution of $250,000 per annum and in-kind of an equal or greater amount.
• Develop account strategies, support marketing campaigns, and execute member and sponsor prospect events.
• Clarify key decision points which align with needs of the sponsor/partner or the campus.
• Guide the prospective member through the full lifecycle of the enrollment process. This entails initial relationship development, exploration of needs and personalized solution offerings, navigating the decision –making and application process, and asking for the membership commitment when appropriate in addition to effectively preparing the member for long-term engagement with ACPA.
• As the dedicated resource, this process involves multiple interactions, an advanced understanding of higher education association membership, product purchasing patterns and lines of authority, of the systems and tools necessary for navigating and managing workflow and pipeline, and of how to help prospects make fully informed decisions in order to achieve their personal member objectives.

Primary responsibilities:

• Utilizing organization and forecasting methodology to build and manage a strong sales cycle and pipeline. This entails multiple points of contact per institutional and/or individual member to help identify affinity connections and ACPA professional and career development solutions.
• Guiding prospects through ACPA’s consultative enrollment process: qualifying readiness and fit, investigating and discovering needs, understanding motivations, recommending programs and customized solutions, asking for membership commitment when appropriate and always listening to the needs of the learner.
• Typical day will involve continuous customer interaction through the majority of the day on the phone or via chat, social media and email; renewal membership is more “warm”, and new member contact will involve cold calling. Individual inquiries will be focused on our membership engagement programs.
• Improving member retention and engagement by creating personalized pathways for members, by assessing needs and being transparent and clear with members.
• Leveraging myPROfolio as a digital platform for continuous reflection and learning within higher education experiences. Committing to continuous training and development to become experts on dynamic, evolving product offerings. Establishing credibility is essential and field organizers are responsible for utilizing and demonstrating extensive product and service knowledge. 

Team Participation:

Field organizers are expected to operate effectively and respectfully with the team, dedicated to meeting member expectations and reinforcing a high quality, end-to-end ACPA experience. This entails supporting colleagues, taking an active part in team discussions, and providing constructive feedback to senior leadership. This person is based remotely (location flexible), and office setup/transportation will be provided. This person can anticipate 60% travel throughout the United States.

Qualifications:

• Master’s Degree in Higher Education preferred, BS/BA required
• 4+ years of demonstrated success in professional sales experience. Could include admissions or recruitment work. Must be able to show metrics of success
• Self-starter with high energy level
• Excellent verbal and written communicator
• Dynamic presenter with the ability to translate technical thoughts to everyday language 

How to Apply:

Interested individuals should send a letter of application that relates the applicant’s skills and experiences to the qualifications for the position, resume that includes notable achievements, and contact information (postal/e-mail addresses and telephone numbers) for three references who are able to speak to the candidate’s qualifications as they relate to this position. The packet should be sent electronically to pfechter@acpa.nche.edu. The subject line in e-mail should be Strategic Business/Resource Developer. 

Documents that must be mailed should be sent to

Priority will be given to applications received by Friday, August 8, 2014; review of applications received after this date will continue until the position is filled.

ACPA is an equal opportunity employer, and is committed to diverse work environment. As an association committed to inclusion, ACPA does not discriminate in employment and personnel practices on the basis of race, ethnicity, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, marital status, age, physical abilities, political affiliation, religious beliefs or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Telecommuting is allowed.

Compensation: