Business Development Executive - National

About the role

Established in 2021, Independence Pet Holdings is a corporate holding company that manages a diverse and broad portfolio of modern pet health brands and services, including insurance, pet education, lost recovery services, and more throughout North America. We believe pet insurance is more than a financial product and build solutions to simplify the pet parenting journey and help improve the well-being of pets. As a leading authority in the pet category, we operate with a full stack of resources, capital, and services to support pet parents. Our multi-brand and omni-channel approach include our own insurance carrier, insurance brands and partner brands. Job Summary: PTZ Pet Insurance is seeking a driven Business Development Executive to identify, pursue, and close new distribution partnerships across the ecosystem — including agencies, brokers, MGAs/MGUs, affinity groups, embedded/InsurTech platforms, and other channel partners. This individual will own a defined segment of the partnership pipeline end-to-end: prospecting, qualifying, structuring, negotiating, and closing. This role calls for a partnerships professional with 5–10 years of relevant experience who is ready to build and run a high-velocity pipeline independently. Job Location: Hybrid – New York City or Chicago

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a robust, multi-stage pipeline of prospective insurance distribution partners across target segments (agencies, brokers, MGAs, affinity/association channels, embedded insurance platforms).
• Proactively source and qualify new partnership opportunities through outbound prospecting, industry networking, conferences, and referrals.
• Own deal cycles from first conversation through signed agreement — structuring commercial terms, coordinating internal stakeholders (legal, product, underwriting, operations), and driving deals to close.
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of the insurance distribution landscape, including competitive dynamics, partner economics, and emerging channel models.
• Partner cross-functionally with Marketing, Product, and Operations to ensure new partnerships are set up for successful launch and long-term growth.
• Track pipeline health, deal velocity, and conversion metrics; report regularly on progress against targets.
• Represent the company at industry events and with prospective partners, serving as a credible, knowledgeable point of contact.

Requirements

• 5–10 years of experience in business development, partnerships, or channel sales, ideally within insurance, insurtech, financial services, or a related distribution-driven industry.
• Demonstrated success building a pipeline from scratch and independently driving deals from first touch to signed contract.
• Working knowledge of insurance distribution models (agency, broker, MGA/MGU, affinity, embedded) and how partner economics work.
• Strong commercial instincts — comfortable structuring deal terms and negotiating with a range of partner types and sizes.
• Excellent relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to influence both external partners and internal stakeholders.
• Highly organized and self-directed, with the discipline to manage a multi-stage pipeline and prioritize across many concurrent opportunities.
• Comfort working in a fast-paced, evolving environment where processes are still being built.
• CRM proficiency (Salesforce, HubSpot, or similar) and comfort with pipeline reporting and forecasting.

Qualifications

• Existing relationships within insurance distribution channels (agency networks, MGAs, affinity partners, or InsurTech platforms).
• Experience at a PE-backed or high-growth company where scope and process evolved quickly.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.

Benefits

• Comprehensive full medical, dental and vision Insurance
• Basic Life Insurance at no cost to the employee
• Company paid short-term and long-term disability
• 12 weeks of 100% paid Parental Leave
• Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSA)
• Retirement savings plan