Senior Director, Business Development – National Security & Resiliency

The Organization: MassChallenge The Role: Senior Director, Business Development – National Security & Resiliency with focus on Defense, Dual-Use, and Energy Resiliency Location: USA (all states) Reports to: Chief Growth Officer Compensation: Base: $100,000 | OTE: $200,000+ About MassChallenge MassChallenge is the global network for innovators who are working to solve massive challenges. We connect startups, experts, corporations, and communities to grow and transform businesses and economies. Our mission is to equip bold entrepreneurs to disrupt the status quo and create meaningful change. Our mission is BIG, and thus we are a team that gives 100% every day. Our MC values ensure we stay true to our mission and our core beliefs.MassChallenge is seeking a driven and experienced professional to further grow our National Security and Resiliency (S&R) Challenge Area. Why You Should Join Us MassChallenge was just named the #2 accelerator in the U.S. and #1 in Massachusetts by TIME and Statista, with 85% of the ranking driven by feedback from the founders we serve. That puts us among the very best in the country. It also gives us a new target. We are building on that recognition, growing what works, and raising our ambitions for what MassChallenge can do next. If you are looking for a place where there is real energy behind the work and plenty left to build, we want to talk to you! Position Summary This is a senior sales role with a builder’s mandate. The primary job is new revenue creation: sourcing, developing, and closing corporate and government partnerships within the national security and energy resilience sectors. The successful candidate is a driven leader who is highly creative, knows consultative selling techniques, and approaches their work with a builder mentality. You are not selling a product; you are building a world-class practice with the MassChallenge S&R Challenge Area Leader. You are a highly experienced consultative seller with the ability to shape how MassChallenge leads in the defense, dual-use, and energy sectors – developing external presence and thought leadership that will help define how MassChallenge will win in these sectors. You grow new revenue for MassChallenge by sourcing and closing new corporate and government Partners. Reporting to the Chief Growth Officer, you will be responsible for new revenue growth — securing new partnerships from target organizations that seek to leverage MassChallenge’s unique capabilities to solve massive challenges through innovation. You will have a new revenue target and be expected to build your own prospect pipeline, develop those opportunities, and close new partnerships. You will work closely with the S&R Challenge Area Leader and all members of the S&R team, senior leadership, and outside experts to grow what is already a leading Challenge Area (practice). You have significant earning potential, especially for outperformance of revenue targets. What Success Looks Like in This Role: You meet new revenue targets, but you are the type of person who pushes to exceed themYou build a pipeline of new partnerships with defense primes/subs, energy companies, and government agencies, especially within the DoW (and others who will benefit from MC’s expertise in this space)You have the creativity to build solutions for prospects that meet their innovation needs and align with MassChallenge’s long-term strategic direction & capabilitiesYou have a significant visible external presence: speaking, publishing, convening, and being known in the national security and innovation ecosystemYou are an active contributor to MassChallenge symposiums, events, and networking opportunities.You help define and continuously refine a coherent point of view on where MassChallenge can win in these focus areas, and what our S&R Challenge Area will focus on in the coming years (knowing where the industries are headed) What You'll Do Build and execute an effective sales strategy, from lead generation to close, to drive new revenue through multi-year partnershipsDevelop and implement an annual sales plan, including projected budget and revenue forecasts, and target prospectsListen closely to the marketplace of existing & potential partners to understand trends and needs; craft relevant proposals and be considered a respected thought leaderBecome a highly visible and credible thought leader and known representative in the Security & Resiliency areas of focus by attending key conferences, immersing yourself in the space, and being conversant in the language used in these communitiesMaintain accurate records of sales and prospecting activities in our CRM system (HubSpot). Establish a strong cadence of qualified leads and meetings to build a robust sales pipelineWork closely with MassChallenge Security & Resiliency Challenge Area Leader, teams, and partners to expand relationships, create meaningful synergies, and advance innovation across the ecosystemWillingness to work after-hours and network within the focus areas of Security & ResiliencyCollaborate closely with all MassChallenge staff and leaders to drive the business forward. We act and win as one team Who You Are & What You Bring Education & Experience Requirements Bachelor’s Degree required – MBA strongly preferredMilitary or intelligence community experience strongly preferredMinimum 10+ years of combined experience in military/intelligence and business, with proven results in closing new revenue opportunitiesBusiness development experience in a highly consultative sales process is requiredProven track record of securing new business revenue in a sales environmentDoW or military/intelligence background, with a subsequent private sector arc (consulting experience a strong plus)Sufficient technical fluency to engage credibly with founders and defense primesHighly networked within national security/military, dual-use, or energy ecosystems Who You Are You are a “closer” who is action-oriented and skilled at influencing othersYou are competitive and want to win in your spaceYou have a creative “builder mentality” seeking opportunities to develop partner-centered solutions that align to MC’s long-term goalsYou are ambitious and highly driven, with an entrepreneurial instinctYou are a student of the startup community and understand how corporations and governments want to connect with startups to drive innovation forward within their organizationsYou are experienced and skilled in a highly consultative sales environmentYou are a clear communicator who can speak credibly with senior corporate and government leadersYou thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environmentYou are self-motivated and work well in ambiguityYou think in terms of building a book and building a reputation simultaneouslyYou are seeking an opportunity to have meaningful impact on the world by helping innovators solve massive challenges in our Security & Resiliency focus areas Who We Are MassChallenge is the global network for innovators working to solve massive challenges. We connect startups, experts, governments, corporations, and communities to solve humanity’s toughest challenges. At MassChallenge, we help entrepreneurs build the next generation of transformational businesses, help our partners build and evolve their enterprise innovation practices, and leverage the power of entrepreneurship to strengthen global innovation ecosystems. Our Core Values: Founder Mindset: Optimism, Tenacity, Love the ProblemConnect & Collaborate: Empathy & Inclusion & Fun, Build Community, Connect the DotsProgress over Perfection: Build on Experience, Fail Fast, Demonstrate Traction Compensation MassChallenge offers competitive salaries, excellent benefits, and a supportive working environment – we want you to bring your whole self to workBase salary: $100,000; total on-target compensation of $200,000Significant upside earning potential for outperformance with built-in accelerators and no cap on total compensation ***MassChallenge is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We seek individuals from a broad variety of backgrounds with varying levels of experience who have a desire to do meaningful work. We recruit, employ, train, compensate, and promote regardless of race, color, gender, gender identity, religion, national origin, ancestry, disability, age, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.