Position Purpose: The Business Development Specialist actively manages direct outreach to current and prospective healthcare and academic organizations to understand their needs, propose AACN solutions, and secure sales to support their nurses and students. This role involves understanding the target audience, market opportunities, and effective sales channels to drive success.
The role works in conjunction with the Business Development Manager and the Business Development team on strategic planning for future growth by identifying new opportunities, forming partnerships, and adding value to the company.
The Specialist actively engages other interested parties to understand the current industry environment and issues that matter most to healthcare leaders, our nurse community, and their patients. The position collaborates with cross-functional teams to evaluate opportunities, create business plans, and manage projects.
Facilitate Business Development Process
Maintains day-to-day contact with external business-to-business (B2B) customers and ensure their needs are met by effectively coordinating AACN’s customer support resources.
Research and understand the needs of individual B2B customer organizations and surface opportunities to align AACN’s products with the customer’s key clinical and business objectives and initiatives. Devises ways to integrate and bundle AACN’s products to further customer goals.
Identifies emerging industry trends and participates in market research.
Pursues opportunities to partner with other organizations to advance AACN’s reach and participates in the evaluation of proposals.
Leads communication with key collaborators and team members through completion of project deliverables, reports progress, and project accomplishments.
Drives sales, upsell/cross-sell, close deals, and meet or exceed individual and team sales goals.
Uses Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software, such as HubSpot, to develop, manage, and track customer interactions.
Consults on Business Planning
Supports new B2B-related programs, initiatives, and product launches and maintains cross-functional alignment with marketing, finance, analytics, and pricing teams to ensure creation of thoughtful, detailed, and actionable business plans.
Provides data-driven market-based insights to improve planning and evaluation of business opportunities.
Develops comprehensive discussion guides that outline key topics, objectives, and questions to facilitate productive meetings and enable effective decision-making.
Leads or assists in the facilitation of the review of business opportunities by cross-functional AACN teams.
Support Business-to-Business (B2B) Outreach and Marketing
Engages directly with Digital team - including marketing/communications, UX design, and IT - to enhance outreach capabilities and improve the B2B customer experience; collaborates with Customer Care to ensure seamless customer interface.
Actively seeks and surfaces opportunities to enhance B2B outreach capabilities by identifying and engaging with potential business partners; leads those efforts in collaboration with other appropriate AACN resources.
Collaborates with internal partners to ensure B2B considerations are aligned in new product, strategy, or outreach initiatives.
Improves outreach process, sales tracking and reporting capabilities, and customer satisfaction and retention.
Develop Data Reporting Structure
Tracks and reports B2B sales and outreach efforts by initiative as needed for Board and internal reporting purposes.
Generates meaningful, user-friendly reports and dashboards using software tools to summarize input and data on goal progress, project progress, and resource utilization.
Acts as a primary B2B administrator of current and future CRM software, orchestrates our use of the tool, and assists other AACN team members in accessing and navigating CRMs when appropriate and necessary.
Program and Project Maintenance
Plans, implements, and manages organizational programs and projects focusing on growth, operational efficiency, and goal achievement.
Executes new program activities and initiatives while ensuring alignment with organizational goals.
Generates financial reports, maintains accurate records, and oversees program budgets.
Monitor project timelines, lead team meetings to maximize productivity, and ensure all activities adhere to company policies.
Compile program performance metrics, solicit participant feedback, and prepare reports for future analysis to inform improvements.
Strong organizational, communication (written and verbal), and interpersonal skills.
Demonstrated project management skills, including facilitating large meetings and documenting decisions and action steps. Understanding of professional project management methodologies and tools.
Strong teamwork and interpersonal communication skills with the ability to work well with all levels of managers, associates, and stakeholders, and influence the direction of complex, large-scale business projects. Must be comfortable operating in a collaborative, shared leadership environment.
Must demonstrate strong analytical, critical thinking, and problem-solving skills with the ability to apply modern technologies, concepts, & functionality to solve problems and implement solutions.
Strategic mindset and negotiation skills
Demonstrated ability to provide consultation or expert advice to management on areas of expertise.
Good working knowledge of software programs such as Microsoft (e.g., Word, PowerPoint, and Excel), Google Suite, and Smartsheet.
Possess extensive expertise in various CRM software, including HubSpot and NetForum.
Ability to research, analyze, and synthesize industry trends, competitor activities, and market data.
Skilled in negotiating contracts, partnerships, and complex deals; able to influence stakeholders across teams.
Experience collaborating with cross-functional teams to implement initiatives and drive organizational change.
Demonstrated ability to build, maintain, and grow strong B2B relationships.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in business administration, or other related field required; Master’s degree preferred.
Minimum of 5 years of experience in business development, sales, and/or business analysis (or equivalent), including experience leading matrixed teams and facilitating meetings.
Experience in developing and implementing business plans and strategies to grow market share is preferred.
Previous experience in hospitals, healthcare systems, or academic settings—either in an administrative role or as a consultant/vendor—is strongly preferred.
The demands described here represent those that must be met by an individual to successfully perform the essential responsibilities of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
Frequently communicates and interacts with others, in person and over the computer and phone; frequently required to talk and hear. While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment, if located in the office, is usually quiet to moderate. Frequent sitting. Prolonged periods of sitting/standing at a desk and working on a computer. Operate standard office equipment and keyboard. Occasionally required to walk and stoop, kneel, crouch, or reach with hands and arms. While performing the duties of this job, the noise level in the work environment, if located in the office, is usually quiet to moderate. Mental stamina for problem-solving; prioritizing multiple tasks. Ability to recall, interpret, and apply oral/written instructions; remain alert and coherent to take action. Ability to travel.
Work location designation: Remote
Total Compensation:
The target pay range for this role is $110,000 - $130,000.
** This is a salaried, non-commission role. In addition to the salary range listed, we offer a wealth of benefits to make working at AACN even more rewarding. Benefits include generous paid time off, low-cost health plans for medical and mental health services, dental, and vision, company-paid life and short-term disability insurance, a variety of other benefits, and a retirement savings program with employer matching and additional company contribution. AACN is committed to a people-centered culture of workplace excellence and belonging, and offers various alternative and flexible work arrangements to support work/life balance for our team members.