Sr. Director Business Development National Security & Resiliency

The Organization: MassChallenge

The Role: Sr. 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 them 
• You 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 withMassChallenge’slong-terms strategic direction & capabilities
• You have a significant visible external presence: speaking, publishing, convening, and being known in the national security and innovation ecosystem 
• You 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 coming years (knowing where the industries are headed)

What You'll Do

• Build and execute an effective sales strategy, from lead generation to close, in order to drive new revenue through multi-year partnerships
• Develop and implement an annual sales plan, including projected budget and revenue forecasts, and target prospects
• Listen closely to the marketplace of existing & potential partners to understand trends and needs; craft relevant proposals and be considered a respected thought leader
• Become 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 communities
• Maintain 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 pipeline
• Work closely with MassChallenge Security & Resiliency Challenge Area Leader, teams and partners to expand relationships, create meaningful synergies, and advance innovation across the ecosystem
• Willingness to work after-hours and network within the focus areas of Security & Resiliency
• Collaborate 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 preferred
• Military or intelligence community experience strongly preferred
• Minimum 10+ years of combined experience in military/intelligence and business, with proven results in closing new revenue opportunities
• Business development experience in a highly-consultative sales process is required
• Proven track record of securing new business revenue in a sales environment
• DoW 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 primes
• Highly 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 others
• You are competitive and want to win in your space
• You have a creative “builder mentality” seeking opportunities to develop Partner centered solutions that align to MC’s long-term goals
• You are ambitious and highly driven, with an entrepreneurial instinct
• You are a student of the startup community and understand how corporations and governments want to connect with startups to drive innovation forward within their organizations
• You are experienced and skilled in a highly consultative sales environment
• You are a clear communicator who can speak credibly with senior corporate and government leaders
• You thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment
• You are self-motivated and work well in ambiguity
• You think in terms of building a book and building a reputation simultaneously
• You 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 Problem
• Connect & Collaborate: Empathy & Inclusion & Fun, Build Community, Connect the Dots
• Progress 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 work
• Base salary: $100,000; total on-target compensation of $200,000
• Significant upside earning potential for outperformance with built in accelerators and no cap on total compensation

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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.