Business Development Specialist

Arbor Research

$69K — $110K *
Business Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, marketing, communications, public health, life sciences, or a related field.
  • Keen interest in business development and strategic growth, particularly in pipeline tracking and proposals.
  • Background knowledge of the healthcare industry including pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and medical devices.
  • Proficient usage of Microsoft Office and an adaptable approach to new AI tools.
  • Strong interpersonal and communication skills with a focus on clarity and active listening.
  • Demonstrated ability to maintain confidentiality and handle sensitive information with care.

Responsibilities

  • Maintain and enhance CRM records and pipeline tracking for accurate business development information.
  • Prepare reports and briefing materials to aid internal decision-making processes.
  • Monitor federal procurement platforms to identify key opportunities relevant to the organization.
  • Assist in proposal development through research and document preparation.
  • Oversee business development project timelines and communicate progress to colleagues.
  • Support various meeting logistics, including agenda preparation and minute-taking.
  • Conduct market research to bolster business development initiatives targeting healthcare sponsors.

Benefits

  • Hands-on experience throughout the business development cycle including proposals and client engagement.
  • Direct exposure to senior leadership and mentorship opportunities.
  • Potential for growth into expanded strategic responsibilities.
  • Flexible remote work arrangement, with potential hybrid options near Ann Arbor.
Full Job Description
Characteristic Duties and Responsibilities
  • Maintain and improve Customer Relationship Management (CRM) records, pipeline trackers and notes, and shared business development resources to ensure accurate and timely information; use AI-enabled tools where appropriate to streamline updates, identify data gaps, and improve the accuracy and timeliness of information.
  • Prepare recurring pipeline reports, follow up lists, notes, and briefing materials to support prioritization and internal decision-making.
  • Monitor Federal opportunity sources and procurement platforms to identify, triage, and summarize relevant opportunities, including RFIs, sources sought notices, draft solicitations, and live solicitations aligned with Arbor Research's capabilities.
  • Assist the technical team with proposal development, including background research, boilerplate maintenance, and formatting of proposal materials.
  • Assist with the development and oversight of business development project timelines; monitor progress of deliverables and milestones, and communicate status and any problem areas to internal colleagues.
  • Support meetings, conference calls, and client-facing presentations, including preparation of agendas, briefing documents, slide materials, and meeting minutes.
  • Support conference and event planning, including attendee research, meeting coordination, contact tracking, and post-event follow-up.
  • Conduct industry, market, and competitor research to support business development efforts targeting healthcare industry sponsors (e.g., pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and digital health companies).
  • Communicate professionally and effectively, with moderate oversight, with various groups and in various settings; ensure sensitivity of confidential and proprietary information.

Supervision Received

This position reports to and receives general administrative supervision from the Strategic Growth Team Lead. Day-to-day direction may also be provided by Arbor Research investigators. Close collaboration is expected with colleagues.

Supervision Exercised

None

Required Qualifications
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in business, marketing, communications, public health, life sciences, or a related discipline
  • Interest in business development and strategic growth, with a desire to contribute to pipeline tracking, client engagement, and proposals
  • Interest in the healthcare industry landscape (pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device, and/or digital health)
  • Proficient in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint) and AI-assisted workflows; willingness to learn and adapt to new AI tools and a changing work environment
  • Excellent interpersonal and conversational skills, including ability to present thoughts clearly and listen attentively
  • Excellent written communication skills
  • Ability to work as part of a team and independently
  • Excellent attention to detail, organizational skills, and ability to meet deadlines
  • Ability to protect confidential, proprietary, and highly sensitive information


Desirable Qualifications
  • Internship, academic, or work experience in business development, proposal support, market research, consulting, or a related area
  • Experience using a CRM (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) or pipeline-tracking tool
  • Experience producing client-facing written materials such as briefs, capability summaries, or proposals


Location & Work Arrangement

This is a remote position. Candidates based near our Ann Arbor, Michigan office may work on a hybrid schedule, with occasional on-site presence for team meetings and events.

What You'll Gain

Hands-on experience across the full business development cycle-proposals, market research, and client engagement-with direct exposure to senior investigators and leadership, mentorship, and room to grow into expanded strategic growth responsibilities.

Annual Salary Range

$69,300 - $110,300 (US National Average)

Base Compensation Determination

Base Compensation is determined by market range and geographic location pay zones. Base Compensation also includes various individual factors unique to each candidate such as job level, prior experience, skill set, certification, and education which may impact the compensation structure.

This position is classified as [exempt/non-exempt] according to FLSA guidelines

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