Northwestern University

Senior Director, Business Development

Northwestern University$147K — $172K *
Business Services
8 - 10 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree or higher in relevant field or equivalent experience.
  • Over 10 years in business development, sales, or executive education.
  • Track record of driving enterprise-level revenue growth.
  • Expertise in long-cycle institutional sales and complex negotiations.
  • Strong skills in developing executive relationships and effective communication.
  • Ability to function in matrixed, mission-driven settings.

Responsibilities

  • Create and execute a multi-year growth strategy for executive education.
  • Conduct market intelligence to identify trends and opportunities.
  • Advise on client engagement strategies and portfolio growth.
  • Build and maintain relationships with C-suite executives.
  • Lead consultative sales to align education offerings with client needs.
  • Manage complex agreements related to custom programming.
  • Direct the full business development lifecycle for sustainable growth.

Benefits

  • Health, dental, and vision insurance.
  • Paid vacation, holidays, and medical/sick leave.
  • Tuition benefits for employees and dependents.
  • Flexible work arrangements and wellness programs.
  • Generous retirement savings options.
Full Job Description
Department: Kellogg Executive Education
Salary/Grade: EXS/14

Job Summary:

Reporting to a Managing Director, the Senior Director, Business Development is responsible for the development and maintenance of key corporate/client relationships with Kellogg Executive Education. Worth an estimated $3-5 million in annual revenues, the relationships overseen by the Senior Director involve prospecting and/or developing educational programs for senior-level client employees

Specific Responsibilities:

Strategic Growth & Market Leadership
  • Establish and execute a multi-year growth strategy for executive education, with full accountability for revenue targets, targeting prospective sectors and clients, and market positioning for assigned portfolio (Custom, Open Enrollment and/or Online programming).
  • Lead market intelligence efforts to identify emerging workforce trends, competitive dynamics, and new sector opportunities to position Kellogg as a preferred provider of executive education solutions.
  • Serve as an advisor to Executive Education leadership on market opportunities, client engagement strategy, and long-term portfolio expansion.
  • Champion a client-centric culture that integrates academic excellence with business rigor.
Relationship & Stakeholder Management
  • Cultivate and steward C-suite and senior-level relationships within corporations to secure high-value, multi-year engagements.
  • Position executive education offerings as strategic solutions aligned to client organizational objectives and workforce priorities.
  • Drive consultative sales engagements that translate institutional capabilities such as faculty expertise, research, and academic innovation, into learning solutions.
    • Partner closely with academic leadership, faculty, and Executive Education program teams to align market demand with program design and delivery excellence.
    • Provide market insight to inform curriculum innovation, program development, and portfolio optimization.
  • Negotiate complex agreements and multi-year contracts, ensuring alignment with university policies, procurement requirements, and compliance standards for custom programming
  • Represent the institution at industry forums, conferences, and strategic convenings to strengthen brand visibility and partnership pipelines.
  • Ensure seamless collaboration across curriculum design, marketing, and operations teams to deliver exceptional client experiences.
New Business Development & Revenue Expansion
  • Lead end-to-end business development lifecycle including market analysis, prospect targeting, pipeline development, proposal strategy, pricing, contract negotiation, and post-award expansion.
  • Cultivate a diversified portfolio of clients to ensure sustainable and profitable revenue growth.
  • Oversee proposal strategy and development, ensuring compelling value propositions and differentiation within competitive higher education landscapes.
  • Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) tied to revenue targets, client retention, market penetration, and partnership growth.
  • Drive cross-selling and upselling strategies across the Exec Ed offerings and work collaboratively across the entire school to support the values and objectives of Kellogg
Administration
  • Oversee pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting to senior leadership.
  • Implement operational systems that enable sustainable, scalable growth.
Miscellaneous

Performs other duties as assigned.

Minimum Qualifications:
  • Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.
  • 10+ years of progressive experience in sales, business development, executive education, consulting , or professional services.
  • Demonstrated success leading enterprise-level revenue growth initiatives.
  • Proven experience in prospect development and long-cycle institutional sales.
  • Experience negotiating complex, multi-stakeholder agreements.
  • Proven ability to operate effectively within matrixed, mission-driven environments.
  • Knowledge of enterprise revenue strategy & portfolio management
  • Skilled executive relationship development and communication skills
  • Ability to direct strategic market expansion
  • Proven ability for cross-functional executive leadership
  • Data-driven decision making
Preferred Qualifications:
  • 15+ years of experience in business development, consultative selling, and contract negotiations in business-to-business markets.
  • MBA highly preferred.
  • Experience in organization development, executive training, consulting, and/or development
  • Strong skill set in understanding and communicating business issues, objectives and solutions
Target hiring range for this position will be $147,000 - $172,000 per year. Offered salary will be determined by the applicant's education, experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Benefits:

At Northwestern, we are proud to provide meaningful and competitive benefits. The available benefits package for this position will include health, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance; paid vacation and holidays; paid medical/sick and parental leave; tuition benefits for the employee and dependents; pre-tax and flex spending accounts for commuting and dependent care; generous retirement savings options; and wellness programs. For a comprehensive overview of available benefits, including eligibility details, visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/index.html to learn more.

Work-Life and Wellness:
Northwestern offers comprehensive programs and services to help you and your family navigate life's challenges and opportunities, and adopt and maintain healthy lifestyles.
We support flexible work arrangements where possible and programs to help you locate and pay for quality, affordable childcare and senior/adult care. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/benefits/work-life/index.html to learn more.

Professional Growth & Development:
Northwestern supports employee career development in all circumstances whether your workspace is on campus or at home. If you're interested in developing your professional potential or continuing your formal education, we offer a variety of tools and resources. Visit us at https://www.northwestern.edu/hr/learning/index.html to learn more .

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About Northwestern University

Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston, Illinois. It was founded in 1851 by nine men whose goal was to establish a university that would serve the Northwest Territory. Northwestern is a member of the Big Ten Conference and the Association of American Universities. Northwestern has 12 undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees. Northwestern has a diverse student body with over 21,000 students from all 50 states and 100 countries. The university has a strong focus on research and has produced 19 Nobel laureates, as well as numerous Pulitzer Prize and MacArthur Fellowship winners.
Learn more about Northwestern University
Size
1,483 employees
Market Cap
$3.3 billion
Industry
Net Income
$155.2 million
5 Year Trend
+1.8%
Revenue
$1.1 billion
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