Business Development Executive

Deep End Talent Strategies; Zionsville (IN); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Base salary and performance incentives

Marketing team support

Medical, dental, and vision insurance

Company-paid disability insurance

Disability insurance

Commission incentives

Marketing support

Job summary

A talent consulting firm is seeking a Business Development Executive to foster client relationships and guide organizations in selecting the right services. This role requires 5+ years in business development and excellent communication skills. Responsibilities include generating leads, conducting discovery conversations, and maintaining a detailed pipeline. The firm offers a base salary plus commission, flexibility in scheduling, and various benefits including health insurance. Join a collaborative team focused on meaningful work and client success.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in business development or relationship-based sales.
• Demonstrated ability to qualify leads and determine readiness and fit.
• Superb written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Generate, manage, and qualify leads to assess alignment and scope.
• Conduct discovery conversations to understand organizational challenges.
• Build relationships through networking and referrals.
• Maintain a healthy, well-documented pipeline using established CRM and follow-up workflows
• Partner with the Founder and consulting team to shape scopes, proposals, and pricing for qualified opportunities
• Represent Deep End at networking events, workshops, and community conversations
• Provide ongoing feedback on lead quality, market trends, and service demand

Skills

Business development

Relationship-building

Communication skills

CRM proficiency

Organizational skills

Communication skills

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Deep End Talent Strategies is a Certified Women-Owned, values-driven HR and talent consulting firm that helps organizations build strong teams, thoughtful leaders, and sustainable people practices. We partner with nonprofits, foundations, arts and humanities organizations, professional services firms, and growing businesses across the U.S. and globally - often at moments of growth, transition, or change.

Our work spans fractional HR, compensation benchmarking, organizational design, leadership development, and learning programs. We are known for being practical, human, and deeply invested in our clients’ success.

The Role

We are seeking a Business Development Executive to support Deep End’s growth by building meaningful relationships, qualifying prospective clients, and guiding organizations toward the right mix of services. This role blends business development discipline with a consultative, values-driven approach.

You will serve as an early point of contact for many prospective clients, listening carefully, asking thoughtful questions, and determining fit before advancing opportunities.

What You’ll Do

• Generate, manage, and qualify leads to assess alignment, readiness, and scope
• Conduct discovery conversations to understand organizational challenges, goals, and urgency
• Build relationships through networking, referrals, chambers, community organizations, and thought leadership
• Maintain a healthy, well-documented pipeline using established CRM and follow-up workflows
• Partner with the Founder and consulting team to shape scopes, proposals, and pricing for qualified opportunities
• Represent Deep End at networking events, workshops, and community conversations
• Provide ongoing feedback on lead quality, market trends, and service demand

What Success Looks Like

• High-quality, well-qualified opportunities moving into proposal and engagement stages
• Sound judgment around fit for both the client and Deep End, not rushing to a sale that isn’t right for one or both parties
• Clear visibility into pipeline health and next steps
• Prospective clients who feel heard, respected, and confident in the process

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years of experience in business development or relationship-based sales, selling HR services, payroll services, or closely related solutions
• Demonstrated ability to qualify leads and determine readiness, scope, and fit
• Superb written and verbal communication skills with the ability to ask thoughtful, non-scripted questions
• Follow up and follow through that delights and surprises
• Experience working with or selling to nonprofits, professional services firms, or mission-driven organizations
• Highly organized and comfortable with CRMs, pipelines, and documentation
• Self-directed, curious, and energized by relationship-building

Schedule & Flexibility Expectations

This role requires flexibility to support relationship-building and community engagement. The ideal candidate is comfortable attending early-morning networking events (as early as 7:30 a.m.) and evening events (up to 6:30 p.m.) several times per month. Overall, scheduling remains flexible, with autonomy to balance time accordingly. The individual works from wherever they are most comfortable and productive, with several in-person meetings in Central Indiana weekly.

Why Deep End

People who thrive at Deep End often tell us they’ve never worked harder - or loved a role more. The work is meaningful, the expectations are high, and the impact is real. We believe in thoughtful workloads, flexibility, and trust, while also recognizing that doing work that matters sometimes asks more of you. Our collaborative team prioritizes long-term relationships over transactional wins. We work efficiently, love technology, and believe in delivering a VIP experience to every client and colleague.

We Also Offer

• Base salary + commission with performance incentives
• Marketing team and paid ad budget to support the BD executive
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Company-paid life, short-term, and long-term disability insurance