Business Development Manager

North Carolina Outward Bound School Inc; Asheville (NC); Hybrid; USD 55,000 - 62,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental, Vision

403(b) retirement with match

13 paid holidays

Paid time off

Outward Bound course

Pro deals

Professional development funds

Dog friendly office

Job summary

North Carolina Outward Bound School is seeking a Business Development Manager to expand our reach by identifying new prospects, building relationships with schools, organizations, and communities, and developing qualified opportunities across program lines.

The role emphasizes outbound prospecting, pipeline management, and collaboration with marketing and program leaders to drive enrollment and revenue growth, with a hybrid work model and regular travel.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.
• 4–6 years in Sales/Business Development.
• Proven lead generation and client recruitment experience.
• Comfort with proactive outreach to new prospects.
• Excellent written and verbal communication.
• Strong presentation/public-speaking skills.
• Strong relationship-building and curiosity about client needs.
• Highly organized with ability to manage multiple leads.
• Willingness to travel regularly.
• Salesforce experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Research, identify, and pursue new leads across program lines and markets.
• Outbound prospecting via email, phone, networking, referrals, and events.
• Develop relationship maps and strategies for priority markets.
• Maintain a healthy pipeline of qualified opportunities and follow up.

Skills

Lead generation

Prospecting/outreach

Communication

Public speaking

Relationship building

Organization

Travel readiness

Salesforce

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business/Marketing or related field

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

Business Development Manager

Hybrid Remote in North Carolina, Florida, or Georgia

Full Time, Exempt

At North Carolina Outward Bound School, the Business Development Manager plays a key role in expanding our reach and connecting more individuals, schools, organizations, and communities with the transformative power of Outward Bound programs. The Business Development Manager is responsible for generating new leads and building a strong pipeline of prospective clients and participants across NCOBS program lines. This highly outward-facing role focuses primarily on top- and mid-funnel sales activity: identifying new prospects, opening doors, building relationships, understanding client needs, and developing qualified opportunities that support enrollment and revenue growth.

This role requires someone who is energized by finding and pursuing new opportunities. The Business Development Manager actively seeks prospective clients through research, prospecting, direct outreach, networking, referrals, school and organizational visits, presentations, fairs, conferences, and community engagement. While some leads will come through established NCOBS networks, a significant part of this role is finding and developing relationships with people and organizations that do not yet have a connection to NCOBS.

Working closely with the Program Growth & Innovation Team, the Business Development Manager executes sales priorities across target markets and represents the full range of NCOBS programs. Success in this position will be defined by consistent sales activity, a healthy and growing pipeline, qualified opportunities, strong prospective client relationships, and increased participation and revenue resulting from new business development.

Position Details

As the Business Development Manager, you are a key ambassador for North Carolina Outward Bound School, building relationships and creating new pathways for individuals and organizations to engage with our programs. You will:

• Proactively research, identify, and pursue new leads across NCOBS program lines and priority markets, including individuals, schools, colleges and universities, businesses, youth-serving organizations, and community organizations.
• Conduct consistent outbound prospecting through email, phone, networking, referrals, in-person outreach, and other sales activities.
• Identify key decision makers and work with the Director of Program Growth & Innovation to develop relationship maps and prospecting strategies for priority markets.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of qualified opportunities, consistently following up and moving prospects through the sales funnel.
• Identify new audiences, organizations, and channels that could increase participation and revenue across NCOBS programs.
• Build relationships and secure meetings with prospective clients, including school administrators, educators, counselors, organizational leaders, businesses, and community partners.
• Lead discovery conversations to understand prospective clients' goals and connect them with the NCOBS programs and experiences that best meet their needs.
• Confidently represent and sell the full range of NCOBS programs through client meetings, presentations, school visits, fairs, conferences, and community and professional events.
• Identify opportunities for program progression and engage the Director of Program Growth & Innovation and appropriate program leaders as opportunities advance toward program design, proposal, pricing, and close.
• Maintain momentum and clear next steps throughout the sales process.
• Maintain accurate records of leads, contacts, opportunities, activities, and next steps in Salesforce and provide regular reporting on pipeline development and progress toward goals.
• Manage follow-up across a high volume of prospective clients and proactively re-engage stalled opportunities.
• Partner with Marketing and program leaders to support lead generation, understand program priorities and capacity, and strengthen sales efforts.
• Ensure strong handoffs to program line directors and Student Services as prospective clients become active clients, while supporting opportunities for future expansion and program progression.
• Share client and market insights that can inform sales strategy, program development, and future growth opportunities.

Position Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Marketing, or related field; or equivalent professional experience.
• Four to six years of experience in Sales, Business Development, or related field.
• Demonstrated experience generating leads, recruiting participants or clients, selling products or services, or developing new business relationships.
• Demonstrated comfort with proactive outreach, including initiating contact with prospective clients who do not yet have a relationship with the organization.
• Goal-oriented and motivated by measurable results, with demonstrated persistence in moving prospective clients from initial contact to action.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong presentation and public-speaking skills, with the confidence to engage a wide variety of audiences and decision-makers.
• Strong relationship-building skills and genuine curiosity about prospective clients and their needs.
• Strong organizational skills, initiative, and consistent follow-through.
• Ability to independently manage multiple leads, conversations, and opportunities at different stages of the sales process.
• Comfortable working toward measurable activity, pipeline, enrollment, and revenue goals.
• Passion for mission-driven work, outdoor education, and social impact.
• Cultural competency and demonstrated ability to build relationships across diverse communities.
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly for meetings, presentations, fairs, conferences, and other sales activities.
• Experience using a CRM preferred; Salesforce experience is a plus.

Work Environment & Employment Requirements

• Hybrid office environment with periodic travel to Asheville office and basecamps in North Carolina and Florida required
• Occasional schedule flexibility required for deadlines or events
• Up to 50% of time spent traveling primarily on the East coast
• Ability to travel and stay overnight required frequently for this position
• Successful completion of background and motor vehicle records checks
• Eligibility to work in the United States
• Ability to use a computer for long durations and sit for extended periods of time
• Ability to lift or carry light items (generally up to 25lbs) such as office supplies or files
• Ability to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle, or feel; reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; talk or hear and taste or smell

Benefits & Perks

Working at North Carolina Outward Bound School comes with perks that support your well-being and growth. Our benefits include:

• Medical, Dental, Vision, Life/AD&D, STD, and LTD
• Access to contribute to a 403(b) retirement account with 1.5% employer match after 1 year of service
• 13 paid holidays to rest, recharge, and adventure
• Two weeks of paid time off accrued annually beginning at date of hire with increased accrual rate based on position tenure
• One complimentary domestic Outward Bound course
• Access to outdoor industry pro deals
• Annual professional development funds to support your learning and career growth
• Dog friendly office

Compensation

$55,000 - $62,000 Annually (DOE)

Equal Opportunity & Anti-Harassment

North Carolina Outward Bound School is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to building a diverse, inclusive, and respectful workplace. We welcome applicants of all backgrounds and do not discriminate on the basis of disability, race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, veteran status, or any other protected status under the law. We maintain a zero‑tolerance policy for harassment or discrimination of any kind and are dedicated to fostering a safe and supportive environment for all employees.

Accessibility & Accommodation

We are committed to creating an inclusive environment where both current and future employees can thrive. Employees may request reasonable accommodation at any time to support the performance of essential job functions. The organization is committing to working collaboratively with employees to ensure they have the support and environment needed to succeed.

We are also committed to ensuring an accessible and inclusive hiring process. Applicants needing reasonable accommodation at any point during the application or interview process are encouraged to reach out. We are happy to work with applicants to provide the support needed to participate fully in the hiring process.