Business Development Manager

Construction Association of Michigan; Michigan; On-site; USD 54,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Nature Playscapes is seeking a first dedicated Business Development Manager in Michigan to build opportunities and project pipelines. You will identify RFPs, cultivate client relationships, and develop proposals that translate ideas into built projects, spanning from $50,000 to over $500,000.

We value candidates who understand our customers and mission; training and industry knowledge will be provided. Regular travel across Michigan with hybrid work arrangements are expected.

Qualifications

• Understand customers, industry, and mission; be teachable in sales process.
• Backgrounds may come from parks/recreation, education, or landscape/construction fields.

Responsibilities

• Identify opportunities early and guide projects from concept to award.
• Develop relationships with landscape architects, planners, and industry partners.
• Represent Nature Playscapes at conferences and networking events; follow up on leads.
• Reconnect with past clients to generate referrals and testimonials.
• Collaborate in visioning, design, and proposal development for projects $50k–$500k+.
• Establish foundational systems: contact database of Michigan municipalities and stakeholders.

Skills

Relationship building

Detail oriented

Self-motivated

Communication

Education

Parks and recreation/conservation

Early childhood education

Landscape architecture/planning/construction

Job description

About Nature Playscapes

At Nature Playscapes we create inspiring outdoor spaces where children learn, explore, and develop through playful connections with nature. We are a Michigan-based design-build company specializing in nature play environments, outdoor classrooms, and custom learning spaces for communities across Michigan. Our clients include municipal parks departments, school districts, and early childhood education centers. Every project is built to align with stringent safety and accessibility standards while delivering engaging, one-of-a-kind experiences. We're a small, entrepreneurial company experiencing strong growth and making a lasting impact across the state.

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to join a growing company in a pivotal, ground-floor role and help shape our next chapter of growth. As our first dedicated Business Development Manager, you'll be responsible for building the relationships, opportunities, and project pipeline that drive our success. You'll identify and cultivate new opportunities, connect with key decision-makers, and develop compelling proposals that transform ideas into built projects. While business development experience is valuable, we're equally interested in candidates who understand our customers and mission. We'll provide the training, industry knowledge, and support needed to become an expert in nature play environments, playground safety standards, and our consultative approach to project development.

What You’ll Do

Success in this role comes from identifying opportunities early, cultivating the vision of our clients, and guiding projects from initial concept through proposal and award.

• Monitor, identify, and respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from municipalities, school districts, and public agencies. Research where organizations publish opportunities and track capital improvement plans, bond initiatives, and master plans to identify projects before they reach the bidding stage.
• Develop and maintain relationships with landscape architects, planners, and other industry partners who regularly encounter nature play opportunities and benefit from our specialized expertise.
• Represent Nature Playscapes at industry conferences, trade shows, and networking events. Consistently follow up on leads and cultivate relationships that may take years to develop into projects.
• Reconnect with past clients to generate referrals, secure testimonials, and uncover future opportunities.
• Collaborate in the visioning, design, and proposal development process for projects ranging from $50,000 to more than $500,000, helping deliver solutions that meet client goals while achieving target profitability.
• Establish the foundational systems that support business development, including a comprehensive contact database of Michigan municipalities, school systems, and key stakeholders, along with organized tracking of all active opportunities and pursuits.

What We’re Looking For

We’re more interested in hiring someone who understands our customers, industry, and mission and can be taught our sales process than someone with extensive sales experience but little connection to our world.

Strong candidates may come from backgrounds such as

• Parks and recreation or conservation professional (municipal, schools, nonprofit, university, or nature center settings, etc.)
• Early childhood education, administration, or program leadership
• Landscape architecture, planning, construction, or a related design-build field

Beyond industry experience, we’re looking for someone who is:

• Detail-oriented and organized. RFP responses frequently range from 40 to 150 pages and require careful review, coordination, and documentation.
• Self-motivated and persistent. Our projects typically have sales cycles of 3 to 18 months, requiring consistent follow-through and relationship management.
• Comfortable building relationships. You'll spend significant time meeting with stakeholders, listening to needs, and earning trust over time.
• Willing to travel throughout Michigan. Regular client and site visits are expected, along with training and bi-weekly meetings at our Portage headquarters. Hybrid candidates must be able to work independently and effectively remotely.
• Driven by performance and growth. This role offers significant uncapped earning potential for someone motivated to create and capture new opportunities.

Compensation

Your base salary provides stability, but it is designed to be only a portion of your total earnings. We expect successful candidates to substantially exceed their base salary through performance-based compensation, and there is no cap on earning potential. The more value you create for the business, the more you share in that success.

• Base Salary: $54,000-60,000/year based on qualifications and experience
• Commission: Uncapped commission earned on projects you help secure
• Profit Sharing: Company profit sharing in addition to base salary and commissions
• Total Comp Goal: Once fully ramped, our expectation is that successful performance in this role will generate total annual compensation of $100,000+, with significant opportunity to exceed that through uncapped commissions and profit sharing.

Why Work for Us?

Nature Playscapes is a small, growing company where your work has a direct impact on the communities we serve and the future of the business. You will have the opportunity to help shape our growth and contribute to projects that create meaningful outdoor learning and play experiences across Michigan and build future stewards of our environment.

• An optional 4-day work week to support work-life balance and focused productivity
• Paid time-off (PTO) and paid holidays so you can rest, recharge, and spend time with family, friends and nature
• Direct access to leadership and the opportunity to influence company strategy and growth
• Comprehensive training in our industry, safety standards, and products
• The chance to make a tangible impact by helping create outdoor spaces that benefit communities, ecology and intergenerational wellness.

If you're looking for a role where you can build something meaningful, grow professionally, and be rewarded for the value you create, we'd love to talk with you.