Business Development Specialist

Life Care Services-US; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 106,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

Dental coverage

Life insurance

Disability

401(K) with company match

Paid parental leave

Job summary

Life Care Services in Des Moines, IA is seeking a Business Development Specialist to provide dedicated operational support to the national BD team. This role focuses on enabling senior living partnerships by owning the operational backbone: scheduling, CRM hygiene, research, documentation, and follow-through.

The ideal candidate is process-minded, CRM-fluent (Salesforce preferred), highly organized, and able to support multiple senior stakeholders while tracking progress and deadlines.

Qualifications

• Operations, coordination, or project-management background.
• CRM-fluent with Salesforce experience preferred.
• Highly organized, detail-oriented with strong follow-up.
• Clear written and verbal communication, able to distill complex info.
• Event/meeting logistics coordination experience a plus.
• Comfortable supporting multiple senior stakeholders simultaneously.
• Curious about senior living/CCRC industry; shares awareness in briefings.

Responsibilities

• Own the team's operating rhythm with proactive deal tracking.
• Support deal prep and research with briefing materials and decks.
• Prepare RFPs and drive them through the process with cross-functional coordination.
• Stay ahead of industry trends for leadership briefings and conference prep.
• Keep CRM clean, build reports, enforce data hygiene, log follow-ups.
• Track NDA execution with in-house counsel on contract side.
• Coordinate meetings, agendas, and team logistics.
• Organize conferences, attendance, networking and sponsorships.
• Report updates on activity and pipeline health for leadership.

Skills

CRM fluency

Salesforce

Highly organized

Attention to detail

Follow-through

Communication

Event/meeting logistics

Multi-stakeholder support

Industry awareness

Financial analysis (nice-to-have)

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

New partnerships come together through a lot of quiet coordination — schedules aligned, materials prepared, follow-ups tracked, nothing left to chance. This role is for someone who genuinely enjoys that kind of work: bringing order to a busy team, following through reliably, and being the person others can count on.

LCS is hiring a Business Development Specialist to provide dedicated operational support to our national Business Development team. This is not a sales or account-management position — it's an enablement and execution role built to make our producers (VP of Business Development, National Director of BD, and our Group Purchasing Strategic Account Managers) more effective by owning the operational backbone behind every opportunity: scheduling, research, CRM hygiene, documentation, and relentless follow-through. It's steady, collaborative, detail-oriented work in service of senior living communities across the country and the people who call them home — and it matters: these partnerships don't happen without it.

The ideal candidate is process-minded, CRM-fluent, and tenacious about closing the loop on details — the kind of person who instinctively takes ownership of the whole, not just their piece.

Experience is Everything.

At LCS, experience is everything. We provide you the opportunity to use your talents in a progressive, growing organization that makes a positive difference in the lives of the seniors we serve. If you are seeking an organization that gives back, you’ll love working here. Our principles and hospitality promises define our company culture. LCS employees can be found participating in volunteer activities, getting involved in our committees or collaborating with team members in our innovative workspace. You’ll find several opportunities to grow as a professional, serve the community, and enhance the lives of seniors.

What You’ll Do:

• Own the team's operating rhythm. Act as air traffic control for the BD team's deal activity — tracking open items across multiple leaders, proactively booking meetings, and holding the line on follow-through so nothing stalls waiting on a next step.
• Support deal prep and research. Build and refine briefing materials, background research, and pitch decks ahead of calls and presentations for the BD leadership team.
• Prepare RFPs and drive them through the process. Assemble and manage RFP responses under the strategic direction of the deal's sales/BD leader, coordinating with internal stakeholders — national marketing, legal, finance, integration, operations, and others — to keep submissions moving and advance the process to close.
• Stay ahead of industry trends. Keep a working knowledge of senior living/CCRC industry trends, competitors, and market developments, and take a proactive approach to preparing briefings and assisting with conference prep — so leadership walks into every meeting, call, and event informed.
• Keep CRM clean and useful. Serve as a power user (not an administrator) building reports and dashboards, enforcing data hygiene, and making sure follow-ups are logged and tracked.
• Manage NDA tracking. Track and manage NDA execution status across active deals, coordinating with in-house counsel on the contract side.
• Coordinate meetings and agendas. Set agendas and manage logistics for team meetings and leadership 1:1s.
• Organize conferences and events. Schedule and coordinate conference attendance, networking events, and sponsorships.
• Report out on a regular cadence. Package up structured updates on team activity and pipeline health for leadership review.

What Success Looks Like in the First 90 Days

• Stand up a recurring KPI report-out for BD leadership -- packaging structured updates on team activity and pipeline health for leadership review.
• Organize and support a weekly cross-team prioritization cadence, turning ad hoc requests into a shared, working queue.
• Clean up CRM reporting gaps (e.g., closed-won vs. committed tracking) and get follow-ups reliably logged.

Candidate Profile

• Operations, coordination, or project-management background
• Highly organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable with insistent follow-up and follow-through.
• CRM-fluent (Salesforce experience strongly preferred).
• Communicates clearly and concisely, both in writing and in meetings, and is able to distill complex information into its essential points.
• Event or meeting-logistics coordination experience is a plus, given the scope around deck prep, agendas, and conference/sponsorship coordination.
• Comfortable supporting multiple senior stakeholders at once and triaging competing priorities.
• Curious and engaged with the senior living/CCRC industry — reads trade press, tracks competitors, and brings that awareness into briefings and prep work without being asked.
• Produces reliable and detail-oriented, with a track record of meeting deadlines and producing accurate work.

• Preferred: some background in financial analysis, with the ability to read a deal and assess an opportunity's economic benefits and upside potential — not a modeling role, but enough fluency to help leadership see what's worth prioritizing.

Reporting & Team Structure

This position reports to the VP of Business Development and supports the growth leaders in Group Purchasing, Community Operations, and Development.

Why Join Us?

• Industry Leader.
• Inclusive & collaborative culture.
• Top Workplace USA.
• Top Workplace Iowa.
• Charity and community involvement.
• Outstanding advancement opportunities.
• Ongoing career development.

Benefits

Competitive pay, great benefits and vacation time. We are an equal opportunity employer with benefits including medical, dental, life insurance, disability, 401(K) with company match and paid parental leave.

Our Commitment

LCS creates living experiences that enhance the lives of seniors. You’ll see this commitment in our people. They’re talented, dedicated professionals who truly care about residents, with each conducting his or her work with integrity, honesty and transparency according to the principles of LCS. We strive to help every community succeed—strengthening available resources, establishing proven practices that lead to long-term growth and value for those living in, working for and affiliated with the community. Check us out on our website: https://www.lcsliving.com

Additional Information

Travel frequency: 0-10%

Estimated Salary: $85,000 - $106,000

The actual title & salary will carefully consider a wide range of factors, including your skills, qualifications, experience, and other relevant factors.

A POST-OFFER BACKGROUND CHECK, INCLUDING REFERENCES IS REQUIRED.

LCS IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER.