Lead, Business Development - Employee Ownership Acquisitions

Lead, Business Development - Employee Ownership

Acquisitions

Project Equity grows community wealth by creating more equitable communities and

a resilient future through employee ownership transitions

Do you want to see a world where the average employee has economic security and

businesses help build resilient communities? So do we! Project Equity helps employees,

especially those in low- to middle-wage jobs, become co-owners of the businesses where

they work. We provide direct services to private businesses exploring and transition to

employee ownership models.

Help us innovate to the next level

In the eleven years since our launch, Project Equity has developed successful, replicable

programs designed to scale and innovate transitions to employee ownership forms. As we

look to the future, we believe there is more opportunity and innovation to come from

marrying the best approaches from traditional M&A work with the best of the existing

employee ownership field. With this role you can help us build toward that future.

RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES

The Lead, Business Development - EO Acquisitions role is pivotal in expanding the reach

and impact of Project Equity’s EO Transitions practice. This role will lead the development

of our EO Acquisitions pipeline and ensure the organization is reaching business owners in

the small and lower middle market space effectively and that our services are well

understood in the marketplace.

STRATEGY AND MANAGEMENT

• Work with Executive Leadership to further develop the strategy for pipeline

development for EO services & acquisitions.

• Support advancing PE ability to engage addressable M&A market with EO.
• Bring strategy and tactics for traditional deal sourcing into the strategy.
• Lead execution and continuous refinement of the strategy.
• Develop work plans and KPIs for the team and individuals. Supervise and support

team members to be highly effective.

• Work collaboratively with other department leaders to advance the strategy,

especially Marketing and Client Services.

• Advance multiple work streams, balancing team and organizational priorities.

RELATIONSHIP BUILDING AND SALES

• Become an expert communicator of Employee Ownership and Project Equity

messaging.

• Stay up to date on industry trends, be knowledgeable about the competitive

landscape and how Project Equity’s products and services stand out.

• Build internal understanding of how employee ownership fits into the broader M&A

landscape, including identifying and positioning EO as a credible, competitive exit

path for small and lower middle market companies.

• Establish and nurture relationships with influential business associations, business

community leaders, business advisors, and individual business owners.

• Effectively communicate the value of Project Equity’s capital forward EO acquisitions

services.

• Manage the sales cycle from initial contact through closing.
• Utilize CRM tools and marketing automation to track leads, monitor progress and

maintain an accurate and up-to-date pipeline.

• Represent Project Equity at industry conferences, workshops and events to expand

visibility and build connections.

MARKETING AND CAMPAIGN DEVELOPMENT

• Collaborate with the marketing and communications team to create compelling

sales collateral, outreach campaigns and presentations tailored to target audiences.

• Work with Marketing to develop targeted marketing pipeline development

approaches.

• Develop and execute targeted outbound sales and marketing strategies to build a

pipeline of sales opportunities, together with Marketing and Executive team

members.

• Monitor the effectiveness of campaigns and adjust strategies based on analytics

and feedback.

• Contribute to the development of messaging that aligns with Project Equity’s

mission and elevates the value of professional learning products.

SERVICES DEVELOPMENT AND FEEDBACK

• Work closely with PE’s Client Services and Capital teams to continuously assess and

refine our services based on the market.

• Provide regular updates to internal teams about emerging trends, client needs and

opportunities in the field EO Acquisitions.

• Ensure seamless flow from sales closing to services execution working with the

Client Services team.

TEAM LEADERSHIP

• Ensure the team members are continuously and adequately prepared to deliver our

sales messaging and are effective in both outbound and inbound processes.

• Support team members in developing and achieving sales goals.
• Mentor and coach team members to grow capacity for relationship sales cultivation

and closing.

• Contribute to advancing PE’s culture.

HOW YOU WORK

• You’re passionate about advancing EO. You care about creating systemic change and

see the value in spreading knowledge about EO as a viable business succession

strategy.

• You’re a natural coach and mentor. You care about your team and know how to

provide means to advance their ability to learn and perform.

• You’re a relationship-builder. You’re skilled at building connections, networking, and

engaging stakeholders across different sectors.

• You’re skilled at partnership development. You can bring partners on board by

aligning on shared goals and negotiating mutually beneficial agreements.

• You’re proactive and self-motivated. You take initiative to identify new opportunities,

refine strategies based on feedback, and stay focused on achieving sales goals.

• You’re a great communicator. You can effectively explain complex concepts to

diverse audiences, both in person and virtually, and can adapt your message to meet

their needs.

• You thrive in sales environments. You enjoy managing the full sales cycle and are

skilled at closing deals with various customer types, from enterprise clients to

smaller firms.

• You’re collaborative and flexible. You enjoy working closely with internal teams to

align sales efforts with product development and marketing initiatives.

• You’re goal-oriented. You focus on hitting targets and can adjust strategies based on

market conditions and lessons learned.

• You enjoy traveling. You’re comfortable with regular travel to participate in industry

events and meet with partners in person. Travel expectations of up to 25%.

KEY COMPETENCIES AND SKILLS

• Proven business services sales experience with small and lower middle market

businesses, 7+ years of experience in sales, business development or similar roles.

• Demonstrable background in corporate finance and/or transaction deal structuring

is required.

• Strong communication, negotiation, and relationship-building skills, with the ability to

engage diverse audiences.

• Management of staff experience required.
• MBA is a plus.
• Strong presentation skills with the ability to pivot approach mid-pitch based on

reactions or feedback.

• Proficiency in CRM platforms and outreach tools.
• Familiarity with EO, business transitions or related fields is a plus.

SALARY

$125,000 - $150,000

Learn more at project-equity.org