Sr. Director, Bus. Dev., Mil/Gov Solutions

The Darden School Foundation at the University of Virginia seeks a highly motivated, results-oriented professional to join its Executive Education & Lifelong Learning (EELL) team as Senior Director, Business Development - Military and Government Solutions. This position is based in Northern Virginia, with travel to Charlottesville, Virginia and other locations as needed for business development activities. The Senior Director will focus on identifying, developing, and securing new custom executive education partnerships, with particular emphasis on military, government, and defense industry organizations. Working collaboratively with EELL leadership, faculty, and colleagues across the Integrated Sales & Marketing team, this position will engage senior-level decision-makers to identify leadership and talent development needs, cultivate relationships, and advance new business opportunities.

For more than 50 years, Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning has proudly supported military service members and government leaders through education and leadership development, reflecting a longstanding commitment to service, leadership, and lifelong learning.

This role is compensated by a combination of base salary and bonus. The hiring range for the base salary begins at $125,000.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities include:

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities within military, government, and defense industry markets to expand Darden's custom executive education partnerships.
• Develop targeted prospect lists and generate qualified leads through direct outreach, professional networking, alumni and University referrals, industry associations, conferences, and other business development activities.
• Monitor government procurement portals and requests for proposals (RFPs) to identify relevant contracting opportunities; assess requirements and coordinate proposal development and responses in collaboration with EELL colleagues.
• Build and maintain relationships with senior military, government, human resources, talent development, and organizational leadership decision-makers to understand their strategic priorities and leadership development needs.
• Lead new-client business development efforts from initial prospecting and qualification through proposal development, negotiation, and securing initial agreements.
• Collaborate with EELL leadership, faculty, and program teams to develop customized solutions, proposals, presentations, and pricing strategies that align with prospective client needs.
• Coordinate the transition of newly secured clients to EELL Directors, ensuring thorough documentation of client expectations, stakeholder relationships, contractual commitments, and next steps.
• Maintain accurate and timely records of prospecting activities, client interactions, sales opportunities, pipeline forecasts, and outcomes in Salesforce.
• Monitor business development activity, pipeline progression, and sales performance to evaluate effectiveness and identify opportunities for improvement.
• Partner with the Integrated Sales & Marketing team to align market priorities, outreach strategies, messaging, campaigns, and lead generation efforts.
• Represent Darden Executive Education & Lifelong Learning at professional conferences, networking events, prospect meetings, and other business development activities.
• Collaborate with internal and external stakeholders to strengthen Darden's presence and identify new opportunities across military, government, and related markets.

Successful candidates will have a proven track record that includes:

• Bachelor's degree required.
• Demonstrated success in business development, including independently identifying, cultivating, and securing new business-to-business (B2B) clients.
• Experience with consultative selling, complex sales cycles, proposal development, contract negotiations, and achieving measurable sales or revenue goals.
• Familiarity with government procurement processes, RFP requirements, contracting procedures, and public-sector purchasing cycles; direct experience within military or government markets strongly preferred.
• Experience in professional services, executive education, leadership development, talent development, or related industries preferred.
• Knowledge of the learning and leadership development sector, including higher education, private learning organizations, educational technology, or professional education services.
• Proven ability to establish credibility and build productive relationships with senior executives, government officials, military leaders, and other key decision-makers.
• Proficiency with Salesforce or comparable customer relationship management (CRM) systems, including pipeline management, forecasting, and accurate documentation of business development activities.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to manage multiple opportunities and competing priorities.
• Demonstrated initiative, persistence, sound judgment, and ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• Ability to identify organizational challenges and translate client needs into potential executive education and leadership development solutions.
• Ability and willingness to travel for client meetings, conferences, and other business development activities.

Please attach a cover letter and resume when applying for this position.

The Darden School Foundation is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate in hiring on the basis of physical or mental disability, protected Veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

We participate in E-Verify.