Business Development Partner

Job Purpose

The key result for this role is to provide warm leads that become "qualified" opportunities in the HubSpot deal pipeline. This is rewarded through competitive commission based compensation based upon the total value of the Client contract. For this role, an opportunity is considered "qualified" only when it has reached the Project Value Proposal stage in HubSpot. Please be advised that the CEO is currently the sole employee who moves the deal to that stage.

The Business Development Partner is tasked with creating a network and developing opportunities until they are ready for submission to the CEO so they can be validated with the prospective client and successfully advance, then continue helping move them as far toward closed-won revenue as possible.

Leading indicators for this result include consistent relationship-building activity, disciplined HubSpot usage, active market visibility, and a strong understanding of the business problems clients face around AI, data management, data visualization, and cost management.

Primary Responsibilities

• Identify and pursue new business opportunities through prospecting, networking, referrals, strategic outreach, and active work within your existing network.
• Bring and actively develop relationships with VP of Data and similar decision-maker positions through community events, meals and coffees, phone calls, Teams calls, and other relationship-building activities.
• Conduct discovery meetings to understand prospective clients' business needs; confirm budget, urgency, scope, and fit with our capabilities; and provide enough context to evaluate whether the opportunity is ready for Project Value Proposal.
• Develop opportunities into actionable HubSpot deals and support the sales process beyond qualification, helping move qualified opportunities toward closed-won revenue whenever possible.
• Maintain accurate, complete, and current HubSpot records, including contacts, company records, deal records, tasks, activity notes, and follow-up actions.
• Add new people and companies into HubSpot, enrich those records, and keep CRM data clean enough that activity, pipeline, and follow-up can be tracked reliably.
• Maintain the agreed level of business-development activity and record that activity in HubSpot so leading indicators can be measured and managed.
• Promote the company in the market through appropriate social media activity and consistent professional visibility.
• Monitor industry trends, competitive activity, and emerging market opportunities, especially around AI, data management, data visualization, and cost management.
• Locate and get in front of companies in the Microsoft ecosystem.
• Represent the company with professionalism, integrity, and a commitment to exceptional customer service.

Core Competencies

• Strategic business development
• Prospecting and lead generation
• Consultative selling and discovery
• Relationship management with VP of Data and executive-level personas
• Ability to address the pain points faced by our ideal client profile in Data & AI, and how FirstLight's solutions and products address them, verbally and in writing
• HubSpot discipline, CRM hygiene, and pipeline management
• Social selling and professional market visibility
• Business acumen
• Communication and presentation skills
• Organization and time management
• Problem-solving
• Resilience and persistence
• Accountability and ownership
• Adaptability and continuous learning

Ideal Qualifications

• Proven experience in business development, sales, account management, or related roles.
• Demonstrated success creating qualified pipeline and contributing to closed-won revenue.
• Strong existing network with VP of Data, data leadership, analytics, technology, or similar buyer personas.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Experience using HubSpot or similar CRM software to manage contacts, companies, deals, tasks, activities, and sales pipelines.
• Ability to understand and discuss business problems related to AI, data management, data visualization, and cost management.
• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with internal leadership.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel as needed for community events, meetings, meals, coffees, and client relationship development, if applicable.

What Success Looks Like

The ideal Business Development Partner creates opportunities rather than waits for them. This is a fully independent partnership: you are expected to operate as a 1099 contractor, providing your own equipment and maintaining your own work environment. You continually foster a strong network of VP of Data and similar buyer personas, actively work that network through meaningful relationship-building activity, and create measurable qualified pipeline in HubSpot.

You understand the business problems companies face around AI, data management, data visualization, and cost management, and you can connect those pains to the services and products that FirstLight delivers.

You maintain excellent HubSpot discipline, visibly promote the company in the market, and consistently demonstrate integrity, accountability, curiosity, and a growth mindset. Success is ultimately measured by qualified pipeline value that the CEO advances to Project Value Proposal and by your contribution to moving those opportunities toward closed-won revenue. Compensation for closed business is through competitive commission based compensation.

Further specifications will be provided in our contract for you to review and accept prior to any work beginning. Please let this posting serve as our expectations for the role, an informational tool for interested parties, and the basis on which we will determine next steps toward a partnership.

To apply

Email your resume in PDF format with an optional cover letter attached to work@firstlightbi.ai.

FirstLight is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We provide employment opportunities without regard to age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, veteran status, or any other protected class.

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