Overview

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and education organization. Founded in 1936, ULI has over 40,000 members worldwide representing the land use and real estate development disciplines, working in private enterprise and public service. ULI facilitates the open exchange of ideas, information and experience among industry leaders and policy makers dedicated to creating better places. The mission of ULI is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide. Members engage to grow professionally and personally through sharing, mentoring, and problem solving. ULI is committed to building mutually beneficial relationships with corporate partners through high-value programs, events, and content. Reporting to the Vice President (VP) of Business Development, the Director, Business Development role is responsible for all elements of corporate fundraising while aligning core initiatives with ULI’s corporate supporters. The Director will provide comprehensive account management for a set of prospective corporate partners, negotiate, fulfill, and support long-term engagements, and collaborate with the content team on funding partnerships for content-related work such as publications and reports.

The Director will be highly collaborative, possess strong communication, presentation, and sales skills, and excel at business development. The role requires strong organizational skills, problem-solving ability, and the capacity to interact gracefully under pressure.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to a team revenue goal in support of corporate membership, major meeting sponsorship, global advertising, and more, including packages for corporate partners and independent ad hoc sales.
• Own an individual annual seven-figure revenue generation goal across a suite of partnership offerings.
• Collaborate with other ULI teams globally, including Client Services, Corporate Strategy, Integrated Marketing, Governance, Centers & Initiatives, and other content teams.
• Establish relationships with a broad prospect network and cultivate existing relationships to increase investment with the organization.
• Create and execute a global, multichannel advertising strategy via publishing products, major events, digital marketing channels, etc., in partnership with the Vice President, Business Development.
• Establish strategies for the evolution and structure of activations for corporate prospects and advertisers, and sponsors.
• Develop and update pitch materials, templates, and resources (PowerPoint decks, one-pagers, case studies, proposals) for new business outreach, collaborating across teams to gather relevant program updates, assets, and brand messaging.
• Become well-versed in the organization’s goals and effectively communicate them to prospects.
• Identify and attend conferences, meetings, and other forums for strategically positioning ULI for corporate prospect visibility.
• Help manage the internal vetting and approval process of new prospects on behalf of the Corporate Partnerships team.
• Research marketing, CSR/ESG, and industry trends to inform strategic approaches and integration into pitch materials.
• Travel to several conferences each year to meet prospects in person.
• Provide excellent client relations.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is an experienced, results-driven professional with a proven track record of securing business development meetings and closing deals. This individual is an effective communicator and presenter to executive-level stakeholders, highly responsive, and collaborative across internal teams. They are exceptionally organized, proactive, research-focused, innovative, and technologically proficient, and are deeply committed to ULI’s mission and fostering mutually beneficial corporate partnerships.

Qualifications

• Significant experience in business development or inside sales with a successful track record in print and digital advertising.
• Ability to travel overnight to conferences 2-4x annually.
• Professional, personable, and clear communicator.
• Comfortable with technology such as ad management software and the use of databases.
• Excellent skills in Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.
• Above-average business writing skills.
• Works well in a team environment and independently.
• Collaborative and positive team contributor.
• Good communication and presentation skills.
• Well organized and an effective problem solver, able to build strong relationships and remain effective under pressure.
• Professional, goal-driven, customer service-oriented, and comfortable communicating with executive-level members.

Salary Range

$116k to $128k

Location

Washington, DC - Hybrid – 3 Days in Office (Tue, Wed & Thu) and 2 days Remote (Mon & Fri)

DRiWaterstone is proud to lead this search on behalf of Urban Land Institute.