The posting
Strategic Growth Partners (SGP), a government contracting advisory firm, provides a full suite of support services (Shared Services) to the organization.
Our organization is moving from separate business development operations in each business unit to one unified BD model/system that serves the entire portfolio. SGP is hiring a Chief Business Development Officer (CBDO), employed by SGP and dedicated full time to the organization, to build and lead that system. To start, the CBDO's growth focus is the organization's priority business units; the remaining units will use the same unified systems, such as the CRM, and may come into the CBDO's growth scope as the role evolves.
The CBDO establishes the organization's agency targets and the business development processes and procedures that every business unit follows, including one CRM, one pipeline process, one proposal process, and one set of marketing standards. The CBDO sets the tone for BD across the portfolio, directs the vice presidents who currently lead proposals, pricing, marketing, and related functions, and runs bid/no-bid decisions. Business unit leads keep ownership of their P&L and day-to-day customer relationships, and work inside that system. The CBDO leads outreach and directs the capture process for the business units in the CBDO's scope; where a business unit lead keeps outreach and capture for now, that unit works inside the same system. The CBDO also leads executive-level relationships with customers and partners and delivers a monthly performance report that gives the CGO and the client's executive leadership a clear view of the state of the business. Reporting to SGP's CGO, the CBDO carries growth accountability for the priority business units to start, with the scope expected to grow toward the full portfolio.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
• Set growth targets. Build an annual growth plan with revenue, pipeline, and win-rate targets for each business unit and operating company in the CBDO's scope, and gain the approval of the CGO and the client's executive leadership.
• Establish agency targets. Set the portfolio's target agencies, markets, and contract vehicles, and approve each business unit's targets within them so the operating companies do not compete with one another.
• Partner with the CGO on growth strategy. Work with the CGO to shape the organization's overall growth strategy, including markets, contract vehicles, teaming, and acquisitions, and bring SGP's growth methods and reach-back support to each business unit.
• Run one BD system. Stand up and enforce a single CRM, common pipeline stages and entry criteria, and bid/no-bid gates across all business units.
• Set the tone and direct the SGP VPs. Communicate expectations, priorities, and standards for BD across the portfolio, and direct the vice presidents who lead proposals, pricing, marketing, and related functions. Assign the Market Intelligence Analyst, Business Development Managers, and Capture Managers to the business units, and resolve competing demands for their time.
• Lead the BD team. Directly manage the BD staff who move to SGP and report to the CBDO. Lead outreach and direct the capture process for the business units in the CBDO's scope, and coordinate with BD staff who remain within their business units so all teams work inside the same system.
• Make bid/no-bid decisions. Chair gate reviews for every pursuit, and record each decision in a bid/no-bid memo.
• Standardize capture and proposals. Make sure every pursuit follows a standard capture plan, capture deck, and proposal process, including compliance checks, color reviews, pricing and price-to-win, and contract review (the contract review workflow is still being defined). The CBDO directs the capture process on pursuits in the CBDO's scope; where a business unit lead directs capture, that unit follows the same process.
• Lead executive relationships. Build executive-level relationships with priority customers, primes, teaming partners, and mentor-protégé partners, in coordination with the business unit leads who own day-to-day customer relationships. Make sure every contact is logged in the CRM.
• Lead marketing. Set marketing strategy and brand standards across all operating companies, and approve capability statements, website and SAM/DSBS profiles, campaigns, and event plans.
• Hold business unit leads accountable for growth. Run a monthly growth review with each business unit lead against the unit's growth targets, and escalate unresolved priority or resource conflicts to the CGO. P&L performance remains with the business unit leads.
• Report monthly and quarterly. Deliver the monthly performance report to the CGO and the client's executive leadership, by business unit and portfolio total, and present a quarterly BD update to the Board.
• Learn from every award decision. Complete a win/loss debrief after each award decision, and feed the lessons into the next capture plan.
PERFORMANCE MEASURES
The CBDO will be measured against the following items, all reported monthly by business unit and portfolio total. Numeric targets will be set with the CGO and the client's executive leadership once baseline data are in the shared CRM.
Measure
Target
New opportunities added
Qualified opportunities entered in the CRM each month: TBA
Dollars added to pipeline
Total value of opportunities added each month: TBA
Total qualified pipeline
Open pipeline value at month end: TBA
Pipeline coverage
Qualified pipeline as a multiple of the annual revenue target: TBA
Proposals submitted
Count and dollar value submitted each month: TBA
Bid/no-bid decisions
Every pursuit decided at a gate review, with a written memo
Submission quality
Every proposal submitted on time and compliant
Awards won
Count and dollar value awarded each month: TBA
Win rate
Trailing 12 months, by count and by value: TBA
Recompetes
Share of contracts due in the next 12 months that are retained: TBA
Customer and partner meetings
Meetings held each month and logged in the CRM: TBA
Monthly report
Delivered to the CGO and the client's executive leadership every month, by business unit and portfolio total
QUALIFICATIONS
Required
• Experience leading growth for a company or business unit of at least $100 million in annual revenue, with direct accountability for its pipeline, bookings, and revenue targets
• Experience directing vice presidents and senior functional leaders across proposals, pricing, and marketing
• Fifteen or more years of federal business development, capture, and proposal experience, including at least five years leading a BD organization at the executive level
• A record of winning new federal work and retaining recompetes across multiple agencies
• Working knowledge of the SBA 8(a) program and the rules for tribally owned entities, including sole-source authority, set-asides, and affiliation
• Experience positioning companies on major contract vehicles such as OASIS+, SEWP, and STARS III
• Experience leading capture and proposal teams through a formal, gated process such as Shipley
• Experience building a CRM-based pipeline and delivering monthly performance reports to executives or a board
• Ability to hold business unit leads accountable for growth without direct authority over them
• Bachelor's degree
Preferred
• BD experience in federal IT and defense services markets
• Experience growing a multi-entity holding company or a tribal, Alaska Native, or Native Hawaiian enterprise
• Active security clearance, or the ability to obtain one
• MBA or related advanced degree
BD FUNCTIONS AND OWNERSHIP
To start, the CBDO leads BD growth for the organization's priority business units. The remaining units work inside the same unified BD system, including the CRM, and may move into the CBDO's growth scope as the role evolves. BD staff in the CBDO's scope report directly to the CBDO; BD staff who stay within their business units work inside the same system. The CBDO provides direction and is charged with growing the business. Each business unit lead continues to own the P&L performance of their unit, and the CBDO holds each lead accountable for meeting the unit's growth targets. The table below shows who owns each BD function under the unified system and which team carries out the work.
BD Function
Ownership and Delivery
G. Governance, targets, and reviews
Owned by the CBDO. Supported by the BD Operations Manager.
A. Pipeline and BD operations
Owned by the CBDO. Delivered by the BD Operations Manager.
B. Proposal operations and pricing
Owned by the CBDO. Delivered by the VPs and teams for proposals and pricing.
C. Marketing and brand
Owned by the CBDO. Delivered by the VP and team for marketing.
D. Market intelligence and strategy
Led by business unit leads, with targets approved by the CBDO. Delivered by the Market Intelligence Analyst.
E. Outreach and relationships
Led by the CBDO for business units in the CBDO's scope, and by the business unit lead where that lead keeps outreach for now. Delivered by the Business Development Managers: the BD team that reports to the CBDO, or the business unit's own BD staff.
F. Capture management
Directed by the CBDO for business units in the CBDO's scope, and by the business unit lead where that lead keeps capture for now. Delivered by the Capture Managers: the BD team that reports to the CBDO, or the business unit's own BD staff.
P&L performance
Owned by business unit leads. The CBDO holds each lead accountable for the unit's growth targets.
SGP is committed to hiring and retaining a diverse workforce. We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer, making decisions without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, national origin, age, veteran status, disability, or any other protected class. We are committed to a collaborative, inclusive environment that encourages authenticity and fosters a sense of belonging. We are also committed to providing accommodations for persons with disabilities.
