About the job
At Section, we’re building the business school for the Age of AI. Generative AI is crashing into organizations, careers, and livelihoods. Yet the workforce is unprepared for this level of change. Therefore, we believe it’s our job to enable every knowledge worker to join the AI class – making them confident and proficient with AI, putting AI to work in their role or function. Our goal is to bring 100,000 employees into the AI class by 2025, and millions more by the end of the decade.
Section is seeking an experienced Business Development Lead to accelerate our partnerships efforts. In this role, you'll be responsible for finding, closing, and structuring large partnership deals with consultancies, AI platforms/vendors, and other businesses to grow Section’s footprint and revenue.
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Mission- Identify which partner types Section should go after to generate $1-2 million in revenue next year from partners.
- Help us understand which types of partners are best suited / most interested in distributing/reselling Section training
- Figure out which messaging works best to get those partners on the phone
- Get us at-bats (calls) with various potential partners to see if we can get viable leads
Key Projects- Develop a set of potential partner types to test and various messaging to test in outbound to each partner type (within 3 weeks) - For example, this might yield 5 different types of organizations we want to try to test as potential partners to distribute Section products – AI vendors (i.e. OpenAI, functional consultancies/agencies (i.e. Mercer, Edelman), government reskilling organizations (i.e. Jobs for the Future), enterprise SaaS (i.e. Salesforce, Hubspot), professional associations (i.e. Keller Williams – realtors)
- Execute an outbound campaign for at least three of these partner types (within 90 days) - Includes identifying target accounts, individuals in those accounts, developing a few messaging strategies to test, writing the outreach, sending emails/LinkedIn messages, tracking results. Must include AI vendors and functional consultancies. Other partner types tested should be based on results of project #1
- Summarize results and insights from this testing (within 90 days) - Include metrics for each partner type including # of emails/messages sent, percentage of responses, any titles/roles that were receptive. Include results/insights from call. Include recommendations for next steps (partner types we should not pursue, partner types we could pursue but would require changing our product, partner types we should pursue)
Requirements- 5+ years negotiating and closing complex partnership deals with large organizations
- Ability to use “napkin math” to quickly size partner opportunities and present Section’s CEO with multiple options/tradeoffs
- Scrappiness, creativity, and research skills to generate meetings with key decision-makers inside growing organizations like OpenAI, Nvidia, and Accenture
- Ability to develop your own emails, LinkedIn messages, and pitches to potential partners, building off existing Section decks and emails
- Deep interest and knowledge in the use of generative AI for knowledge work, and demonstrated ability to communicate Section’s point-of-view on AI externally
- Strong business acumen with the ability to understand complex organizational structures and decision-making processes
- Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills
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$10,000 - $10,000 a month
How to apply
This is a part time position with the potential for full-time
$10,000/month, ~20 hours per week
Start Date: Dec 1st, 2024
To apply, submit your LinkedIn profile, resume and complete the short assignment below. Please send all submissions to Rebecca rfernandez@sectionschool.com with the subject line, “Section Bizdev Role: [Your Name]”
Assignment
This assignment is to help us assess your ability to quickly find the right people to talk to inside a potential partner, and to develop a persuasive POV (in email) as to why they should partner with Section and take our call.
Assume that OpenAI is the target partner. Research and identify at least three (and no more than five) different people that you think we should get a meeting with. Provide their LinkedIn profiles and, in 1-2 sentences, explain why you chose them.
Next, draft three different emails that introduce Section, suggest the reasons why OpenAI should partner with us (e.g. how it benefits them), and end with a call to action. Two emails should clearly reflect something that’s true of Section. The last email can offer or discuss something you’re not sure Section does, but could do.
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Who we are
At Section, we believe that different perspectives, backgrounds, and experiences create a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts. A diverse and inclusive team creates a better product.
We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate against any employee or applicant on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion or religious creed, mental or physical disability, medical condition, genetic information, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristics protected by law.
All employment is decided on the basis of qualifications, merit, and business need. We encourage candidates of underrepresented backgrounds to apply.
