Manager, Business Development

Job Description

Job Description

ABOUT ULI

The Urban Land Institute is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit research and education organization supported by its members. Founded in 1936, the Institute has more than 48,000 members worldwide representing the full spectrum of land use and real estate development disciplines across private enterprise and public service. ULI's mission is to shape the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide.

ABOUT THE ROLE

ULI's Business Development team drives the revenue that fuels the organization's biggest moments from our flagship Fall and Spring Meetings to signature programs like the Resilience Summit. We're growing the team, and this is a chance to join at a genuinely exciting inflection point: you'll get your own books of business to build and own, work shoulder-to-shoulder with a small, collaborative team on our biggest collective goals, and have a real seat at the table for strategy, no matter your level.

As Manager, Business Development, you'll take ownership of two distinct revenue streams: sponsorship sales for the Resilience Summit, ULI's program dedicated to advancing climate and resilience solutions across the industry, and our Urban Land magazine advertising program, a well-established business with real headroom for someone who has the time to be proactive about it. Alongside that, you'll be part of the core team driving new sponsorship business for ULI's Fall and Spring Meetings, working closely with our Director of Business Development and the rest of the team.

This role is equal parts relationship-building, research, and follow-through: identifying the right prospects, having genuine conversations about how a company can engage with ULI, and carrying deals from first conversation to signed commitment.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Own your books of business

• Serve as the primary owner of Resilience Summit sponsorship sales building the prospect pipeline, leading outreach, developing proposals, and closing commitments.
• Manage the Urban Land advertising program end to end: growing and re-engaging the advertiser base, coordinating placements with the magazine team, and owning renewals and the day-to-day advertiser relationship.

Drive new business for ULI's major meetings

• Contribute to new sponsor identification and outreach for ULI's Fall and Spring Meetings alongside the broader Business Development team.
• Conduct research and prospecting to build a strong, qualified pipeline - a significant and important part of the role, given how much of ULI's growth depends on finding the right new conversations.
• Coordinate with the Partnership Services (account management) team on current sponsors and with local District Council host committees on regional leads.

Build strong pitch materials and manage your pipeline

• Prepare and customize proposals, sponsorship packages, one-pagers, and decks that clearly communicate ULI's value proposition.
• Maintain accurate, well-organized pipeline tracking (Excel-based) and contribute to monthly reporting on pipeline health and revenue progress.

Be a connected, visible part of the ULI community

• Build a strong understanding of ULI's mission, programs, and membership so you can speak to it with genuine confidence, internally and externally.
• Attend at least one major ULI meeting and the Resilience Summit in your first year to see firsthand what your work makes possible.
• Represent Business Development in conversations with corporate prospects, advertisers, members, and internal stakeholders.

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Required

• 3-5 years of business development, sales, account management, or partnership/sponsorship experience.
• A genuine comfort engaging people directly - confident picking up the phone, comfortable with cold outreach, and able to build rapport quickly.
• Strong Excel skills; comfort managing detailed pipeline and reporting data.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• A self-starter who's equally comfortable working independently and as part of a small, collaborative team.

Nice to have, not required

• Real estate, commercial real estate, or built-environment industry experience, we're genuinely open to candidates from other industries and will support you in learning the space.
• Advertising sales experience.
• Existing relationships or network in real estate, sponsorship, or corporate partnerships.

We're looking for someone who's not just executing a task list, we want your ideas. If something worked well in a past role, we want to hear about it, regardless of where you sit on the team.

WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE

In your first year, success looks like genuine comfort, knowing your way around ULI internally (who to go to for content, materials, and support) and feeling confident having external conversations about ULI's value and the different ways a company can engage, from sponsorship to broader partnership. You'll have attended a major ULI meeting and the Resilience Summit, built real momentum on your advertising and sponsorship pipelines, and established yourself as a trusted, connected member of the team.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is $75,000 to $80,000. Actual compensation will be based on experience, education, skills, and other job-related factors.

ULI offers a comprehensive benefits package including health, dental, and life insurance; generous vacation leave; and a retirement plan with employer match.

WORKING CONDITIONS

The Urban Land Institute (ULI) is committed to shaping the future of the built environment for transformative impact in communities worldwide, and we embrace our core values of integrity, collaboration, inclusion, and excellence in service to our members. In alignment with the Board of Directors' strong commitment to in-person collaboration, our roles require regular on-site presence to foster teamwork, innovation, and organizational effectiveness. ULI's primary workplace remains its offices, where in-person collaboration supports our mission and service to members.

ULI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion/creed, sex, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, veteran or active military status, non-citizenship or citizenship status, arrest or conviction record, credit history, caregiver status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or partnership status, familial status, unemployment status, or any other status protected by applicable law.