Business Development Rep, Higher Education Partnerships

About CDI

The Constructive Dialogue Institute (CDI) is a non-partisan, non-profit dedicated to equipping the next generation of Americans with the skills to communicate and collaborate across lines of difference. We work with U.S. colleges and universities by providing co-curricular programming for students, professional development for faculty and staff, and strategic guidance to leadership. Our goal is to foster constructive dialogue at every level of the institution and to create the conditions for lasting organizational change. CDI was co-founded by psychologist Jonathan Haidt, the bestselling author of The Righteous Mind and The Anxious Generation.

About the Role

The Business Development Representative is a critical driver of CDI's growth, responsible for building and expanding the top of our partnerships pipeline. Reporting to the VP of Partnerships, this role is responsible for identifying and engaging prospective higher education partners, generating qualified meetings, and helping CDI reach more colleges and universities at a pivotal moment in our growth.

You'll work at the intersection of outreach, strategy, and collaboration, partnering closely with the Demand Generation Manager to convert marketing interest into active conversations, and with Directors and Senior Directors of Partnerships to develop targeted outreach strategies that move prospects toward meaningful engagement. This is a high-impact, high-visibility role for someone who is energized by relationship-building, curious about the higher education landscape, motivated by hitting and exceeding goals, and excited to help build a scalable, proactive business development function at a mission-driven organization.

Responsibilities

Outreach & Prospecting

• Develop and execute intentional, well-researched outbound outreach strategies (email, phone, LinkedIn, and other channels) to engage prospective partner institutions across the higher education sector
• Own timely, personalized follow-up on inbound and marketing-generated leads, converting interest into qualified meetings and early-stage partnership conversations
• Conduct thoughtful research on prospective institutions to understand their priorities, challenges, and likely decision-makers before initiating outreach

Pipeline & Process Management

• Partner with Director and Senior Director of Partnerships to develop and refine account prioritization, territory planning, and targeted and new outreach strategies for key institutions and segments
• Collaborate closely with the Demand Generation Manager to create and strengthen lead follow-up processes, improve lead quality conversion, and surface opportunities to refine campaign-to-pipeline workflows.
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all outreach activity, engagement history, and pipeline progression in Hubspot, helping ensure strong visibility across the team

Performance & Insights

• Monitor outreach performance and identify recurring patterns, objections, or process gaps, recommending adjustments to messaging, targeting, or follow-up approach as needed
• Meet or exceed monthly and quarterly goals for outreach activity, qualified meetings, and pipeline contribution
• Share market feedback, prospect insights, and learnings with the Partnerships and Marketing teams to improve positioning, segmentation, and future outreach effectiveness

About You

• 3+ years of professional experience and 1+ year of experience in business development, sales, admissions, partnerships, or another outreach-driven role; experience in higher education, edtech, or mission-driven organizations is a plus
• Genuine excitement for prospecting and outreach , with a track record of turning research, persistence, and strong follow-up into real conversations
• Organized and process-driven , with the ability to manage a high volume of outreach without letting things fall through the cracks
• Comfort engaging professionally with a range of stakeholders , including senior leaders and decision-makers
• Clear, compelling communicator in writing and conversation, with the ability to tailor messaging to different audiences
• Coachable and collaborative , with a track record of thriving in team environments working toward shared goals
• Self-motivated and goal-oriented , comfortable with metrics and energized (not intimidated) by targets
• Genuine curiosity about higher education and a belief in CDI's mission to build skills for constructive dialogue on college campuses
• Experience with CRM platforms (e.g., Salesforce, HubSpot) and sales engagement tools preferred
• Growth mindset and eagerness to learn the nuances of the higher education market