Business Development Associate

American Operator is looking to add a highly motivated, outbound-driven Business Development Associate to join our team. This role is focused on sourcing acquisition opportunities through high-volume outreach and relationship development with intermediaries, channel partners, brokers, and referral sources. The ideal candidate thrives in a hunting environment, is energized by proactive outreach, and excels at building long-term intermediary relationships that generate consistent deal flow. This role is based in our Austin, TX office.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Own coverage and relationship management for a high-volume portfolio of generalist intermediaries, brokers, and channel partners, particularly those that do not publicly list deal flow.

• Execute high-volume outbound relationship building across phone, email, LinkedIn, conferences, and referral networks to uncover proprietary and off-market acquisition opportunities.

• Conduct ongoing follow-up, nurturing, and relationship development with intermediaries to maintain top-of-mind positioning and drive repeat deal referrals.

• Qualify inbound and outbound opportunities and escalate promising deals to Deal Leads for deeper evaluation and review.

• Coordinate closely with Deal Leads to ensure smooth handoff and own relationship through LOI submission..

• Lead creation and iterative improvements of sales collateral, programming and other assets to aid in prospecting and relationship management efforts

• Track all outreach activity, intermediary engagement, and pipeline progress within HubSpot and internal CRM systems.

• Develop a deep understanding of intermediary landscapes, market dynamics, and sourcing channels to identify untapped relationship opportunities.

• Participate in weekly pipeline, sourcing, and strategy meetings, providing updates on outreach performance, intermediary engagement, and market insights.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS

• 2+ years of experience in a corporate development or M&A business development role, with a focus on broker or intermediary coverage

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Economics, or related field.

• Solid understanding of the M&A process, three-statement financials, and transaction dynamics

• Experience using HubSpot, CRM systems, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, and related productivity tools.

• Proven success building out channel or referral partnerships (e.g., indirect sales)

• Strong ability to build rapport quickly and maintain long-term professional relationships across a broad network of intermediaries and referral partners.

• Highly motivated self-starter with a hunter mentality, comfort operating in a metrics-driven environment, and happy to hop on a plane

• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills with strong follow-up discipline.

• Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple relationship pipelines simultaneously.

• Comfortable working cross-functionally with investment, deal, and operations teams.

• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to thrive in a fast-paced, high-growth environment.

ABOUT THE TEAM

American Operator exists because we believe the American Dream is worth protecting, and that small businesses are the backbone of our communities. To do this well, we need a team that reflects the real world: operators, builders, investors, and problem-solvers from a wide range of backgrounds and experiences.

MISSION-DRIVEN

Every company claims to be mission-driven, but our mission is simple, tangible, and urgent: preserve the legacy of America’s small businesses and create more pathways to meaningful ownership.

We partner with operators who want to step into leadership, take responsibility for great companies, and continue the work that founders spent decades building. When we succeed, communities keep their employers, families keep their livelihoods, and operators get the chance to build wealth through real ownership.

We work hard because we know what’s at stake: generational businesses that deserve to thrive, and talented operators who deserve the chance to lead them. And while we measure our success in deals closed and businesses grown, the real reward is seeing these companies continue to serve their people and their towns, stronger than before.

Where else do you get the opportunity to help someone become a CEO, preserve a founder’s life’s work, and strengthen a community, all in the same job? That’s what makes our work both serious and incredibly fulfilling.