Business Development Manager – Higher Education Strategic Planning (Commission-Based, VASCUPP

Are you an experienced Higher Ed business development professional or consultant who knows how to navigate university leadership? Do you want to leverage a pre-approved state contract vehicle to secure high-ticket engagements with zero RFP friction? We are a premier provider of Strategic Planning Services looking for a well-connected, high-performing Business Development Manager (BDM) to drive growth across public colleges and universities. The Unique Advantage: We hold an active VASCUPP (Virginia Association of State College and University Purchasing Professionals) cooperative contract. This means Virginia public institutions (and participating cooperative entities nationwide) can purchase our strategic planning services directly off our contract vehicle without going through a grueling, competitive public bidding process. Your path to closing deals is already cleared. This is a commission-based opportunity. We are seeking competitive proposal bids from qualified professionals and are open to discussing specific commission structures and models during the interview process. Key Responsibilities Lead Generation & Prospecting: Identify and target key decision-makers (Provosts, VPs of Strategy, Deans, CFOs, and Presidents) within public higher education institutions. Leverage the Contract Vehicle: Educate procurement departments and institutional leaders on how easily they can procure our services using our existing VASCUPP contract. Deal Execution: Guide university stakeholders from discovery calls and scope-of-work development to final contract execution. Relationship Management: Maintain executive-level relationships to foster multi-year strategy engagements and renewals. Required Experience & Qualifications Higher Education Expertise (Required): Minimum 3–5 years of proven experience selling professional services, consulting, or software directly to public colleges and universities. Strategic Planning Literacy: Comfort talking to institutional leaders about academic planning, organizational design, or institutional effectiveness. Procurement Literacy: Familiarity with state procurement rules, cooperative purchasing agreements, and how institutional buying works. (Direct experience with VASCUPP or eVA is a massive plus). Results-Driven Mindset: Comfortable working in a commission-aligned environment where your earning potential matches your execution. Proposal Submission Requirements We are seeking comprehensive bids for this role. In your proposal, please include: 1 Your Experience: A summary of your specific experience selling to higher education institutions (and whether you have worked with Virginia institutions or VASCUPP before). 2 Compensation Expectations: Your preferred commission-based structure or model for consideration. 3 Availability: Your current bandwidth and how soon you can begin prospecting. Please start your proposal with the phrase "Higher Ed Strategy" so we know you read the full posting.