Manager, business development

Position Summary

The Business Development Manager is responsible for developing, expanding, and managing employer partnerships that create employment opportunities for NPower students and alumni. This role focuses on proactively identifying workforce needs, cultivating new employer relationships, and securing job placements, internships, apprenticeships, direct hire career pathway opportunities aligned with participant skills, and equity goals. This position plays a critical role in expanding equitable access to high-quality technology careers by developing and deepening employer partnerships across NPower’s national footprint while supporting evolving workforce demands. The ideal candidate is highly proactive, relationship-driven, results-oriented, and passionate about connecting diverse talent to meaningful employment opportunities.

Key Responsibilities

• Employer Partnership Development
  • Identify, cultivate, and expand relationships with employers across targeted industries to secure job opportunities, internships, apprenticeships, and direct hire career opportunities.
  • Conduct proactive employer outreach through networking, targeted prospecting, referrals, industry events, and professional associations.
  • Serve as a strategic workforce partner by understanding employer hiring needs, skill requirements, workforce challenges, and talent pipeline opportunities.
  • Develop and maintain a strong employer pipeline aligned with program capacity and participant career pathways.
  • Integrate talent development contribution into the business development pitch framework, strengthening client value propositions and demonstrating organizational commitment to workforce growth.
  • Establish opportunities for additional engagement points (i.e volunteering, mentoring, funding, executive thought leadership) in support of NPower’s mission.
• Labor Market & Industry Engagement
  • Monitor labor market trends, emerging workforce demands, in-demand skills, and wage benchmarks across priority sectors.
  • Provide employer and industry insights to internal teams to inform curriculum alignment, program design, and career pathway development.
  • Develop sector-based employer engagement strategies to deepen partnerships within priority industries, particularly within the technology workforce.
• Employer Relationship Management
  • Maintain ongoing relationships with employer partners to support participant retention, career advancement, and repeat hiring opportunities.
  • Address employer concerns and troubleshoot placement challenges in collaboration with internal program and placement teams.
  • Ensure a high-quality employer experience that promotes long-term partnership engagement and satisfaction.
• Data, Reporting & Performance Outcomes
  • Track employer outreach, partnership development, job opportunities, placements, and engagement outcomes within Salesforce or similar CRM systems.
  • Meet or exceed employer engagement, placement pipeline, and partnership development goals.
  • Contribute data, insights, and reporting for internal leadership, funders, and organizational stakeholders.
  • Support employer-related deliverables connected to grants, sponsorships, and workforce partnership agreements.
• Collaboration & Organizational Representation
  • Partner closely with Career Readiness, Talent Placement, Instructors, and leadership teams to ensure alignment between employer needs and participant preparation.
  • Represent NPower at employer meetings, industry convenings, community events, job fairs, and workforce development forums.
  • Strengthen NPower’s brand reputation as a trusted workforce development and talent pipeline partner.

Qualifications

• Required Bachelor’s degree preferred and/or equivalent professional experience.
• 3–5 years of experience in business development, employer relations, sales, workforce development, staffing, or talent pipeline development.
• Demonstrated success building and sustaining employer partnerships and generating opportunity pipelines.
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation, and relationship management skills.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and workforce access.