Vp, business development

Open position in all True Media office locations, including Kansas City, MO, Columbia, MO, St. Louis, MO, Dallas, TX, Portsmouth, NH, and Minneapolis, MN; Hybrid work schedule: 3 days in the office, 2 days working from home; also open to remote.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position, now or in the future. Applicants must be legally authorized to work in the United States on a permanent basis without requiring employer sponsorship.

The VP, Business Development is the agency’s senior executive sales leader — an aggressive, relationship-driven growth executive responsible for identifying, pursuing, and opening new revenue opportunities at the highest level. The VP builds and works a robust prospect pipeline, cultivates C-suite and senior-level relationships across the marketplace, and consistently generates qualified new business opportunities that fuel the agency’s growth. This role is distinct from the Innovation & Strategy function, which owns pitch strategy and content; the VP, Business Development owns the front end of the revenue cycle — prospecting, networking, outbound outreach, and relationship development — and remains actively involved as the agency’s senior relationship holder through the pitch process. Multiple individuals may hold the VP, Business Development title simultaneously, each working an assigned prospect focus or market segment as determined by agency leadership. Approximately 70% of this role is focused on outbound prospecting, pipeline building, and lead generation; approximately 20% is dedicated to industry presence, conference attendance, and market networking; and approximately 10% is focused on internal coordination, team leadership, and pitch participation.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (Other duties may be assigned)

• Own and aggressively work an outbound prospect pipeline; proactively identify, research, and pursue new business targets across industries and categories as directed by agency leadership; build and maintain a robust book of active prospects at various stages of the sales cycle; operate with urgency, persistence, and a genuine hunger for new revenue opportunities.
• Develop and cultivate C-suite and senior-level relationships with prospective clients, marketing decision-makers, procurement contacts, and agency intermediaries; invest consistently in relationship-building through direct outreach, in-person meetings, events, and ongoing follow-up; position the agency as a compelling and differentiated partner long before a formal RFP is issued.
• Maintain accurate and current prospect and pipeline data in HubSpot; oversee the team’s day-to-day management of HubSpot and pipeline tracking; ensure pipeline reporting reflects real-time status, next steps, and probability assessments; provide regular pipeline updates to the President and participate in the weekly pipeline meeting.
• Attend industry conferences, trade events, association meetings, and cultural and media activations on a consistent and strategic basis; represent the agency compellingly in those settings; identify and convert conference and networking relationships into qualified pipeline opportunities; coordinate with the President and Marketing on conference strategy and agency presence.
• Collaborate closely with the MTP network’s sales team; align on shared prospects, cross-agency opportunities, and network-wide sales initiatives; leverage the full breadth of the MTP network’s capabilities as a sales asset in prospect conversations; ensure the agency’s outbound sales efforts are coordinated with and complementary to network-level activity.
• Serve as the agency’s most senior relationship holder through the pitch process for opportunities originated in the sales function; participate actively in pitch presentations as a senior agency face and relationship anchor; ensure a clean and well-communicated handoff of prospect context, relationship history, and strategic intelligence to the pitch team at the point of pitch engagement.
• Develop and execute outbound marketing and sales initiatives in partnership with the Marketing division and agency leadership; contribute to the agency’s external visibility through targeted outreach campaigns, thought leadership distribution, event sponsorship recommendations, and other proactive sales-support activities that open doors with target prospects.
• Lead, develop, and mentor the full Business Development team; provide executive-level coaching and performance management; manage team capacity and structure; partner with HR and senior leadership on hiring, succession planning, and career development.
• Maintain current and accurate time records; travel extensively as required.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Fifteen+ years of progressive experience in sales, business development, or account growth within an advertising, media, or marketing services environment, with a demonstrated track record of generating new revenue, building prospect pipelines, and closing new business at a senior level.
• Expert proficiency with media planning tools and analytics platforms, including GA4, Commspoint, Nielsen, MRI, Vivvix, and MarketMate.
• Expert proficiency with presentation software.
• Commanding knowledge of traditional and digital media planning, buying, and measurement across all channels.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite.

Traits

• Relentless and self-motivated hunter mentality with a genuine drive to find and open new business opportunities.
• Exceptionally networked within the advertising, marketing, or media industry with the ability to build relationships quickly and authentically at the C-suite level.
• Strong executive presence and the ability to represent the agency compellingly in any setting.
• Excellent verbal communication and persuasion skills.
• Highly organized and disciplined in pipeline management and follow-through.
• Collaborative and ego-free in handing off to the pitch team once an opportunity enters the pitch process.
• Energized by travel, conferences, and high-activity sales environments.
• Strong people management and organizational leadership skills.

Education

Bachelor’s degree from a four-year college or university, with a degree or concentration in advertising, marketing, communications, business, or a related field preferred; or equivalent combination of education and experience.

Total Perks Package

• The chance to be a part of a growing company and the next success story.
• Amazing opportunities for career development.
• Recognition programs.
• Employee referral bonus.
• Hybrid work schedule; 3 days in the office, 2 days working from home.
• Fun and collaborative work environment.
• Casual dress code.
• Insurance Coverage (medical, dental, vision, life, and disability).
• 401(k) retirement plan, with employer 4% match.
• Work/life benefits, including mental health and wellbeing support.
• Flexible Time Off Policy.
• Paid holidays, including agency soft closing Christmas Eve-New Year's Day.
• Paid leave options, including sick leave, medical leave for self and family, and parental leave.

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