Business Development Associate

IDEO is a global design and innovation consultancy firm. Some of their clients include Procter & Gamble, Pepsi, Microsoft , Nokia , Intel, Eli Lilly, Samsung , and Steelcase.

IDEO New York is looking for a Business Development Associate who will work closely with our teams to enable great design work and project experiences by facilitating and leading our business development efforts. Through collaborating with our project teams and client leads, this individual will help strengthen our incredibly fast-paced business development capabilities while stewarding client relationships and engagements for our location. Business Development Associates help set the stage for our client engagements by seamlessly orchestrating the resources, processes, and conversations that enable our studio to identify and execute on client opportunities. Our Business Development Associates work with our teams to co-design compelling project proposals, presentations, and client touch points. They play a key role in enhancing visibility and transparency around our business development process as well as engaging the rest of the community in supporting our client relationships and building our portfolio of work.

* Opportunities Framing (the art of the pitch): You will co-design well-coordinated and compelling client proposals, presentations, and meetings that not only address a client's needs, but also clearly articulate their fundamental design challenge and innovation opportunity. You will also be expected to be an active participant in looking for new methods for engaging collaboratively with clients in an entrepreneurial way. We expect you to not only understand and communicate IDEO's unique value proposition but to also look for opportunities to bring fresh IDEO methods to bear in designing and supporting client engagements. * Business Development Operations Support: Collaborating with our Business Operations team and studio leadership, you will help ensure our internal systems accurately reflect the status of the studios business development leads and project pipeline. Youll also support the studio in managing a database of business development resources (including proposals, project assets and case studies) in easily accessible, written and visual formats that convey IDEOs value proposition. * Storytelling: In collaboration with studio leadership team and the Marketing team, you will curate a portfolio of stories and assets that thoughtfully showcase IDEOs value proposition in relation to different markets, industries and design challenges. Youll also coordinate with business development teams in other IDEO studios in identifying and synthesizing patterns in leads and leveraging these insights for new conversations. * Community and Client Relationships Building: You will support community visibility, engagement, and fluency building in our business development process. This involves ensuring regular updates on in-process and emerging leads and facilitating team resourcing around these efforts. Youll also proactively connect with individuals in the studio in a way that builds relationships, trust, and credibility. As the central hub for IDEO New York in connecting clients with appropriate IDEO teams and resources, youll help shepherd clients through our project cycles and co-design touch points to support those client relationships throughout the year.

You’re a self-directed, flexible team player who embodies great interpersonal skills, learns quickly, and relishes the opportunity to support potential clients and project teams in translating challenges and questions into opportunities for innovation. This role requires design sensibilities, business acumen, and client empathy. You bring at least 3-5 years of experience in areas such as business development, consulting, marketing/communications, and brand strategy. Additional superpowers might include: * Convening and collaborating, internally and externally * Storytelling, written and verbal communication * Strategic and judicious decision-making with diligent, consistent follow-through * Conducting research and synthesizing this data into client- and public-facing actionable insights * Building relationships and connections with people inside and outside of an organization