Director of Business Development

Director of Business Development

Retained

The Director of Business Development is a critical revenue-generating role responsible for securing new retained executive search engagements for Retained (retained.com). The successful candidate will be a seasoned search professional with a strong network, an existing book of business, and a demonstrated ability to close executive-level search engagements.

While the primary focus is business development, the role may include full-desk search execution as opportunities arise.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development (Primary Focus)

• Identify, pursue, and close new retained executive search engagements for Retained.
• Leverage an existing book of business to generate immediate revenue while growing new client relationships.
• Lead the end-to-end business development process: outreach, discovery, solution design, proposal development, pitch delivery, negotiation, and close.
• Meet or exceed annual revenue targets.
• Represent Retained (and Tier4 Group) at industry events, conferences, and networking forums to strengthen market presence. ***Anticipate an evening at a related event most weeks.

Client Relationship Management

• Act as a trusted advisor to C-suite, board-level, and senior HR leaders, offering insights on leadership trends and executive talent strategies.
• Ensure a seamless transition to Retained’s internal search delivery teams or personally manage full-desk search engagements where appropriate.
• Build long-term, high-trust relationships consistent with Tier4 Group’s 96 NPS standard of excellence.

Strategic Market Engagement & Internal Collaboration

• Partner with President to refine business development strategy, industry focus, and go-to-market positioning.
• Participate in division-wide growth strategies, including market expansion, service offerings, and client engagement initiatives.
• Work closely with research, recruiting, and operations teams to ensure alignment between client needs and delivery capabilities.
• Monitor talent market shifts, industry dynamics, and competitive intelligence to support strategic decision-making.
• Translate strategic plans into actionable business development and operational activities.
• Monitor KPIs, pipeline health, and market trends to support data-driven decision-making.

Leadership & Cultural Contribution

• Model professionalism, ethics, inclusion, and client-first service consistent with Tier4 Group’s values and diversity commitment.

Brand Building & Digital Presence

• Utilize social media platforms (e.g., LinkedIn, industry forums, professional communities) to increase visibility, build credibility, and attract new client opportunities.
• Contribute to the development and promotion of thought leadership content, such as posts, articles, or insights relevant to executive search and leadership trends
• Collaborate with marketing to strengthen brand positioning for Retained and elevate the firm’s digital presence.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of experience in executive research, ideally with leadership-level responsibility or senior BD contributions.
• Proven track record of securing retained executive search engagements.
• Established book of business with strong relationships among CEOs, CHROs, board members, and senior leaders.
• Bachelor’s degree (BS/BA required).
• Strong communication, negotiation, presentation, and consultative selling skills.
• Ability to operate independently while collaborating effectively across teams.

Preferred Qualifications

• Background serving both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations.
• Experience running full-desk search engagements.
• Advanced degree or industry-recognized credential a plus.

Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $75,000

Robust commission structure targeting first-year total compensation of approximately $225,000 (base commission).

Comprehensive benefits package consistent with Tier4 Group offerings, including

Reporting Structure

Reports to: President & Managing Partner, Retained

Direct Reports: None initially; may evolve with firm growth. Dotted line to Associate Director of Marketing

Location & Work Environment – Onsite 2 days a week (Tuesdays and Fridays preferred). Office in Roswell Georgia

Local travel required for client meetings, conferences, and business development activities.Occasional out-of-area travel for conferences, training & development