Business Development Lead (New Markets)

Overview:

The Business Development Lead (New Markets) drives Excella’s growth into untapped and emerging markets by identifying, cultivating, and converting new client relationships. This role is responsible for door-opening and early opportunity engagement—positioning Excella’s solutions and capabilities in new agencies and market segments to generate qualified leads and expand Excella’s federal and adjacent market footprint.

The Business Development Lead serves as a connector and relationship builder, developing a deep understanding of client missions, problems and opportunities and aligns Excella’s offerings and differentiators to those client needs. In addition, the Lead will build an understanding of competitor positioning, and the teaming ecosystem across their assigned target markets. In addition to initiating conversations with decision-makers, this role proactively identifies opportunities, potential teaming partners, differentiators, and summarizes market dynamics. The Lead serves as a connector and relationship builder, partnering closely with other members of the Strategic Solutions and Growth team, senior leaders across Excella, Engagement leaders, and Marketing to shape Excella’s positioning and initiate conversations with decision-makers that create future business opportunities.

Responsibilities:

      1. Target Account Development & Growth Strategy

• Conduct market, competitor, and partner ecosystem analyses to uncover mission needs, entry points, and teaming opportunities within assigned account targets.
• Assess the brand value and market reputation of competitors to inform Excella’s positioning and messaging.
• Develop of market-entry plans and targeted campaigns that expand Excella’s footprint in high-potential areas to include the developed of detailed, actionable account plans.
• Develops and manages the pipeline of qualified prospects in line with Excella’s overall sales and growth strategy  for their target accounts that drives sufficient demand to meet annual growth targets.
• Actively engage in the decision-making process through information sharing to select and prioritize new and emerging federal and adjacent market segments aligned with Excella’s strategic growth priorities.
• Engage and leverage the full Excella team to drive business development.

1. Client Relationship Building & Opportunity Cultivation

• Serve as Excella’s first point of contact for new market outreach and relationship initiation within assigned target accounts.
• Build and nurture trusted relationships with new market departments and agency executives, program managers, and contracting officers across new accounts so that Excella is viewed as a long-term strategic partner and trusted advisor.
• Maintain active engagement through follow-up, industry events, and tailored communication to sustain momentum and credibility.
• Lead introductory meetings briefings leveraging the challenger sales model—with a focus on client challenges and pain points. 
• Develop a deep understanding of the client’s business issues, and tap Excella’s organizational talent as required to serve the customer(s)
• Utilizes knowledge of Excella’s offerings and understanding of the customer’s business to develop customized proposals that present creative solutions that successfully sell the organization’s capabilities.
• Ensures solution value drivers are reflected in the client value proposition of proposals.

1. Partnership Development & Ecosystem Awareness

• Identify and cultivate relationships with potential teaming partners—including large primes, small businesses, and specialized firms—to strengthen Excella’s competitiveness in new markets.
• Collaborate with internal teams to assess strategic fit, partner capabilities, and potential win themes.
• Monitor competitor activities, strategic movements, and brand positioning to keep Excella’s leadership informed of shifts in the landscape.

1. Collaboration & Internal Alignment

• Partner with Strategic Solutions teammates to align outreach efforts with Excella’s solutions and demonstrations/proof-of-concepts.
• Provide early insights and market intelligence to inform capture, proposal, and marketing strategies.
• Collaborate with Marketing on campaigns, events, and thought leadership that elevate Excella’s visibility in new markets.
• Leads capture for opportunities in new markets and/or ensure smooth handoffs of qualified opportunities into the capture pipeline and maintain visibility through pursuit progression, as necessary.  

1. Operational Excellence & Reporting

• Track outreach, contacts, and opportunities within Excella’s CRM (Salesforce).
• Measure and report activity, lead conversion, and pipeline performance to SSG leadership.
• Share market and partner insights to continuously refine Excella’s BD processes and go-to-market strategies.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in federal business development, consulting, or market strategy, with demonstrated success entering and expanding new markets.
• Proven record of generating qualified leads, building new client relationships, and contributing to successful contract wins in complex federal environments.
• Experience across the full BD lifecycle, including opportunity identification, qualification, account penetration, pursuit strategy, capture, and proposal support.
• Solid understanding of federal procurement processes, including the FAR, acquisition lifecycles, and key federal contract vehicles.
• Strong communication, presentation, and relationship management skills, with the ability to engage effectively at senior levels both internally and externally.
• Demonstrated ability to meet or exceed sales or growth targets.
• Entrepreneurial and proactive mindset, with the ability to operate independently while collaborating across delivery, capture, and proposal teams.
• Experience leading capture efforts for small to mid-size federal deals.
• Experience partnering with alliance/channel or teaming partners to shape and pursue solutions.
• Knowledge of the competitive landscape within Excella’s target markets, including awareness of major industry players and ecosystem dynamics.
• Experience contributing to proposal content (technical inputs, win themes, or value propositions).
• Ability to craft and communicate compelling value propositions that connect Excella’s offerings to federal mission needs.
• Advanced influencing, negotiation, and strategic networking skills.