The Kellogg School of Management is one of the top-ranked graduate schools for management education, with a renowned, research-based faculty and a variety of MBA, Executive MBA and Executive Education (non-degree) programs. Our home is on the Northwestern University campus in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago, with other campuses in downtown Chicago, Miami, as well as our global partner schools. Our alumni populate all points in the world and are a vibrant community that engages with our faculty and students long after they graduate.

Designed to serve working professionals, Kellogg Executive Education is known for being the first executive education offering in the world and provides clients with access to cutting-edge business education as they seek to grow their own businesses or accelerate their individual growth. Following successive years of growing demand for executive education programming, we are embarking on the construction of a state-of-the-art educational center that will propel our capacity to reach a global population and support our continued expansion. Kellogg Executive Education offers a wide range of programs which include in-person Custom and Open Enrollment Programs as well as asynchronous Online Programs. Custom programs are tailored to the unique requirements of an organization and provide multi-day experiences for middle and senior leaders in a private setting; our portfolio of publicly available Open Enrollment Programs serve a broader population of executives, delivering high-impact learning through programs on leadership, finance, marketing, AI and other topics. Our clients represent an array of corporate industries, healthcare, professional and legal services, government agencies, and other educational partners internationally.

Purpose of the Position

Kellogg Executive Education is entering a period of meaningful transformation and growth across its Custom, Open Enrollment, and Online portfolios. The Senior Director will play a central role in supporting that growth by strengthening market coverage, increasing revenue predictability, expanding strategic accounts, and identifying new corporate relationships and underpenetrated opportunities.

The Senior Director, Business Development, is responsible for the development and maintenance of key corporate/client relationships with Kellogg Executive Education. Worth an estimated $3-5 million in annual revenues, the relationships overseen by the Senior Director involve prospecting and/or developing educational programs for senior-level client employees.

Kellogg Executive Education is currently hiring for multiple Senior Directors to focus on business development across the following educational program areas:

• Custom Programs

• C-Suite Level Programs, with a focus on the Advanced Management Program

• Group Enrollment

The role requires a highly consultative and client-centric approach. The Senior Director, Business Development will engage clients regularly to understand their business challenges, leadership priorities, and workforce needs, and will work across Kellogg to develop solutions that may draw from multiple Executive Education offerings. Success will require strong client ownership, disciplined pipeline management, sophisticated relationship development, and the ability to collaborate effectively with faculty and internal delivery teams within a matrixed university environment.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

The Senior Director, Business Development will serve as a market-facing leader with responsibility for advancing Kellogg Executive Education’s growth strategy, strengthening client relationships, and translating corporate leadership and workforce priorities into compelling executive education solutions. Depending on the assigned portfolio, the role may emphasize expansion within established strategic accounts, development of more predictable recurring revenue, or the pursuit of net-new business across underpenetrated sectors and markets.

Across all portfolios, the Senior Director will own the full business development lifecycle—from market intelligence and prospect development through solution design, proposal strategy, negotiation, and relationship expansion. The role requires a highly consultative, client-centric approach and the ability to work effectively across Custom, Open Enrollment, and Online offerings when an integrated solution best meets the client’s needs. Success will depend on disciplined pipeline and portfolio management, strong executive relationships, and close collaboration with faculty, academic leadership, marketing, operations, and program-delivery teams.

Operating within a matrixed university environment, the Senior Director must bring both commercial rigor and a high-touch service orientation. This leader will be expected to work independently, influence without formal authority, and position Kellogg’s faculty expertise, research, and academic innovation as differentiated solutions to complex organizational challenges.

Chief among essential duties and responsibilities: 

Strategic Growth & Market Leadership 

• In partnership with managing directors, translate Executive Education’s overall growth strategy into individual business development initiatives, with full accountability for revenue targets, targeting prospective sectors and clients, and market positioning for assigned portfolio (Custom, Open Enrollment and/or Online programming). 

• Identify new sector and client opportunities to position Kellogg as a preferred provider of executive education solutions.

• Serve as an advisor to Executive Education leadership on market opportunities, client engagement strategy, and long-term portfolio expansion.

• Champion a client-centric culture that integrates academic excellence with business rigor.

Relationship & Stakeholder Management

• Cultivate and steward C-suite and senior-level relationships within corporations to secure high-value, multi-year engagements.

• Position executive education offerings as strategic solutions aligned to client organizational objectives and workforce priorities.

o Drive consultative sales engagements that translate institutional capabilities such as faculty expertise, research, and academic innovation, into learning solutions.

o Partner closely with academic leadership, faculty, and Executive Education program teams to align market demand with program design and delivery excellence

• Provide market insight to inform curriculum innovation, program development, and portfolio optimization.

• Negotiate complex agreements and multi-year contracts, ensuring alignment with university policies, procurement requirements, and compliance standards for custom programming

• Represent the institution at industry forums, conferences, and strategic convenings to strengthen brand visibility and partnership pipelines.

• Ensure seamless collaboration across curriculum design, marketing, and operations teams to deliver exceptional client experiences.

New Business Development & Revenue Expansion

• Lead end-to-end business development lifecycle including market analysis, prospect targeting, pipeline development, proposal strategy, pricing, contract negotiation, and post-award expansion.

• Cultivate a diversified portfolio of clients to ensure sustainable and profitable revenue growth.

• Oversee proposal strategy and development, ensuring compelling value propositions and differentiation within competitive higher education landscapes.

• Establish and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) tied to revenue targets, client retention, market penetration, and partnership growth.

• Drive cross-selling and upselling strategies across the Exec Ed offerings and work collaboratively across the entire school to support the values and objectives of Kellogg.

Administration

• Oversee pipeline management, forecasting, and reporting to senior leadership.

• Implement operational systems that enable sustainable, scalable growth.

The Candidate

The successful candidate will be an accomplished, commercially minded business development leader with the executive presence and judgment to represent Kellogg with senior corporate decision-makers. This individual will bring a sustained record of revenue growth, complex solution selling, and trusted client relationship development, along with the ability to translate business needs into relevant executive education opportunities.

The strongest candidates will combine market insight, disciplined portfolio management, and a highly collaborative working style. They will be equally effective engaging external clients and partnering internally with faculty, leadership, and program teams, while upholding the high-touch service standards and institutional values of Kellogg Executive Education.

Minimum Qualifications

• Successful completion of a full 4-year course of study in an accredited college or university leading to a bachelor's or higher degree; OR appropriate combination of education and experience.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in sales, business development, executive education, consulting, or professional services.

• Demonstrated success leading enterprise-level revenue growth initiatives.

• Proven experience in prospect development and long-cycle institutional sales.

• Experience negotiating complex, multi-stakeholder agreements.

• Proven ability to operate effectively within matrixed, mission-driven environments.

• Knowledge of enterprise revenue strategy & portfolio management

• Skilled executive relationship development and communication skills

• Ability to direct strategic market expansion

• Proven ability for cross-functional executive leadership

Data-driven decision making 

Preferred Qualifications

• 15+ years of experience in business development, consultative selling, and contract negotiations in business-to-business markets.

• MBA highly preferred.

• Experience in organization development, executive training, consulting, and/or development

• Strong skill set in understanding and communicating business issues, objectives and solutions