Associate Director Business Development

Accentuate Staffing is seeking an Associate Director of Business Development to join a national CRO organization. The Associate Director of Business Development supports revenue growth by developing and managing client relationships, qualifying new opportunities, building a sustainable sales pipeline, and leading RFP responses. This role focuses on developing foundational skills in ophthalmology-focused CRO solution selling while partnering closely with internal teams to deliver high-quality, client-centered solutions. This position is ideal for a motivated professional with CRO experience with the ability to travel up to 50%.

Responsibilities:

• Identify, qualify, and develop new business opportunities to support revenue growth
• Execute outbound prospecting and efficiently manage inbound leads
• Build and maintain a healthy, forward-looking opportunity pipeline
• Lead and support RFP and proposal responses, including bid defense preparation
• Conduct effective discovery conversations to understand client needs and objectives
• Build and nurture long-term relationships with sponsors, consultants, and key opinion leaders
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of CRO services, clinical trial phases, and the drug development lifecycle
• Build or deepen expertise in ophthalmology clinical research and trial execution
• Partner with senior sales leadership, proposals, marketing, and operations teams to advance opportunities
• Guide internal stakeholders through complex situations, including bid defenses and change order discussions
• Help resolve disagreements related to scope, change orders, or operational execution
• Accurately track all activities, contacts, and opportunities within CRM systems
• Maintain discipline around sales processes, forecasting, and documentation

Requirements:

• Must have previous CRO experience
• 1–3 years of sales, business development, or customer-facing experience within a CRO
• Prior experience as a Project Specialist, Regulatory Specialist, Patient Recruitment Specialist, Project Manager, Clinical Trial Manager, or Ophthalmology Study Coordinator
• Bachelor’s degree in life sciences, business, or a related field required
• Ophthalmology clinical research experience preferred
• Ability to ask strong discovery questions and align CRO services to client needs
• Skilled in outbound outreach and rapid qualification of inbound leads
• Professional, clear, and effective verbal and written communication with external and internal stakeholders
• Strong team orientation with the ability to influence across functions
• Detail-oriented, organized, and consistent in CRM usage and opportunity management
• Coachable, curious, and eager to learn
• Self-motivated with strong follow-through
• Comfortable with outreach, networking, and relationship-building
• Organized, detail-oriented, and process-driven
• Demonstrates integrity, professionalism, and sound judgment
• Comfortable operating in uncertain environments and solving problems collaboratively
• Capable of leading and guiding internal teams through complex or ambiguous situations