Frontiers is a leading open-access research publisher dedicated to making science accessible. The Business Development Representative will manage relationships with research-performing organizations, drive outreach strategies, and contribute to the growth of the Institutional Partnerships Program.
Responsibilities:
- Own and manage a designated portfolio of research-performing organizations (RPOs), acting as the primary point of contact for institutional partners across North America
- Achieve and exceed agreed sales targets by autonomously developing and executing outreach and engagement strategies, while regularly reporting progress
- Drive proactive outreach via email, phone, and in-person meetings, including site visits and conferences, tailoring engagement approaches to institutional needs
- Develop, analyze, and interpret small datasets to support proposals and decision-making; collaborate with analytics teams for deeper insights when required
- Negotiate partnership terms and manage contracts within defined guidelines; contribute strategic input on complex deals under the guidance of the Global Sales Manager
- Support consortium, national, renewal, and upsell negotiations in collaboration with the Global Sales Manager and Account Development Unit
- Represent Frontiers at conferences and industry events, initiating new collaborations and capturing market, consortium, and competitive insights
- Deliver compelling presentations on Frontiers' products, systems, and institutional offerings, primarily to librarians and research administrators, adapting content based on feedback
- Maintain accurate records and insights in Salesforce, contributing customer feedback and market intelligence to refine sales strategies and improve playbooks
- Actively participate in OKRs by contributing to team objective setting, tracking progress, and sharing results through regular reporting
- Use, evaluate, and continuously improve sales resources, playbooks, and handbooks by providing structured, ground-level feedback
Requirements:
- At least 1 year of sales experience within academic, library, non-profit, government, or research-focused markets
- Proven track record of meeting or exceeding targets through hands-on pipeline development and institutional relationship building
- Experience in scholarly publishing, Open Access, and/or working within a university library, scholarly communications office, or research support environment
- Strong proficiency in Salesforce and Microsoft Office, particularly Excel
- Excellent written and spoken English; additional languages (e.g., Spanish) are an asset for specific markets
- Skilled presenter with experience delivering tailored, impactful proposals to senior institutional stakeholders
- Familiarity with Strategic Selling and Conceptual Selling methodologies
- Working knowledge of the research lifecycle, from funding and conception through publication
- Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to work independently with minimal supervision
- Collaborative mindset with excellent negotiation, problem-solving, adaptability, and time-management skills
- Customer-focused, goal-oriented, and motivated by contributing to the advancement of open access and scholarly communications
- Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (minimum)