Location: Buffalo, NY | In Person 

Type: Full-Time Compensation: $60,000 base salary + uncapped commission 

Target Earnings: $85,000–$90,000 | $100,000+ top-performer potential 

About The Buffalo Niagara Partnership

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP) is Western New York’s regional chamber of commerce dedicated to strengthening the Buffalo Niagara economy by empowering, connecting, and mobilizing the region’s employers.

Position Overview

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership is looking for a Business Development Manager who wants to build relationships, win new business, and grow their professional network across Western New York. 

You will own the full sales cycle—from identifying and prospecting new businesses through discovery, proposal, and close. You'll work directly with business owners, executives, and senior decision-makers to understand their priorities and demonstrate how BNP membership can help their organizations grow, connect, and succeed. 

Key Responsibilities 

New Business Development

• Build and manage a consistent pipeline of new business opportunities. 

• Prospect businesses throughout Western New York through phone, email, LinkedIn, referrals, networking, and in-person relationship building. 

• Identify and engage business owners, executives, and other senior decision-makers. 

• Conduct discovery meetings to understand each organization's business priorities, challenges, and goals. 

• Present BNP membership solutions and recommend the appropriate level of engagement. 

• Own opportunities from initial outreach through proposal, negotiation, and close. 

• Consistently work toward monthly, quarterly, and annual revenue goals. 

• Develop referral relationships and new sources of business throughout the region. 

Member Growth & Retention

• Manage relationships with a portfolio of existing BNP members.

• Strengthen those relationships and maintain strong retention.

• Identify opportunities to expand memberships.

• Ensure members continue to see value from their investment in BNP.

Sales Discipline 

• Maintain an accurate and current pipeline in HubSpot. 

• Consistently execute prospecting and follow-up activity. 

• Understand where you stand against your revenue goals. 

• Forecast upcoming business and identify gaps in your pipeline. 

• Move opportunities through the sales process with urgency. 

• Take ownership of your results and continuously look for ways to improve. 

Qualifications

• 2+ years of successful B2B sales, business development, or other consultative selling experience.
• A bachelor's degree is preferred but not required.
• Curiosity about businesses, industries, and the Western New York economy.
• Experience managing opportunities and pipeline through a CRM such as HubSpot.
• Strong follow-up habits and personal accountability.
• Persistence and resilience when deals don't move as quickly as expected.
• Strong discovery skills and the ability to ask thoughtful questions before recommending a solution.
• Confidence communicating with business owners, executives, and senior decision-makers.
• The ability and willingness to generate their own opportunities through outbound prospecting.
• A demonstrated history of working toward—and ideally achieving or exceeding—sales or revenue targets.

Compensation

Base Salary: $60,000 

Business Development Managers earn an 8% uncapped commission on new first-year membership revenue, in addition to opportunities to earn performance and retention bonuses. 

A Business Development Manager achieving expected performance can earn approximately $85,000–$90,000 annually, with $100,000+ earning potential for top performers.

Benefits

• 401(k) 
• Medical insurance 
• Dental insurance 
• Vision insurance 
• Life insurance 
• Employee assistance program 
• Paid time off and holidays 
• Professional development opportunities 
• Access to many of Western New York's leading businesses, executives, and decision-makers 

Apply today to join the Buffalo Niagara Partnership.

Job Type: Full-Time | Exempt

Location: Buffalo, NY

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ABOUT US

The Buffalo Niagara Partnership (BNP) is the regional chamber of commerce for Western New York, dedicated to growing our economy by empowering, connecting, and mobilizing employers. Our work strengthens businesses—and the community they help build.

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JOB SUMMARY

The Manager of Industry Partnerships will be responsible for meeting with employers and understanding the issues impacting their competitiveness. This includes one-on-one meetings, convening groups of companies and communicating findings within and among BNP team members. The Manager will work with colleagues within the BNP, as well as strategic partners outside of the BNP, to develop solutions to the employer’s expressed needs. Tracking communications and development of solutions/outcomes is essential to the position.

The Manager of Industry Partnerships will lead and oversee the engagement of business leaders in advanced manufacturing and other high-growth industries. This is an employer focused position, in which the Manager serves as primary point of contact and advocate, ensuring employer needs and commitments are adequately and consistently represented in shared workforce strategies, economic development programs and initiatives. This position requires a skilled listener and problem solver who can navigate complex relationships and build consensus with partners.

The Manager will work with employers to understand their business needs including hiring and employee attraction, retention, and advancement strategies, with a particular focus on supporting employers to engage un/underemployed and diverse talent. They will collaborate with fellow BNP staff members to ensure quality program design and implementation between employers and partners. The Manager will also engage with their counterparts across the NY SMART I-Corridor and its STEP-Up component project to share best practices and ensure grant funded activities are achieving goals.

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RESPONSIBILITIES

Individual Employer Engagement & Relationship Management: (70%)

• Build and maintain strong relationships with semi-conductor and high-growth industry employers, serving as the primary point of contact for STEP-Up program activities.
• Regularly meet with employers to understand business needs and challenges, identify opportunities for intervention/BNP, and get feedback on programs and strategies. Report back findings to the BNP Strategic Value team and serve as a liaison and advocate to ensure employer voice is present in strategy and program development and iterations.
• Ensure consistent alignment between the Manager’s activities and BNP’s Member Services team.
• Work with engaged workforce training entities to design and facilitate employer engagement within workforce training programs (interviews, classroom visits, employer tours, interviewing/hiring on the back end). Hold employers accountable for commitments to programs.
• Facilitate employer-led job quality strategies, programs, and interventions. Learn and share best practices and ideas to enhance workforce training, attraction, retention, and advancement.
• Consult on and help inform programming, ensuring employer voice is adequately and consistently represented in the STEP-Up initiative. Report back to employers and seek feedback as needed.

STEP-Up Industry BNP Management & Coordination: (20%)

• Manage and coordinate Industry BNP activities including meeting management and planning, task management and follow up.
• Convene the Industry BNP group regularly to facilitate strategic discussions which may include:
• Identification of industry workforce challenges and development of common solutions
• When new programs are needed, facilitate and capture employer inputs to develop candidate profiles and training standards
• Soliciting feedback from employers on strategies and program development and evaluation, including feedback on current training programs.
• Aligning employers with training providers to validate candidate profiles and learning outcomes
• Aligning with community organizations to improve employee access to support services.

Data, Evaluation and Communication (10%)

• Coordinate with the Step-Up team to generate regular labor market data reports to validate strategies.
• Develop agreements with partner companies that include collecting regular employment demand projections to inform program schedule and design
• Track and analyze the performance of BNPs. Use data to optimize and enhance the value of these relationships. Prepare regular reports on BNP activities, performance, and outcomes for senior management.
• As needed, inform the creation of RFP’s and contracts, grants/funding proposals and reports and communication/meeting materials.
• Stay current on best practices and industry trends.

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QUALIFICATIONS

• Strong commitment to the Buffalo Niagara Partnership’s mission and core values. This includes a desire to work for an organization dedicated to championing employers and the economic contributions they make to our community.
• A “team-oriented” approach, in which they are motivated by the success of the organization and accomplishments of colleagues.
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to communicate transparently. A consensus builder who can move partners to grow.
• Curiosity, especially as it relates to perspectives of others, industry best practices, innovation in technology and group processes.
• Ability to perform to a high standard while working independently and to communicate effectively back to the team.
• Strong problem-solving and critical thinking skills.

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COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• Salary: $65,000–$70,000
• Paid vacation and holidays
• Medical, dental, vision, and ancillary benefits
• Access to high-level business events and decision-makers
• Ongoing professional development and career growth

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Apply today and help shape the future of the Buffalo Niagara economy—one business at a time.