About the role
As the Manager - Business Development and Partnerships, your primary responsibility will be to drive Athena's business growth by converting leads into actual customers and establishing strategic partnerships. This role involves a mix of sales and partnership-building, requiring you to identify new business opportunities, cultivate relationships with prospective clients, and close sales deals. You will collaborate with various teams to ensure that partnership strategies align with Athena's long-term objectives.
This role demands a sales-driven mindset, excellent relationship-building skills, and a keen understanding of the education sector, particularly in the premium study abroad space.
Key Responsibilities:
Convert Leads into Customers: Engage with prospective clients, guide them through Athena’s offerings, and convert leads into paying customers through persuasive sales techniques. Sales Strategy: Develop and implement sales strategies to meet targets, leveraging both inbound and outbound leads. Business Development: Identify and pursue new business opportunities, including partnerships with schools, universities, and other organizations.
Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders, including academic institutions, educational platforms, and industry leaders. Lead negotiations and manage contracts with new and existing partners, ensuring mutually beneficial outcomes. Conduct market research to identify trends, customer needs, and competitive landscapes, and leverage this data to inform sales and business development strategies. Collaborate with the marketing, operations, and consulting teams to ensure alignment in achieving sales targets and business objectives. Represent Athena at industry events, conferences, and networking opportunities to build brand visibility and strengthen partnerships. Manage key partnerships, ensuring long-term engagement, collaboration, and success for both Athena and its partners. Prepare reports and presentations for senior management, providing updates on business development activities, sales performance, and market opportunities.
About the company
Athena is India's largest institution in the "premium undergraduate study abroad" space. Founded 10 years ago by two Princeton graduates, Poshak Agrawal and Rahul Subramaniam, Athena is headquartered in Gurgaon, with offices in Mumbai and Bangalore, and caters to students from 21 countries.
