Back to jobs

Business Development Director - COGNITION

Remote

Cognition is an award-winning interactive studio designed to enrich experiences by building creative technology with human empathy. Blending engineering and art. Merging programming and sensation. Combining science and storytelling. Unifying design and data. We craft tailored solutions that push the limits of creativity through technology and unlock new capacities for discovery, participation and connection. Our craft works both behind-scenes in the digital world and center-stage in the physical world to evoke awe and wonder in our audiences. From high-impact brand activations to permanent museum and retail installations, our work brings stories to life across both experiential and built environments. You’ll find our installations year-round at trade shows, festivals, flagship stores, and cultural institutions.

Summary of Position:

We are seeking an exceptional Business Development Director with a self-starter attitude, desire to succeed and exceptional interpersonal communication and relationship-building skills.

Reporting directly to the President, this person will be responsible for selling Cognition’s services and product solutions and generating qualified new business opportunities that increase revenue and drive growth. This person is Cognition’s “door opener” and will be responsible for the challenging task of prospecting and procuring new brand clients and expanding Cognition’s presence in the marketplace. This is a hands-on, execution-focused sales role ideal for someone comfortable rolling up their sleeves, owning the outbound process, and delivering measurable results. The ideal candidate will bring an existing network, a strong track record in service-based sales, and the ability to create and adapt sales materials as needed.

Role Priorities:

  • Sales Strategy: Work directly with the President and other stakeholders to craft and implement a go-to-market sales strategy that focuses on selling Cognition’s services and product solutions
  • Prospecting & Lead Capture: Prospect and capture new leads through strategic marketing, opportunity research and client cold calling and emailing - with the goal of 100+ outreach contacts per month
  • Pipeline Management: Generate and maintain a pipeline of qualified business opportunities - targeting 20+ capability meetings and 4+ RFPs per month
  • Competitive & Market Research: Generate and leverage ongoing competitive and related market research to support sales strategy and related initiatives
  • Relationship Management: Develop, nurture and maintain relationships with hot leads, prospects and customers in effort to strengthen opportunity pipeline and growth potential
  • Request for Proposal (RFP) Procurement & Oversight: Procure and internally communicate new RFPs; participate in RFP process and pitches. Manage the RFP process to ensure exceptional and timely delivery.

Job Responsibilities:

  • Prospect and generate leads for potential new clients utilizing both traditional and non-traditional sales tactics including cold calling, emailing and email nurturing
  • Deep research into industry trends in order to craft sales strategy
  • Utilize company CRM system to update and track all personal sales efforts
  • Regularly communicate and update existing clients and hot leads with information about Cognition’s capabilities and recent success case studies to keep them engaged and excited at the prospect of working with Cognition
  • Provide weekly reporting on items such as new leads, upcoming meetings, RFP development.
  • Manage RFP development process and delivery for new business opportunities.
  • Effectively manage the annual business development budget to monitor spending and ensure adequate ROI on initiatives.
  • Strategize and collaborate with internal teams to prepare RFPs and presentations
  • Maintain and edit all business development related materials including capabilities decks, case studies, video catalog, etc.
  • Prioritize and develop client entertainment, engagement and relationship-building tactics
  • Operate marketing and outbound tools such as Apollo, Mailchimp, or similar to run monthly outbound campaigns
  • As needed and approved, identify and attend key industry events for relationship building and prospecting opportunities

Basic Qualifications:

  • 3 – 5 years in sales within the same or relatable industry (events, marketing, public relations, technology)
  • Experience in a fast-paced agency environment
  • Experience tracking sales progress through a CRM system
  • Strong background in service-based sales or marketing
  • Goal-oriented and highly self-motivated
  • Ability to write effectively, persuasively and professionally
  • Excellent communication and organizational skills
  • Confidence in verbal communication
  • Aptitude to lead and project manage new initiatives
  • Flexibility and adaptability to a fast-paced work environment with an ability to work under tight deadlines
  • Willingness to work extended hours and on weekends when necessary
  • Passion for technology

Requirements:

  • Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% or more of the time

Location:

  • We are a remote company with a distributed workforce. 

Perks & Benefits:

  • Health & Wellness Benefits 
  • 401k Match 
  • Communication Stipend 
  • Paid Company holidays & unlimited PTO Package 
  • Company get togethers & company sponsored activities
  • Annual personal development stipend
  • Paid Parental Leave 
  • Flexible WFH policy 

Salary Estimation: [$120K - $150K per year, plus incentive plan] 

This is an exempt role. Cognition intends to provide a competitive total compensation package which includes a variety of incentives, benefits, growth and developmental opportunities. There are many factors to the presented salary range, including but not limited to - location, departmental budgets, certifications, and overall job-related qualifications. 

Apply for this job

*

indicates a required field

Resume/CV*

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Cover Letter

Accepted file types: pdf, doc, docx, txt, rtf

Employment

Select...
Select...

U.S. Standard Demographic Questions

We invite applicants to share their demographic background. If you choose to complete this survey, your responses may be used to identify areas of improvement in our hiring process.
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...
Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey. Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiring process or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in a confidential file.

As set forth in COGNITION Labs’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

Select...
Select...
Race & Ethnicity Definitions

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection. As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measure the effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categories is as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.

Select...

Voluntary Self-Identification of Disability

Form CC-305
Page 1 of 1
OMB Control Number 1250-0005
Expires 04/30/2026

Why are you being asked to complete this form?

We are a federal contractor or subcontractor. The law requires us to provide equal employment opportunity to qualified people with disabilities. We have a goal of having at least 7% of our workers as people with disabilities. The law says we must measure our progress towards this goal. To do this, we must ask applicants and employees if they have a disability or have ever had one. People can become disabled, so we need to ask this question at least every five years.

Completing this form is voluntary, and we hope that you will choose to do so. Your answer is confidential. No one who makes hiring decisions will see it. Your decision to complete the form and your answer will not harm you in any way. If you want to learn more about the law or this form, visit the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) website at www.dol.gov/ofccp.

How do you know if you have a disability?

A disability is a condition that substantially limits one or more of your “major life activities.” If you have or have ever had such a condition, you are a person with a disability. Disabilities include, but are not limited to:

  • Alcohol or other substance use disorder (not currently using drugs illegally)
  • Autoimmune disorder, for example, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, HIV/AIDS
  • Blind or low vision
  • Cancer (past or present)
  • Cardiovascular or heart disease
  • Celiac disease
  • Cerebral palsy
  • Deaf or serious difficulty hearing
  • Diabetes
  • Disfigurement, for example, disfigurement caused by burns, wounds, accidents, or congenital disorders
  • Epilepsy or other seizure disorder
  • Gastrointestinal disorders, for example, Crohn's Disease, irritable bowel syndrome
  • Intellectual or developmental disability
  • Mental health conditions, for example, depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorder, schizophrenia, PTSD
  • Missing limbs or partially missing limbs
  • Mobility impairment, benefiting from the use of a wheelchair, scooter, walker, leg brace(s) and/or other supports
  • Nervous system condition, for example, migraine headaches, Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis (MS)
  • Neurodivergence, for example, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder, dyslexia, dyspraxia, other learning disabilities
  • Partial or complete paralysis (any cause)
  • Pulmonary or respiratory conditions, for example, tuberculosis, asthma, emphysema
  • Short stature (dwarfism)
  • Traumatic brain injury
Select...

PUBLIC BURDEN STATEMENT: According to the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 no persons are required to respond to a collection of information unless such collection displays a valid OMB control number. This survey should take about 5 minutes to complete.