Business Development Executive

Why do you need to choose between doing important work and having a fulfilling life? At Ardent, we have both. Ardent employees are committed to solving our customer’s most difficult problems—and we are committed to the well-being, personal goals, and professional development of our employees. We are “All In.” We put forth our strongest effort possible to get the mission accomplished and we do it together. We respect the skills and experience you bring to the Ardent team. And we provide a rewarding environment to help you succeed. 

We offer highly competitive benefits, professional development opportunities, and an exceptional culture that embraces flexibility, innovation, collaboration, and career growth. A collective service mindset underpins our work, and a shared camaraderie to serve clients, colleagues, and our communities set us apart. Our full commitment to being "All In" for our employees and our clients is not just our approach, it is our standard. If this sounds like the perfect fit for you, choose Ardent and make a difference with us.

Ardent is seeking a Business Development Executive to join our team.  

This is a remote role with occasional travel to the Washington, DC Metro area and other client/partner sites as needed.

Ardent is seeking a Business Development Executive (BDE) to enhance our relationships and brand in the Department of Homeland Security.  The right candidate has a proven track record of building a pipeline of contract opportunities aligned to high-end technology consulting services.  The BDE ‘s accounts will include Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Headquarters, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). 

The BDE demonstrates a deep understanding of the specific missions and environmental intricacies of Federal departments and Agencies that make up the account. The BDE builds credibility with executives, program managers and procurement executives as a trusted advisor and partner in solving mission challenges. The right candidate is able to identify key stakeholders who have a role in decision-making, establish trust and identify ways to support the mission.

The right candidate will have a strong understanding of Ardent's core capabilities of Agile, DevSecOps, AI/ML, Cloud, Data Science & Analytics and Location Intelligence. 

The BDE is a leader; planning, monitoring, facilitating, and executing project activities. They oversee capture efforts within the account, coordinating proposal teams, partners, technical leads, and other resources supporting capture activities.   

Responsibilities:

• Responsible for the identification, pursuit and winning of new business development opportunities primarily focused on DHS HQ, ICE and FEMA 
• Develop opportunities by clearly articulating Ardent’s differentiated services and solution offerings; provide relevant past performance examples to key government stakeholders and mission partners 
• Initiates sales process by identifying opportunities, building relationships; qualifying opportunities; scheduling meetings with decision makers inside of the agency, and building winning capture strategies 
• Prepare and deliver Gate Reviews, Account plans, business capture plans and briefings, including outlines of pricing strategies, based on customer engagement and understanding 
• Monitor publicly available government agency procurement sites for potential opportunities and updates to include budgeting, sourcing and capturing analysis 
• Participate in the development of white papers, RFI responses, Sources Sought responses, Market Research meetings, Industry Days, and other Pre-RFP requirements 
• Build and maintain strong, long-lasting customer relationships that represent Ardent in a positive fashion 
• Partner with internal Ardent team successfully to gain buy-in and support 
• Partner with customers to understand their business needs and objectives; translate that knowledge into customer-tailored, differentiated solutions 
• Understand market/account-specific landscapes, addressable markets, customer and procurement trends, and competitive trends 
• Define and implement customer growth strategies and effectively communicate investment rationale based on market factors, capability alignment, and fit 
• Research Cost/Price intel and share with the Pricing team 
• Provide analysis of RFPs, their revisions and amendments along with strategy recommendations for continuing pursuit. 
• Develop and execute strategic plans to achieve sales targets and expand our customer base within current and expansionary target markets and accounts.  
• Achieve or exceed annual sales targets within assigned markets and accounts.  
• Identify and set new business priorities and develop marketing and capture plans for key emerging opportunities.  
• As directed provide business/proposal development support to the leadership teams and project teams as required.  
• Develop workshare criteria, negotiate effectively, and creative strategies for engaging partners with accountability through Teaming Agreements  
• Travel as required to contract sites, partner offices, and on other company business as necessary. 

Qualifications and Requirements:

• 5+ years of specific, increasingly responsible business development and sales experience in a government consulting environment selling IT and/or Professional Services. 
• Relevant DHS HQ, ICE, FEMA business development and capture work experience in the successful growth of new and existing business, single award vehicles such as IDIQ's and BPAs including successful track record of driving business opportunities which result in winning competitive bids.  
• Well established networks in the GovCon community; BDE must establish/expand relationships with prospective clients, as well as identify and develop relationships with current future partners. 
• Thorough knowledge of current marketing and sales best practices within the industry and the ability to develop unique strategies based on sound marketing and industry analyses.  
• Independent worker with strong research, analysis and presentation delivery skills. 
• Knowledge of the Federal Government acquisition timeline and experience with the application of a structured BD/Capture methodology to align with the timeline. 
• High energy, goal oriented, striving for excellence. Ability to coordinate multiple projects and initiatives at one time. 
• Strong oral and written communication skills. 
• Strong working knowledge of a professional services organization, Government contracting, and federal acquisition regulations (FAR, DFARS, etc.). 
• Expert computer skills with advanced knowledge and experience in Microsoft Office Suite software. 
• Experience with Agile, DevSecOps, Cloud, Data Science and Analytics, Machine Learning, AI, and Location Intelligence a plus. 
• Working understanding of the missions within the account with the ability to identify potential issues and recommend solutions.  
• Bachelor's degree  
• Some occasional (< 10%) travel to mission locations across the United States. 

Due to the nature of the work we support, all candidates in consideration for this role must be U.S. Citizens willing to undergo the government-issued background investigation process.

Ardent is an equal opportunity employer. We will not discriminate and will take affirmative action measures to ensure against discrimination in employment, recruitment, advertisements for employment, compensation, termination, upgrading, promotions, and other conditions of employment against any employee or job applicant on the bases of race, color, gender, national origin, age, religion, creed, disability, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.