The Business Development Lead supports the growth and expansion of Protocall's Welltrack Ecosystem of Solutions within the higher education market through the development of strategic partnerships with colleges and universities. This role is responsible for executing consultative sales activities, building trusted institutional relationships, and advancing adoption of the Welltrack Ecosystem across higher education settings.
Reporting to the Vice President of Education Solutions, the Business Development Lead collaborates closely with teams across the Education Vertical, Marketing, Account Relations, Operations, Product, and Leadership to support the full partnership lifecycle and drive growth within the education market. This includes lead generation and prospecting activities, relationship development, discovery conversations, presentations, proposal development, transition to implementation team, implementation transition, and, as needed, ongoing partnership expansion opportunities.
This position requires a relationship-oriented, mission-driven professional who is passionate about improving access to behavioral health support within higher education communities. The ideal candidate demonstrates strong communication skills, strategic thinking, organizational effectiveness, and the ability to navigate complex stakeholder environments while contributing to Protocall's long-term growth objectives.
Key Responsibilities:
Strategic Partnership Development
Develop and cultivate relationships with colleges, universities, and higher education stakeholders in support of Protocall's Education Vertical initiatives.
Conduct consultative discovery conversations to identify institutional needs, operational challenges, and partnership opportunities related to behavioral health and student wellbeing.
Execute Protocall's sales process, including prospecting, qualifying, presenting, proposing, negotiating, and supporting the closing of partnership opportunities.
Support the development and execution of strategic sales initiatives and growth plans for Protocall's Education Solutions offerings.
Collaborate with the Vice President of Education Solutions to support quarterly and annual sales goals.
Sales Operations & Pipeline Management
Maintain and manage a pipeline of prospective partnership opportunities using Protocall's CRM platform, Sugar CRM.
Document sales activities, communications, forecasting updates, and partnership progress accurately and consistently within CRM systems.
Assist in maintaining sales dashboards, revenue forecasts, and tracking implementation timelines.
Participate in the preparation and coordination of responses to Requests for Proposal (RFPs), Requests for Information (RFIs), and Requests for Quotation (RFQs).
Assist in determining contract pricing and partnership proposals in collaboration with leadership.
Customer & Market Engagement
Conduct presentations, product demonstrations, and solution discussions for prospective higher education partners.
Represent Protocall at conferences, industry events, campus meetings, and professional association gatherings.
Collaborate with the larger Education Vertical team and Account Relations to identify prospective partnership opportunities and support lead generation initiatives.
Maintain awareness of trends, challenges, and emerging priorities within higher education behavioral health and student wellbeing.
Cross-Functional Collaboration
Partner closely with Account Relations, Operations, Marketing, Product, and Leadership teams to ensure effective communication and coordination throughout the partnership lifecycle.
Support smooth transitions from partnership development through onboarding and implementation processes.
Provide customer and market feedback to internal stakeholders to support continuous improvement of Protocall's offerings and customer experience.
Participate in interdepartmental meetings and collaborative initiatives as appropriate.
Additional Responsibilities
Demonstrate understanding of Protocall's operational structure, policies, procedures, and service offerings.
Maintain professionalism, confidentiality, and sound judgment in all interactions and responsibilities.
This position may access Protected Health Information (PHI) and internal operational systems as necessary in the performance of assigned duties.
Perform additional duties as assigned by the Vice President of Education Solutions.
Bachelor's degree required; advanced degree preferred.
Minimum of 2-3 years of experience in consultative sales, partnership development, account management, customer success, or relationship management.
Experience in higher education, behavioral health, healthcare, SaaS, EdTech, or related industries preferred.
Demonstrated ability to build and maintain professional relationships with multiple stakeholders.
Strong written, verbal, presentation (both in person and virtual), and interpersonal communication skills.
Experience using CRM platforms to manage sales processes, pipeline activity, and forecasting.
Ability to analyze business opportunities and navigate complex organizational environments effectively.
Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, deadlines, and projects simultaneously.
Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
Commitment to mission-driven customer service and high-quality partnership experiences.
Regular travel of up to 25% is expected for conferences, partnership visits, campus visits, and related business activities.
Work at Protocall is inherently stressful given the nature of our mission. It is the basic responsibility of each employee to manage their stress in a way that sustains our commitment to the highest level of client care, customer service, professional conduct, and a supportive work environment.
Protocall Services Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe deeply in diversity of race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, national origin, and all of the other fascinating characteristics that make us different
We help our customers ensure their clients, students, and communities have immediate access to care when and where it’s needed most, creating compassionate connections that improve and strengthen behavioral health intervention and recovery.
ProtoCall was founded in 1992 as a division of the non-profit Metro Crisis Intervention Services, an agency providing crisis line services in Portland, Oregon. The initial goal was to leverage the existing 24/7 infrastructure and professional staffing to create an additional funding source to help support the agency’s local crisis programs. In 1997, ProtoCall Services was incorporated as a privately held entity and has since expanded into a sophisticated 24-hour behavioral health contact center and digital products used by over 500 organizations and responding to more than 600,000 calls annually.
Certainly much has changed since 1992, but just like the founders at Metro Crisis, our fundamental mission of providing access to care in times of crisis remains the core of our work.
We are telephonic first responders. We are mental health paramedics. We go in, tie in a tourniquet to stop the (emotional) bleeding, and refer callers to someone who can follow the healing process closely. We are there to keep the caller safe in that moment.
Whether you’re just starting your career or looking for your next opportunity, we’re a growing company that’s full of opportunities.
If you are committed to quality and to offering the best of yourself to a team that improves access to care when it’s needed most, consider joining us!