Senior Director of Business Development

Who We Are

You are reading this job description because somebody taught you how. You became somebody as a result. At Lit, we are building a world where everyone gets to be somebody.

Our mission is simple and ambitious: every kid, everywhere, is a reader.

The science of reading confirms it is possible. Possibility becomes reality when everyone responsible for teaching kids to read, from the superintendent setting the vision to the principal walking classrooms to the teacher delivering instruction every day, works from the same research-aligned playbook with the structures to sustain it long after any one program or partner is gone. That is what Lit builds: self-sustaining reading ecosystems that ensure every kid, everywhere, is a reader.

We partner with K–12 school systems to create reading ecosystems grounded in research and designed to live at the intersection of science and instructional equity. Our focus is intentional: we work with systems that serve students most often pushed to the margins — children of color and those from underserved communities — because they deserve nothing less than excellence.

To date, our work has impacted more than 80,000 students and 6,000 educators across 50 school systems in 23 states.

In 2025, we expanded into educational technology with Bloom, our first K–2 reading product. Bloom allows us to extend Lit’s system-level work into daily classroom practice so that more students experience strong foundational reading instruction every single day.

Find out more at wearelit.org.

If you believe every kid, everywhere, is a reader, we hope you will join us.

What You Will Do

Reporting to the Chief Program Officer (CPO) and working closely with our Managing Partners on the program team, the Senior Director of Business Development (SDBD) executes Lit’s business development strategy and drives Lit’s relationship-centered sales cycles with education systems and local philanthropic partners. Lit’s engagements often unfold over multiple months or years and require thoughtful cultivation of relationships, clear articulation of outcomes and expectations, and disciplined qualification of opportunities. This role sits at the intersection of strategy, storytelling, and execution.

The SDBD will: cultivate the two relationships most critical to Lit’s financial sustainability, school districts and local philanthropy; bring Lit’s story to life to open doors that allow our program team to do their best work with school and system leaders; partner with the CPO and CEO to implement Lit’s revenue strategy; and build the pipeline, turn prospects into partners, and ensure Lit has the resources it needs to reach every kid, everywhere.

Our ideal candidate is a collaborative and service-oriented sales leader who has navigated the full district sales cycle from cold outreach to signed contract, supplemented earned revenue with local philanthropic funding, and built a pipeline from the ground up in a growing organization.

Key Responsibilities

Drive School District Sales and Local Philanthropic Relationships

• Lead outreach and discovery with school district prospects

• Work closely with Managing Partners to design scopes of work and respond to RFPs that meet district needs while advancing Lit’s model and outcomes

• Move the sales process from first contact through signed contract with the support and involvement of the Managing Partners

• Tell Lit's story compellingly and authentically: in discovery calls, presentations, proposals, and donor conversations, bring the data, the heart, and the 'so what' together in a way that moves school system leaders and local funders to act

• Cultivate relationships with local philanthropic funders to support and supplement Lit's engagements with school districts

• Prepare the CEO for major philanthropic asks by developing materials and providing district and market context, so Lit puts its best foot forward on the largest opportunities

• Partner with Managing Partners on renewals, ensuring alignment between contracted engagements and on-the-ground program delivery

• Craft proposals and shepherd negotiations using Lit’s pricing models to ensure both fiscal sustainability and partner satisfaction, coordinating contract signing with Array Education

Execute Lit’s Business Development Strategy

• Implement outreach plans and a clear client journey for school district and local philanthropic prospects, translating the CPO and CEO’s direction into concrete action

• Segment and prioritize Lit’s prospect lists, identifying the school districts and local funders most likely to become long-term partners

• Qualify opportunities to ensure time and resources focus on engagements with strong alignment and potential for impact

• Manage Lit’s marketing presence, including collateral materials, content development, events, regional engagement, and impact reporting, in service of the program team's work with partners

• Submit RFPs/RFIs and secure placement on state and district-approved vendor lists to expand Lit’s market access

• Maintain the CRM to accurately reflect pipeline data, outreach history, and relationship status across all district and philanthropic prospects

Strengthen Revenue Performance

• Analyze pipeline data on an ongoing basis, including conversion rates, deal flow, and forecast accuracy, to surface patterns and sharpen how Lit pursues and prioritizes opportunities

• Build and present accurate sales and fundraising forecasts to the CPO and CEO, with clear recommendations for where to focus energy and resources

• Monitor market trends, district budget cycles, and funder priorities to surface emerging opportunities and keep Lit’s outreach timely and relevant

• Refine data processes with the operations team to give the organization reliable visibility into pipeline health and revenue trajectory

In short, you will ensure that our program team has the partners, resources, and pipeline they need to reach every kid with the gift of reading, and that Lit can sustain and grow the mission to get there.

Who This Role Is For

You would be a great match for this role if you are a:

Professional with 6+ years of work experience in business development, sales, or fundraising, ideally in K-12 education or education services, with a track record of closing relationships and hitting revenue goals.

Exceptional Storyteller: Whether you are on a discovery call with a superintendent, presenting to a local foundation, or crafting a proposal, you know how to make Lit's work land. You translate data and program details into a narrative that connects to what school systems and local funders care most about. You are as compelling in writing as you are in person.

School Systems Insider: You understand how districts make decisions, including budget cycles, politics, and procurement processes. You know how to earn trust with district leaders because you understand their world.

Collaborative by Nature: You work well with others and bring people in rather than going in alone. You believe that your job is to tap others, and you see that as a sign of strength, not a gap in your own capabilities. You are as invested in setting up your colleagues for success as you are in your own wins.

Relationship Builder: You maintain and cultivate meaningful relationships across K-12 education and local philanthropy. Partners and funders trust you not just because you are skilled, but because you are genuine.

Executor with Range: You are most energized when you are moving things forward. You shift seamlessly from a high-stakes pitch to updating the CRM to drafting a proposal, and you bring attention to detail and follow-through to everything you touch.

Analytically Curious: You use data to understand what is working and what is not. You can read a pipeline report, spot a trend, and translate it into a concrete next step.

It would be a plus if you have:

• Experience navigating district procurement processes and vendor approval

• Experience cultivating philanthropic relationships with local or regional

• Technical experience with Customer Relationship Management platforms, including

You are someone who shares our values

• Be cosmically Change things in ways that benefit all people, so everyone feels a sense of “somebodyness.”

• Stay constantly Ask “how might we?” when solving challenges.

• Pursue excellence over Move people toward outcomes rather than following a process that won’t get them there.

• Do hard things in a human Choose courage over comfort, especially when it’s difficult.

• Invest in our collective Get your hands dirty; when confronted with a challenge or work to be done, you say, “How might we…” or “How can I help?”

Travel: Travel is part of the job. It’s how we stay close to our partners, collaborate as a team, and do the work that matters. The SDBD should expect to travel up to 40% of the year.

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation. This is a full-time, exempt position with a hiring salary range of $152,000 to $191,500, depending on experience and geographic location. The full range for this role is $152,000 to $240,000, and compensation grows over time with tenure and cost-of-living adjustments.

We think a lot about pay equity at Lit. Our compensation offers are grounded in our research-backed, equity-based salary band system. We place new hires at the 50th percentile of the external talent market, adjusted for geographic cost of living and tenure in role. Our commitment to non-negotiable pay ensures that all teammates are compensated equitably, based on role, location, and experience.

Benefits. Full-time employees receive competitive medical, dental, and vision coverage, short- and long-term disability benefits, life insurance, and parental leave. We also offer a generous PTO policy, a full holiday calendar, and an employer-sponsored 401(k) with a 4% annual match.

Perks. Because we believe in taking care of the people who do this work: paid rest days after travel, wellness stipends, home office support, professional learning funds, and a community that shows up for each other.

Lit operates under the umbrella of Array Education, a nonprofit start-up studio dedicated to building enduring, equity-driven solutions to our most pressing education challenges. Array Education is an equal opportunity employer.