Business Development Operator

About The Durkan Group

The Durkan Group is seeking a Business Development Operator to help us grow our roster of exceptional clients. We are a technology company that does exceptional branding. For over two decades, we've built deep, lasting relationships with some of the most respected names in their respective industries. We are a fully remote team. Our individual personalities and expertise may differ, but we are all united by something that sits at the core of everything we do: make experiences matter. Not just the digital experiences we put out into the world, but the experience of working with our clients, with one another, and with our partners. Every touchpoint, every conversation, every email. It all matters and it should be done thoughtfully and intentionally. We are looking for someone to amplify who we are.

The Role

A successful Business Development Operator at Durkan Group is part relationship builder, part systems thinker, and part connector. You are the person who makes sure the right conversations are always happening at the right time and that nothing falls through the cracks. You will own our outbound strategy, manage our existing client communications, and keep our pipeline clean and moving. You will use AI tools to work smarter and faster. You will understand our ideal client deeply enough to know who belongs in our pipeline and who doesn't. You will see gaps and fill them. You will seize ownership of your lanes and make the process better over time. This role is the most important hire we are making in 2026. We are looking for someone who treats it that way.

Key Responsibilities

• Generate a minimum of 10 qualified leads per month within our core verticals — private equity, university development offices, family offices, life sciences, and SaaS.
• Build, automate, and continuously improve outbound outreach workflows using the tools you know best.
• Design and implement systems that make our BD process more efficient, more consistent, and more human.
• Own a monthly soft-touch email cadence to our existing 119-client base: educational, relational, never salesy.
• Maintain a reactivation pipeline of dormant clients with aging websites and untapped potential.
• Attend in-person networking events on behalf of Durkan Group to generate leads and build relationships. Wherever you are based, this is part of the role.
• Keep our CRM and pipeline tracker accurate, current, and noise-free.
• Produce a simple weekly pipeline summary and flag emerging opportunities.
• Help extend our content strategy into new verticals by identifying gaps and coordinating with the creative team.
• Represent Durkan Group professionally in every written and verbal communication.

What We'd Like to See

• 1–2 years of experience in a business development, sales development, or growth role; agency experience is a plus but not required.
• AI-native - you already use tools like Claude, ChatGPT, or similar in your day-to-day work and you know how to use them to produce better output, not just faster output. You put effort and thought into what you feed AI and reviewing what is produced.
• A strong, clear writer - you can craft an email that sounds like a human being wrote it with intention, not a template a robot generated.
• CRM fluency - you have worked in a CRM and you understand why clean data matters.
• LinkedIn savvy - you understand the difference between a connection request and a warm outreach, and you know how to use the platform to start real conversations.
• Organized and systematic - you think in processes and cadences, not one-off tasks.
• Personable enough to hold a conversation with a PE managing partner or a university VP and not seem out of place.

Nice to Haves

• Philadelphia/tri-state area based — this is our origin and our community, and while location is not a requirement, it is a preference.
• Experience working with or for financial services or higher education clients.
• Familiarity with Google Analytics and content performance reporting.
• Understanding of SEO basics and how content drives inbound leads.
• Experience coordinating between sales and creative or marketing teams.

Who You Are

You are scrappy. You figure things out without needing to be told exactly how. You take ownership of your lanes and communicate proactively when something is off. You see a gap and you fill it. You want to be part of a small team doing serious work. You are not looking for a role where you can coast. You are looking for a role where what you do actually matters. You understand that making experiences matter is not a tagline. It is how we operate every day.

Compensation & Structure

• Base salary: $55,000–$60,000, commensurate with experience.
• Contract-to-hire: This role begins as a six-month contract with the clear intention of bringing the right person on full time.
• Performance-based commission on new project revenue and new retainer clients you directly bring in.
• Employer-matched 401k upon conversion to full time.
• Fully remote - work from wherever you do your best work, within EST hours.
• Weekly team building activities.
• A tight-knit, low-ego team that genuinely enjoys working together.

Ready to Apply?

Send your resume and a cover letter to work@durkangroup.com. In your cover letter, tell us what 'make experiences matter' means to you and how it would show up in your day-to-day work in this role. We read every application. We respond to everyone we interview.

Key skills/competency

• Business Development Operator
• Lead Generation
• Outbound Strategy
• CRM Management
• AI Tools
• Client Communication
• Sales Systems
• Networking
• Content Strategy
• Remote Work