The Culinary Institute of America · 8 hours ago
Business Development Manager
Napa, California, United States
Full-time
Onsite
Mid, Senior Level
$85K/yr - $85K/yr
5+ years expThe Culinary Institute of America is a leading organization in the culinary education sector, and they are seeking a Business Development Manager to lead end-to-end business development efforts. This role focuses on generating new business opportunities and building strong external relationships to drive revenue growth in the Special Event and Food Enthusiast segments.
CookingEducationNon Profit
Responsibilities
Develops and executes an annual outbound sales strategy to achieve forecasted revenue and new business targets while delivering a high level of customer service
Proactively identifies, prospects, and secures new Special Event and Food Enthusiast business opportunities through in-person sales calls, site visits, networking, community engagement, and regional travel
Serves as the primary point of contact for all inbound food enthusiast leads, ensuring timely follow-up, qualification, nurturing, and conversion into confirmed business
Works closely with Food Enthusiast Manager and the CIA Consulting team to ensure converted Food Enthusiast leads are successfully executed
Builds and maintains strong relationships with corporate clients, culinary organizations, destination partners, community groups, and regional stakeholders
Identifies emerging markets, new audience segments, and partnership opportunities to support long-term growth
Participates in the development of new products, experiences, and sales initiatives targeted to external clients
Ensures consistent communication of standard rates, packages, and promotional offerings to prospective clients
Demonstrates accountability for achieving measurable results, including revenue growth, lead conversion, and customer acquisition
Develops annual performance goals and works with sales team to create goals to enhance customer satisfaction and overall financial performance
Collaborates with the sales team on the development of all Events Sales materials and regularly reviews materials to ensure the quality exemplifies the CIA’s standard of excellence
Schedules and conducts site visits for prospective clients
Efficiently and effectively qualifies event leads, including event date(s), space requirements, Food and Beverage and other service or support requirements
Oversees the preparation of event proposals proactively and timely to best match client expectations, department capabilities, and established margins
Coordinates space bookings for all events at Greystone and Copia
Provides financial reporting, including periodic sales reports, forecasting and analysis
Works with the Senior Director Food and Beverage-CA all financial planning matters that affect events
Provides analysis of actual results, including recommendations for improvements and maximization of margins
Maintains accurate and up-to-date records of all sales activity, pipeline status, and client interactions
Participates in the development of new products and services
Coordinates with internal public relations and marketing departments to promote events products and services by developing social media strategy, printed/electronic sales brochures, and maintenance of web presence
Represents the organization in the field at industry events, local, regional, and national trade shows, networking functions, and community activities to expand brand awareness and sales reach while maintaining membership in key associations in the local area
Prepares and executes plans for identifying new markets and clients for events
Coordinates with the Executive Chef on menu planning functions and events
Works closely with the Senior Director Food and Beverage Operations on costing of events and defining food and labor costs in order to maintain established margins
Ensures the clear communication of standard and discount rates to all teams
Works with the Senior Director Food and Beverage departmental financial requirements, including forecasting, budgeting, and expense management
Works with event execution team to ensure that all events are properly staffed and supervised
Coordinates with other key departments in marketing strategies, cross-marketing of services/products and cost reduction through combined purchases
Coordinates with other key departments at Greystone, including safety, security, facilities, food and beverage operations, events and the demo theater to ensure a seamless guest experience at the campus
Any and all other duties as assigned
Qualification
Required
Bachelor's Degree in Hospitality Management, Culinary or Tourism or equivalent work experience in lieu thereof
Minimum five (5) years of experience in sales, business development, events or related customer-facing roles
Minimum three (3) years in outbound or field-based sales or demonstrated equivalent level of success in generating new business
Must have valid Drivers license
Excellent written, verbal communication, and presentation skills with the ability to influence and build rapport with diverse audiences
Must have demonstrated ability in organizational, time management, problem solving and interpersonal skills
Strong prospecting, negotiation, and closing skills with a results-driven mindset
Excellent event management skills
Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities, leads, and accounts simultaneously
Demonstrated ability to show a high level of service responsiveness to customers
Strong knowledge of computers including abilities to work effectively with MS Office Suite products, i.e. Word and Excel
Strong analytical, problem-solving and conceptual skills
Must have a proven, consistent track record showing the ability to work with all levels within an organization
Must display a high level of energy, initiative, self-motivation, and accountability
Ability to work independently in the field or in a team environment and maintain collaborative relationships with all members of the team
Broad business savvy, with a solid grasp of financial and operating goals
Must have a track record of achieving measurable success for meeting objectives, managing costs and achieving change
Analytical skills with the ability to interpret sales data, pipeline metrics, and forecasts
Strong computer proficiency, including MS Office Suite and CRM platforms
Professional presence and ability to serve as a trusted brand representative
Must be available to work nights and weekends as required due to business needs
Must be able to work at both CIA California campuses
Must be able to travel locally and regionally for outbound sales activities
Regular work requires a great deal of sitting, driving, standing, and lifting
Must be able to stand for eight (8) hours
Ability to lift and carry up to twenty-five (25) pounds
Preferred
Experience in hospitality, food and beverage, events, or consumer experiential sales strongly preferred
Familiarity with a variety of food, beverage and service styles and/or programs suitable for corporate, social and charitable events
Working knowledge of Catering Software, such as Triple Seat
Proven experience managing both outbound prospecting and inbound lead conversion
Experience selling to corporate clients, or regional tourism and destination markets
Benefits
Medical coverage available at no cost to qualifying employees
Dental insurance
Vision insurance
Life insurance
Short and long term disability insurance
Retirement savings plan with high employer contributions
A generous paid time off program
Company
The Culinary Institute of America
As the thought leader for the food world, the CIA develops and delivers vital initiatives through strong partnerships with education and industry leaders such as Harvard, Stanford, MIT, Marriott, Compass Group, and Hestan.
501-1000 employees
Funding
Current Stage
Late StageLeadership Team
Dan Vinh
Vice-President/CMO Marketing & Communications
Debbie Ashbaugh
Human Resources Business Partner
Recent News
2025-10-21
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