Director, Business Development - State Government

Director, Business Development - State Government

Req number: R7656

Employment type: Full time

Worksite flexibility: Remote

Who we are

CAI is a global services firm with over 9,000 associates worldwide and a yearly revenue of $1.3 billion+. We have over 40 years of excellence in uniting talent and technology to power the possible for our clients, colleagues, and communities. As a privately held company, we have the freedom and focus to do what is right—whatever it takes. Our tailor-made solutions create lasting results across the public and commercial sectors, and we are trailblazers in bringing neurodiversity to the enterprise.

Job Summary

We are looking for a motivated Director, Business Development – State Government ready to take us to the next level! If you have experience in sales within public sector and are looking for your next career move, apply now.

Job Description

The Director, Business Development – State Government will lead growth strategy and capture across CAI's State Government division. Reporting to the Vice President, Public Sector, this role drives how we identify, pursue, and win work with state agencies, higher education institutions, and related public sector clients.

The work spans the full opportunity lifecycle — market analysis, pipeline development, client engagement, capture planning, and proposal leadership through award. Pre-sales activity is central to the role: the Director will drive client outreach and meetings, working to shape RFPs and realign CAI's offerings to market demand. The Director will plan and direct CAI's responses to RFPs, working with CAI's Enterprise Solutions Center and our account leadership to put strong proposals on the table.

This position is full-time and remote (ideally in EST or CST), with approximately 15–20% travel for client meetings, conferences, and occasional in-person sessions with the leadership team.

What You'll Do Market & Competitive Intelligence

• Track state government buying trends, priorities, and federal funding
• Maintain current competitor profiles across State Government practice areas
• Coordinate FOIA requests and analyze responses to sharpen pursuit planning

Growth Strategy & Pipeline

• Develop and execute growth strategy across the State Government portfolio
• Identify and qualify new agency targets aligned to CAI's capabilities
• Build and manage State Government pipeline data, tracking activity and progression
• Use existing contract vehicles and cooperative purchasing agreements (NASPO, Sourcewell, and similar) to expand into new agencies
• Partner with CAI support organizations to vet plans, sharpen targeting, and execute on strategic geographic and vertical pursuits

Marketing & Market Positioning

• Lead conference planning for the division, selecting events, identifying speaking opportunities, and developing pre- and post-event engagement plans
• Partner with CAI Marketing on thought leadership campaigns, website content, and collateral that reflect CAI's capabilities
• Develop capability 2-pagers and success stories that represent CAI in the market.
• Represent CAI at industry events and executive briefings

Client Engagement & Pre-Sales

• Build and maintain relationships with agency stakeholders, IT and procurement leadership, and other decision-makers across target accounts
• Lead client meetings, capability briefings, and discovery sessions; prepare materials and tailor messaging to each conversation
• Develop account maps and stakeholder engagement plans for priority pursuits
• Conduct capture planning ahead of expected solicitations — understanding client priorities, shaping CAI's positioning, and deciding where to invest pre-bid effort

Qualifications & Pre-RFP Readiness

• Maintain a qualifications library and past performance narratives to use in active bids
• Develop reusable proposal templates and solution boilerplate
• Establish an engagement cadence with SMEs to keep qualifications fresh

Bid & Proposal Leadership

• Plan and direct response structure, narrative, and win themes across RFPs, RFQs, RFIs, and task orders
• Oversee bid efforts end-to-end, partnering with CAI's Proposal Development Center on cadence and process, mobilizing SMEs for solution input, and driving pricing strategy
• Refine draft proposal sections as a senior reviewer
• Drive handoff from capture to delivery on award

SME Coordination & Cross-Functional Work

• Build working relationships with CAI's capability and industry SMEs across State Government, including industry verticals (HHS, Transportation, Tolls, Finance, Education) and capabilities (Application Development, Application Managed Services, PMOs, Service Desk / IT Service Management, Cybersecurity, AI Enablement, Cloud)
• Connect with account teams to develop cross-sell opportunities within their territories

What You'll Need

Required:

• 10+ years of progressive experience in State Government professional services consulting, business development, capture management, and proposal leadership
• Strong working knowledge of state government procurement including cooperative contracting (e.g., NASPO, Sourcewell), RFx cycles, and contract negotiation
• Skilled at building and sustaining relationships with agency stakeholders across multi-year sales cycles
• Strong proposal writing, editing, and review skills; comfortable setting direction on narrative, structure, and win themes, and elevating others' writing
• Experience orchestrating cross-functional teams (delivery, technical SMEs, marketing, pricing, legal) under bid deadlines
• Strong strategic, analytical, and problem-solving skills
• Proficiency with Salesforce or a similar CRM, Microsoft Office Suite, and procurement intelligence tools (GovWin, GovSpend, or equivalent)
• Bachelor's degree in technology, business, finance, or a related field

Preferred:

• Existing network of relationships across state agencies, system integrators, and public sector contracting organizations
• Experience selling and/or delivering business and IT consulting services — application development, managed services, PMO, modernization, or similar
• Experience developing strategic pricing models and delivering fixed-price solutions
• Familiarity with State HHS, Transportation, Tolls, and Education verticals

Physical Demands

• Ability to safely and successfully perform the essential job functions
• Sedentary work that involves sitting or remaining stationary most of the time with occasional need to move around the office to attend meetings, etc.
• Ability to conduct repetitive tasks on a computer, utilizing a mouse, keyboard, and monitor

Reasonable accommodation statement

If you require a reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employment selection process, please direct your inquiries to application.accommodations@cai.io or (888) 824 – 8111.

$180,000 - $190,000 per year

The pay range for this position is listed above. Exact compensation may vary based on several factors, including location, experience, and education. Benefit packages include medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as 401k retirement account access. Employees in this role receive paid time off and may also be entitled to paid sick leave and/or other paid time off as provided by applicable law.

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