Contact Person: Tricia Keala

Job Location:
Nature Playscapes
6338 Lovers Lane
Portage MI 49002

Job Description:

The Opportunity

This is a rare opportunity to join a growing company in a pivotal, ground-floor role and help shape our next chapter of growth. As our first dedicated Business Development Manager, you’ll be responsible for building the relationships, opportunities, and project pipeline that drive our success. You’ll identify and cultivate new opportunities, connect with key decision-makers, and develop compelling proposals that transform ideas into built projects. While business development experience is valuable, we’re equally interested in candidates who understand our customers and mission. We’ll provide the training, industry knowledge, and support needed to become an expert in nature play environments, playground safety standards, and our consultative approach to project development.

What You’ll Do

Success in this role comes from identifying opportunities early, cultivating the vision of our clients, and guiding projects from initial concept through proposal and award.

Monitor, identify, and respond to Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from municipalities, school districts, and public agencies. Research where organizations publish opportunities and track capital improvement plans, bond initiatives, and master plans to identify projects before they reach the bidding stage.

Develop and maintain relationships with landscape architects, planners, and other industry partners who regularly encounter nature play opportunities and benefit from our specialized expertise.

Represent Nature Playscapes at industry conferences, trade shows, and networking events. Consistently follow up on leads and cultivate relationships that may take years to develop into projects.

Reconnect with past clients to generate referrals, secure testimonials, and uncover future opportunities.

Collaborate in the visioning, design, and proposal development process for projects ranging from $50,000 to more than $500,000, helping deliver solutions that meet client goals while achieving target profitability.

Establish the foundational systems that support business development, including a comprehensive contact database of Michigan municipalities, school systems, and key stakeholders, along with organized tracking of all active opportunities and pursuits.

What We Are Looking For

We’re interested in hiring someone who understands our customers, industry, and mission and can be taught our sales process rather than someone with extensive sales experience but little connection to our world.

Strong candidates may come from backgrounds such as:

Parks and recreation or conservation professional (municipal, schools, nonprofit, university, or nature center settings, etc.)

Early childhood education, administration, or program leadership

Landscape architecture, planning, construction, or a related design-build field

Beyond industry experience, we’re looking for someone who is:

Detail-oriented and organized. RFP responses frequently range from 40 to 150 pages and require careful review, coordination, and documentation.

Self-motivated and persistent. Our projects typically have sales cycles of 3 to 18 months, requiring consistent follow-through and relationship management.

Comfortable building relationships. You’ll spend significant time meeting with stakeholders, listening to needs, and earning trust over time.

Willing to travel throughout Michigan. Regular client and site visits are expected, along with training and bi-weekly meetings at our Portage headquarters. Hybrid candidates must be able to work independently and effectively remotely.

Driven by performance and growth. This role offers significant uncapped earning potential for someone motivated to create and capture new opportunities.

Closing Date for Job:  09/30/2026