Business Development Manager, Specialty Transportation

At HopSkipDrive, our goal is to create opportunity for all through mobility. 

We’re a technology company that solves complex transportation challenges where there is a heightened need for safety, equity, and care. Through our marketplace, we connect kids, older adults, or anyone needing extra support to highly-vetted caregivers on wheels. Through our software and advisory services, we solve the biggest transportation challenges facing schools and school districts around the country. 

Founded by three moms as a solution to their own transportation challenges, we’ve now facilitated more than 3.3 million rides and operate across over 13 states across the country. We continue to expand at a rapid pace, making the Inc. 5000 list four times, as well as the Deloitte 500 Fast-Growing Technology list. HopSkipDrive is a Series D company and has raised $100M in funding to date.

The Role

As the Business Development Manager for Specialty Transportation at HopSkipDrive, you will report directly to the Director of Specialty Transportation.  You will play a pivotal role in establishing a new category for our business, specifically focused on refining our partnership strategy and successfully executing this strategy.

Every day, school districts arrange transportation for hundreds of thousands of students who require highly specialized vehicles, equipment, or supports. This includes students with disabilities needing wheelchair lift-equipped vehicles, those requiring safety vests or an additional adult, early childhood students needing car seats, and other students more efficiently served by 6-12 passenger vans. In this role, you will be instrumental in developing our ability to support all of these use cases in the future.

You will be primarily responsible for building our network of transportation provider partners from the ground up – an essential component to the success of the business and our ability to support the full scope of our clients’ needs. You will ensure that the extraordinary level of safety, reliability, and service our clients have come to expect from HopSkipDrive is consistently delivered, even as we expand to support their most complex needs.

 

What you’ll do

Strategic Business Development

• Identify, evaluate, and prioritize new business opportunities across transportation providers of varying  sizes and scales
• Develop and deliver compelling pitches that clearly communicate the value and benefits of partnering with HopSkipDrive in order to secure new, high-quality partnerships and expand existing ones
• Lead negotiations and manage the contracting process, in close coordination with Legal, for new and existing partners, ensuring alignment with business goals and operational capabilities

Partnership Management

• Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with a diverse network of third-party transportation providers
• Serve as the primary connection point between the business and external partners
• Establish and maintain clear performance metrics for partners, including reviewing with partners, providing feedback and coaching, and offboarding partners when necessary
• Identify and capitalize on opportunities to expand existing partnerships to support evolving business needs

Partner Strategy Development

• In collaboration with the Director of Specialty Transportation, develop and refine the overarching partnership strategy for the business unit
• Work closely with cross-functional leaders across the organization to gather input and ensure alignment with broader business objectives
• Translate market insights and strategic direction from external partners to help shape overall strategic planning and inform decision-making

Market Research and Analysis

• Conduct detailed market analyses to understand trends, identify market opportunities, and assess competitive positioning
• Utilize insights from market research to inform strategic decisions and partnership opportunities

 

Who you are:

Entrepreneurial

• Comfort with ambiguity and a bias towards action; doesn’t need to be handed a playbook to win the game – independent and self-starting   
• Innovative and strategic thinker who views challenges from various perspectives and generates new ideas quickly, yet remains grounded in reality
• Resilient and persistent, always ready to explore alternative strategies and opportunities when faced with obstacles
• No problem too big, no task too small; equally capable of handling everything from cold calling potential providers to strategic discussions with senior stakeholders