Business Development Strategist

Taoti is looking for a Business Development Strategist

This is a full-time role based out of our Washington, DC office.  That said, we're all remote right now (while our new Capitol Hill offices are under construction.)  When we 'come back' (probably in June), the expectation will likely be for most people to be in our office roughly half-time.  Lots of flexibility, as we're looking to embrace a hybrid office/anywhere type of work lifestyle.  But really, we do need you to be within about 45 minutes of the DC office, as coming into the office and/or meeting with clients will be a big part of the gig. If you are not local to DC, please don't apply, as you won't be considered (unless you plan to move here, in which case, you'll want to mention that somewhere in your application.) 

Now, about the Job...

It’s one thing to have brilliant ideas and technical knowledge to put together a solution for a client.  But it’s another thing to be able to write it and articulate it in a clear, concise, and compelling fashion.  That’s your job: to be a driving force behind coming up with winning themes and ideas and then translating them into proposals and pitches.  Our business development process is extremely collaborative, so it’s not like we throw an RFP at you, lock you in a dark room, and say, “here, write a response to this.”  As our opportunities come in, our team evaluates, qualifies, and strategizes them.  As a team, we decide which opportunities to pursue and what our big ideas are. That’s where you step up. You borrow bits from old proposals, take ideas from our team, add in your own two cents, and set out to write the world’s best proposal that will get us in the room with the client (metaphorically speaking) to win the work.   

Let’s be clear: this is a business development role, so you should be comfortable with the idea that you build relationships with clients to increase revenue.  And within the team, a lot of your time will be spent writing and putting together proposals and other client communication.  But it’s not your job to go find leads or be the leading voice in pitch meetings (though if you want to do that stuff, there’s a chance to do it).  

We think a part of being a good proposal writer is getting inside the head of the client. You will need to have calls with them to determine if we are the right fit and to identify what needs they have. You will also need to research them to understand how to connect their needs to what we propose, creating a proposal that emotionally connects with the client.  

And no, this is not a commissioned position (Taoti doesn't actually have any commissioned positions). Everyone works on a fixed salary here. 

What We’re looking for

• You write unbelievably well.  
• You have 3 - 5 years of proposal writing experience in the world of web development, strategic communications, marketing, etc. 
• You eat 80-page RFPs for breakfast. 
• You WANT to write proposals.  It’s not a chore.  Not something you have to do as punishment.  Not something you do when you run out of other things.    
• You are organized. 
• You can handle the pressure & pace of working in a creative agency. 
• You have a demeanor that projects confidence and credibility.
• You’re not afraid to let some personality show through your writing and know how much is the right amount of ‘edgy.’  
• You know Word inside and out.  You’d never dare individually format a heading without applying a style.  You know how to create dynamic TOCs.  You could teach Clippy a thing or three.  
• While you may not be an artist, you know how to make a fine-lookin’ document. 
• You’re collaborative.  You’re not afraid to get out of your chair and go ask a dev about why a client would want SOLR and how you should position it in the proposal.  
• You can work directly with clients to refine and revise proposals, scopes, and other documents. 

Responsibilities

• Review RFPs to determine if we are the right fit.
• Qualify opportunities by setting and leading calls with the client to discuss their needs.
• Write engaging proposals that separate Taoti from other agencies.
• Work with other members of the agency to price out and create winning engagement approaches.
• Develop winning strategies for client pitches, build reports with the client, and prepare the internal team for success
• Negotiate contracts with the client
• Support other members in the agency to help them drive revenue with existing clients and prospects.

Is there room for career growth?

That’s one of the best parts about this role, specifically at Taoti.  In a larger shop, the creative hierarchy is usually large, layered, and not-so-flexible.  Or at a smaller shop, you may have lots of flexibility, but not enough of a team to really benefit from true collaboration.  Taoti is the Goldilocks of creative agencies.  We have enough clout to let you do top-tier work while being small enough to allow for the flexibility for you to carve out your niche and grow in a way that makes sense for you. So, your career trajectory has far more to do with your own aptitude and initiative than it does with an org chart.

What’s the corporate culture like?

“Fun but focused,” as one Taoti put it, is a great way to sum up our culture.  We’re a fun and casual shop.  The kind of place where you can wear whatever, come and go as you please, and have autonomy over your own day for the most part.  But we take the work seriously and believe deep in the mission to make meaningful and measurable impacts for our clients.  All the perks and shenanigans and borderline irreverent tone are fun, but to really fit in here, you need to be about the work. 

We believe in something we call our “QIST Culture.”  Quality.  Innovation.  Service.  And Teamwork.  We are always striving to improve these four areas (to the extent that we have a fund of a quarter million dollars per year that anyone can spend from in the interest of going above and beyond towards any of these four values.   

We also believe in total transparency and open communication across teams and across ranks. Instead of chain-of-command, we want everyone to have and share their own voice. Every other Thursday, the CEO holds ‘CafeClutch’ just so he can hear ideas and feedback directly from the team instead of through the filter of management. 

Want to see what life at Taoti looks like?  Check out our Instagram or ‘about us’ video.  There’s even a 360 tour of the office.

What about benefits?

• 3 weeks PTO for starters.  You gain more with tenure.  And if you’re really big in to PTO, you can even trade back some salary for more.
• A hybrid work environment (in ~June when our fancy new office is ready!) with roughly half time in office, half time remote.  
• 100% company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance.  (50% for qualifying dependents.)  And we have good insurance.
• Paid family leave for men and women (including PTO plus short and long term disability options.)
• 3% retirement plan matching (plus access to a financial advisor). 
• Home buyer help (including a $1200 closing credit)
• Mobile phone reimbursement
• You can opt for a company-supplied PC or Mac laptop.  Or if you want to use your own, we’ll reimburse you for it.
• Charitable contribution matching
• Tax-free metro benefits
• A sincere respect for work/life balance
• Money and time off allocated for professional development (also increases with tenure)
• A diverse team hailing from over 15 countries last time we checked
• A very hip/cool/funky/quirky office space on Barracks Row, in the heart of Capitol Hill.  Just 2 blocks from the metro!  
• Annual global retreat (where we bring the whole team together for fun, games, and teamwork)
• Of course, the above is a quick list.  See the handbook for all the gory details.

A bit more about Taoti…

Established in 1996, Taoti Creative is an independent, full-service creative agency located on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.  We are privately owned and have no corporate overloads.)  We do stuff like web development, social media management, branding, experiential marketing, video, AR/VR, etc.  Our mission is to ‘move the needle’ for our clients.  We leverage technology, creativity, and innovation to generate meaningful and measurable results for our clients—that’s what drives us.  Speaking of clients, they’re about 60% non-profits, 20% commercial, and 20% federal government.  Some of our customers include World Bank, USAID, DC Water, Discovery Education, American Chemical Society, Jane Goodall Foundation, and dozens of ‘National Association of _____________,’ etc.  The best way to talk about our work is to simply show it to you: https://taoti.com/our-work/.  Our full time team of about 70 employees is about 65% in-house and 35% remote.  We hail from over 15 countries.  And for the last four years in a row, we’ve made the Inc5000 list of fastest growing companies in the United States.  There’s of course plenty of additional information on our website.  If you’ve not done so already, be sure to check out our culture video: https://vimeo.com/289302105.  Or if you’re feeling virtual, here’s guided tour of the office in 360 video! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7KkzdmSGTM (Warning: not suitable for printers.)

Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion...

Great ideas happen when diverse perspectives come together.  Those perspectives are Taoti’s secret sauce. So building a diverse team and culture where everyone has a voice and is included in the process is not just the right thing to do.  It’s good for business.  We’d love your own perspective to add to our mix!  We're eager for new, diverse voices to join the team and sincerely hope people from every walk of life will apply! 

Next steps…

If you’re qualified and interested, please apply on our website (www.taoti.com/careers.)  Please note that these job ads often get placed onto other websites with their own application systems (we’re looking at you Jooble!)  And some sites (looking at you Indeed!) have made up random salary ranges (Indeed!)  So please be sure you're applying on our website.   

Pretty please, no recruiters.