Client Development Manager

CLIENT DEVELOPMENT MANAGER – DIRECT ACCOUNTS

Job Type: Full-time

Location: Washington, DC/Maryland/Northern Virginia preferred. Open to qualified candidates elsewhere in the United States who work Eastern or Central Time hours

DC-area employees should be able to work from ARK's Reston, Virginia office approximately once weekly. Remote employees must be available for client meetings, conferences, and periodic travel.

ABOUT ARK SOLUTIONS

ARK Solutions, Inc. is a nationally recognized workforce solutions company supporting public- and private-sector organizations across the United States. We provide contingent staffing, direct-hire recruitment, consulting, Employer of Record, and other workforce solutions. Recognized as a Top Workplace by The Washington Post and Bullhorn in 2025, ARK combines relationship-driven service with research, technology, marketing, recruiting, and operational support.

THE OPPORTUNITY

ARK is seeking a relationship-driven new-business professional to develop direct client relationships within a defined portfolio of target companies.

These are organizations where ARK can engage directly with hiring managers, HR, Talent Acquisition, Procurement, DEI, IT, and business leaders without working through an MSP.

This is a hands-on business development role. You will make calls, initiate conversations, follow up consistently, uncover hiring needs, secure meetings, develop opportunities, and guide relationships from initial outreach through signed agreement and first engagement.

You will not begin with a blank list. ARK's Sales Support and Marketing teams identify target companies, research stakeholders, prepare account intelligence, develop personas, and build campaigns. Your responsibility is to turn that preparation into trusted relationships and revenue.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Proactively call and engage hiring managers, HR, Talent Acquisition, Procurement, DEI, IT, and other business leaders within assigned target accounts.
• Use phone, LinkedIn, email, referrals, networking, conferences, and in-person meetings to open new relationships.
• Work account-by-account, using research and stakeholder maps prepared by Sales Support.
• Identify immediate hiring needs that can provide ARK with an initial entry point into an organization.
• Build relationships with hiring managers while simultaneously working upward toward HR and Procurement and across additional business units.
• Conduct discovery conversations to understand hiring challenges, supplier processes, decision-makers, budgets, timelines, and current vendor relationships.
• Position ARK's staffing, direct-hire, consulting, EOR, and workforce solutions according to the client's needs.
• Own opportunities from first conversation through qualification, proposal, negotiation, signed agreement, and initial requisition.
• Partner closely with Sales Support, Marketing, Recruiting, Delivery, Consultant Care, and leadership.
• Maintain disciplined follow-up and accurate account, contact, activity, opportunity, and next-step information in JobDiva.
• Remain involved after the initial win to strengthen the relationship and expand ARK across the organization.
• Accept coaching, follow the established sales process, and remain accountable for both activity and results.

WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR

Required

• Demonstrated success opening new client relationships through personal prospecting.
• Confidence making outbound calls and engaging senior professionals who do not already know you.
• Strong relationship-building, listening, written communication, and verbal communication skills.
• Evidence of persistence, self-motivation, follow-through, and comfort handling rejection.
• Ability to work independently while following a defined process and collaborating with a cross-functional team.
• Discipline in maintaining CRM data, follow-up dates, account notes, and pipeline visibility.
• Ability to discuss measurable performance, including calls, meetings, opportunities, placements, revenue, or gross profit.

Strongly preferred

• Experience as a 360-degree/full-desk recruiter responsible for both client development and candidate delivery.
• Experience in staffing, executive search, professional services, consulting, or workforce solutions.
• Experience opening direct-client accounts rather than only supporting MSP/VMS programs.
• Experience negotiating staffing agreements, placement terms, or professional-services contracts.
• Experience building relationships with hiring managers, HR, Talent Acquisition, Procurement, and business leadership.