Director of Business Lending Outreach & Pipeline Development

OverviewThe Employee Ownership Expansion Network (EOX) is a nonprofit organization incorporated in 2018. EOX’s mission is to expand employee ownership in the United States by establishing and supporting a network of independent nonprofit State Centers for Employee Ownership (State Centers). We see employee ownership as a critical tool to creating wealth and income equity, increasing community wealth, and fostering a more vibrant, participatory economy. State Centers serve as the central hub for resources on employee-ownership for businesses in their state. Their primary mission is to educate business owners, their advisors (lawyers, bankers, accountants, wealth advisors), and community leaders on the social and business benefits of employee ownership. Our overarching goal is to substantially increase the number of employees who own shares of stock in the company where they work. EOX’s current budget is approaching $2 million. EOX is a small and nimble organization with a collaborative leadership model.Position OverviewThe National Director of Business Lending Outreach & Pipeline Development is a newly created, front-line role at EOX focused on proactively identifying legacy business owners and initiating direct outreach to introduce employee ownership as a viable succession option. This position sits at the very front of the employee ownership pipeline and is designed to materially accelerate deal flow by ensuring that more business owners learn about employee ownership early in their transition planning process.The role blends outbound sales, consultative intake, field representation, and ecosystem coordination. The National Director will conduct direct outreach to business owners, hold initial discovery and intake calls, represent EOX at business and trade association conferences nationwide, and coordinate closely with State Center directors and staff to advance qualified leads. In addition, this position will assume liaison and advisory responsibilities for a small subset of State Centers and their boards, a function currently handled by the EOX Executive Director.This is a fully remote position with significant national travel required.Responsibilities Business Owner Outreach and Lead GenerationIdentify and source legacy business owners through data downloads from multiple internal and external sources.Utilize EOX’s proprietary dashboard to segment, prioritize, and manage outreach efforts.Conduct high-volume, high-quality cold calling and follow-up outreach to business owners regarding succession planning.Introduce employee ownership models clearly and credibly, positioning them alongside other succession options.Intake, Qualification, and Deal AdvancementConduct intake and discovery calls with business owners, independently and in coordination with State Center directors and staff.Assess business readiness, owner goals, and potential fit for employee ownership transitions.Document all interactions, outcomes, and next steps in EOX’s CRM system.Hand off qualified leads to appropriate State Centers, intermediaries, lenders, or advisors.Conferences, Speaking, and Field RepresentationAttend, exhibit, and speak at business, industry, and trade association conferences nationwide.Represent EOX and the State Center Network to business owners, professional advisors, lenders, and economic development stakeholders.Build relationships with association leaders and identify opportunities for ongoing outreach and pipeline development.State Center Liaison and Advisory SupportServe as EOX’s primary liaison to two to three designated State Centers and their board members.Support State Center directors with lead flow, outreach strategy, and coordination with national partners.Provide feedback to EOX leadership on pipeline trends, geographic gaps, and emerging opportunities.Systems, Reporting, and Continuous ImprovementMaintain accurate and timely CRM records to track outreach activity, conversion rates, and outcomes.Collaborate with EOX staff to refine data sources, dashboards, messaging, scripts, and intake processes.Contribute to the development of scalable outreach, sales, and conference engagement playbooks that can be replicated across the network.GeneralParticipates in team and network meetingsServes as an internal resource for State Centers as capacity allowsOther duties as assigned by Executive DirectorQualifications and ExperienceDemonstrated experience in employee ownership transactions (ESOPs, EOTs, cooperatives), bank lending, commercial finance, transaction advisory, or a closely related field (required)Strong background in business-to-business sales, including substantial experience with cold calling and outbound lead generation (required)Comfort engaging directly with business owners on sensitive topics such as succession, exit planning, and financial decision-making (required)Experience using CRMs and data-driven sales or outreach tools (required)Willingness and ability to travel extensively for conferences, meetings, and State Center engagement (required)Experience working with or alongside State Centers for Employee Ownership, Small Business Development Centers, or similar intermediariesFamiliarity with small and mid-sized business financial statements, valuation concepts, and capital structures.Prior experience in consultative, advisory, or mission-driven sales environmentsRelationship building and trust-based salesClear, persuasive verbal and written communicationPublic speaking and conference presenceStrategic thinking paired with execution disciplineHigh attention to detail and follow-throughComfort operating in ambiguity and building new systemsCommitment to social and economic equityAbility to work collaboratively among diverse stakeholder groupsHigh degree of familiarity and ability to work independently with Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite, Canva, Hootsuite, Mailchimp, Donor management platforms, and social media platformsComfortable working in a virtual environment across multiple time zonesHigh personal standard of ethics and accountabilityCommitment to continuous learning and personal mastery of new skills/knowledgeDemonstrated ability to successfully work independentlyEntrepreneurialMission driven with high expectations for the quality of service providedCompensation and BenefitsStatus: Full-time (40 hours per week) salaried status.Travel: Significant national travel required. 50 to 60 percent of time spent traveling for conferences, convenings, and meetings with State Centers and partners.Hours: 40 hours per weekCompensation - $75,000 - $80,000 annually, plus an incentive-based bonus structure tied to pipeline development and business owner engagement outcomesUnlimited PTOComprehensive health benefit package401(k) Plan with 4% employer matchPhone stipendPreferred location: fully remote, preference to DC/Maryland/Northern VA area if possibleEmployee Ownership Expansion Network is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and establishing an inclusive and diverse workforce. Our workforce comes from a variety of different backgrounds, and we pride ourselves on hiring team members that have a commitment to social and economic equity. If you share our beliefs, please contact us today to talk about joining our team.