Rise Modular is seeking a Vice President of Business Development to design, lead, and institutionalize our go-to-market strategy as we scale a permanent modular construction platform. This is not a traditional sales leadership role. It is a senior, systems-oriented leadership position responsible for ensuring Rise consistently pursues and delivers the right projects, in the right markets, with the right partners.
The VP of Business Development will own business development strategy, process, and people — balancing growth with discipline, opportunity with execution reality, and near-term backlog with long-term factory health.
This role can be based in MN or CO.
Core Responsibilities
Strategy & Market Focus
- Own and continuously refine Rise’s business development strategy in alignment with executive leadership and the board
- Translate product / market fit analysis into clear BD priorities by segment and geography
- Define, enforce, and evolve go / no-go criteria for project pursuits
- Ensure BD activity aligns with factory capacity, margin targets, and execution risk tolerance
- Design and maintain a repeatable BD operating model from lead sourcing through contract execution
- Establish clear stage gates, decision rights, and kill points
- Prevent ad-hoc or opportunistic deal pursuit
- Serve as the primary escalation point for pursuit decisions and pricing exceptions
- Hire, onboard, and lead the business development organization, including sales reps, sales analyst, and cost estimator
- Define success metrics focused on decision quality and backlog quality, not just pipeline volume
- Build a culture where saying “no” to the wrong work is expected and rewarded
- Personally manage Tier-1 developer relationships and strategic accounts
- Lead complex negotiations with developers, owners, and partners
- Represent Rise credibly with developers, general contractors, architects, lenders, and capital partners
- Build senior-level relationships across the development and construction ecosystem
- Identify and cultivate preferred GC, A&E, and capital partners by market
- Use ecosystem insight to inform market entry, pricing strategy, and product focus
We are open to multiple strong background paths. What matters most is judgment, credibility, and system-building ability.
Required
- 10+ years of experience in one or more of the following:
- Business development leadership
- Real estate development
- Pre-construction or construction leadership
- Proven experience with complex, irreversible projects (e.g., real estate development, construction, infrastructure, hard tech)
- Demonstrated ability to design and scale sales or development processes — not just execute within them
- Strong developer-facing credibility and comfort operating at the executive level
- Clear ability to say “no” to bad opportunities
- Senior business development or pre-construction leader at a mid-size general contractor
- Leadership role at an innovative construction, off-site, or hard-tech company
- Experienced real estate developer who has:
- Taken projects from concept through delivery
- Worked directly with GCs, architects, lenders, and equity partners
- Evaluated delivery methods, risk, and capital tradeoffs
- Pure SaaS or transactional sales backgrounds
- RFP-driven, volume-at-all-costs sales leaders
- Candidates whose primary sales lever is customization rather than discipline
- Candidates uncomfortable pushing back on owners, investors, or internal teams
- High quality, repeatable backlogs
- Clear market and segment focus
- Targeted pursuits with high level rates of close
- Strong alignment between BD, operations, and factory capacity
- A disciplined, scalable BD organization that does not rely on heroics
- Opportunity to build the BD engine for a growing modular platform, not inherit a broken one
- Board-aligned mandate to prioritize quality over volume
- Ability to shape how modular construction is adopted by sophisticated developers
- Real influence over strategy, markets, and long-term growth
Above all else, our team members should have a positive attitude and be flexible as to job responsibilities. We have a collaborative, team focused, and fast-paced environment and welcome team members who are interested in working for a progressive and innovative organization.
For additional information about Rise Modular, please visit our website at www.risemodular.com
We thank all applicants for their interest, however only those selected for an interview will be contacted.
Rise Modular is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status or any other status protected under local, state or federal laws.
Rise does not sponsor individuals for employment in the United States.
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What We Do
Rise Modular is a Minneapolis, MN based startup volumetric modular manufacturer and design build firm focused on the multi-family and hospitality markets in the Midwest. Founded in 2018, the company is backed by Lake Harriet Capital, a Minneapolis based family office investment firm, and its real estate development and investment arm, Lake Harriet Development. Rise Modular's mission is to revolutionize the traditional stick-built construction process by providing faster, innovative, more affordable, higher quality, safer, and more environmentally friendly commercial construction methods. The company is led by entrepreneurs, developers, and modular industry veterans.
