Business Development Manager

Spherion WI & Northern IL is looking for a Business Development Manager to drive new client partnerships across Northern Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. This role is focused on business development and market expansion. You will spend the majority of your time identifying opportunities, initiating outreach, and building relationships with companies that could benefit from our staffing and recruiting solutions.

You'll be based out of our Rockford, IL office, working closely with a tenured recruiting team that delivers across multiple service lines, allowing you to focus on building relationships and opening opportunities while our team helps deliver results for clients. Success in this role requires energy, persistence, curiosity about how businesses operate, and the ability to confidently engage with decision-makers across a variety of industries.

For someone who enjoys opening doors, making connections, and building long-term partnerships, this is an opportunity to own a market and build a meaningful book of business within a growing organization.

Role highlights

• Competitive salary + commission plan
• Ownership of a territory with significant growth potential
• Opportunity to play a key role in an expanding regional company
• Established brand with 35+ year reputation in the region

What You'll Do

• Prospect and engage companies through cold outreach, networking, referrals, and in-person visits
• Build relationships with HR leaders, department heads, and business owners to uncover hiring challenges
• Generate new client partnerships by introducing Spherion's staffing and workforce solutions
• Execute a proven sales model to identify opportunities and grow market presence
• Own the full sales cycle, from initial outreach through contract execution
• Develop and maintain a healthy pipeline of opportunities through consistent activity and follow-up
• Build visibility in the local business community through events, industry groups, and networking
• Partner with internal recruiting teams to deliver strong outcomes for new clients
• Maintain accurate records of outreach, meetings, and opportunities within CRM systems
• Stay informed on local workforce trends and employer hiring needs

What We're Looking For

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent work experience
• Experience in the staffing and recruiting industry strongly preferred, recruiters ready to move into sales are encouraged to apply
• 2+ years of experience in recruiting, business development, or B2B sales
• Comfortable initiating conversations and building relationships from scratch
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence hiring leaders
• Resourceful, organized, and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Competitive, persistent, and motivated by building new partnerships
• Authorization to work in the United States without sponsorship

Compensation & Benefits

The salary range for this position is $65,000 - $85,000 annually, based on experience and qualifications. In addition, you will be eligible for a competitive commission structure, with earning potential tied to your performance. Details will be shared during the interview process.

Our comprehensive benefits package includes: Health, Vision, Dental, Short-Term Disability, Long-Term Disability, Life Insurance, Health Care FSA, Dependent Care FSA, 401K (including company contribution), Parental Leave, Competitive PTO & Holiday Package.

#SPH1003

Spherion has helped thousands of people just like you find work happiness! Our experienced staff will listen carefully to your employment needs and then work diligently to match your skills and qualifications to the right job and company. Whether you're looking for temporary, temp-to-perm or direct hire opportunities, no one works harder for you than Spherion.

Equal Opportunity Employer: Race, Color, Religion, Sex, Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, National Origin, Age, Genetic Information, Disability, Protected Veteran Status, or any other legally protected group status.

At Spherion, we welcome people of all abilities and want to ensure that our hiring and interview process meets the needs of all applicants. If you require a reasonable accommodation to make your application or interview experience a great one, please contact [email protected].

Pay offered to a successful candidate will be based on several factors including the candidate's education, work experience, work location, specific job duties, certifications, etc. In addition, Spherion offers a comprehensive benefits package, including: medical, prescription, dental, vision, AD&D, and life insurance offerings, short-term disability, and a 401K plan (all benefits are based on eligibility).