we can offer youAt Frontiers our working model for new roles includes a balanced approach that fosters collaboration through regular engagement at our office hubs in key locations. While we value flexibility we also believe that shared in-person time strengthens team culture trust and productivity.
We provide a range of benefits across our global locations including but not limited to:
4 additional wellbeing days in addition to existing annual leave allowance
Access to learning platforms and dedicated learning & development time
A range of wellbeing initiatives including free online yoga classes and an employee assistance plan
Employees can dedicate three days each year to volunteer
Additional benefits depending on your location (e.g. pension plan and private medical care)
About Frontiers Institutional Partnerships
Our Institutional Partnerships team is at the forefront of the rapidly evolving open access publishing sector enabling Frontiers close collaborations with leading universities funders consortia libraries and other research organisations making it easier for their researchers to publish open access. We are building for scale by transforming our traditional B2C strengths into a dynamic B2B strategy.
The role reports to: Head of Institutional Business Development
Location: London Madrid or Warsaw (hybrid) - work from home 2 days per week
Why Join Us
At Frontiers you will be part of a fast-moving global team committed to transforming scholarly publishing. This role offers the opportunity to work at the cutting edge of open access business models to engage directly with leading academic institutions and to see your work shape the broader research ecosystem.
This is a unique opportunity for a motivated professional to take a hands-on role in building and testing innovative partnership models that drive the global transition to open access.
Innovate with Purpose: Build and lead pilot partnerships that test new institutional models and redefine how universities engage with open access.
Own the Process: From stakeholder engagement and model design to outreach and pilot execution youll manage the full lifecycle of 510 pilots each year turning insights into scalable offerings.
Collaborate Globally: Work cross-functionally while engaging senior stakeholders at top research institutions globally.
What Youll Do
As Business Development Manager you will manage a defined portfolio of institutional business development opportunities and pilot partnerships with academic institutions consortia and funders. You will design launch and evaluate pilot models that test new approaches to institutional engagement in open access publishing.
Working closely with colleagues in Institutional Sales and Account Development Product Finance Legal Data & Analytics External Affairs and Marketing you will ensure pilots and new offerings are customer-focused commercially viable and strategically aligned. You will report to the Head of Institutional Business Development contributing to the innovation pipeline and gaining visibility across senior leadership.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Identifying and engaging institutions for pilot opportunities and developing tailored proposals and business cases.
- Designing and executing stakeholder events workshops focus groups interviews and roundtables to capture market needs and trends.
- Leading outreach and relationship-building with universities consortia and funders.
- Managing pilot programmes end-to-end from set-up through reporting and evaluation and supporting go/no-go decisions for wider rollout.
- Representing Frontiers at international conferences and workshops building long-term strategic relationships with institutional decision-makers.
- Collaborating with Institutional Sales and Account Development to integrate frontline market feedback into innovation projects.
- Acting as the institutional voice internally providing structured feedback into model development.
- Coordinating with cross-functional teams to ensure feasibility customer satisfaction and alignment with policy and strategy.
- Reporting to the Head of Institutional Business Development on outreach activities pilot progress and assigned innovation initiatives.
What success looks like:
- Outreach to around 50 institutional targets per year.
- Launching 510 pilot partnerships annually.
- Delivering clear data-driven reporting on pilot performance and ROI.
- Achieving strong collaboration across internal teams and high partner satisfaction.
- Converting pilot programmes into long-term commercial offerings.
What Were Looking For
We are seeking a collaborative analytical and entrepreneurial professional who thrives in a mission-driven environment.
Requirements:
- Bachelors degree (required); Masters preferred (e.g. Business International Relations or Library/Information Sciences).
- 24 years experience in academic publishing scholarly communications higher education partnerships or a related business development role.
- Demonstrated success in B2B business development sales or strategic partnerships.
- Familiarity with open access publishing models research funding policies or higher education structures.
- Strong skills in business case development project management and data analysis.
- Excellent communication and presentation abilities with confidence engaging senior stakeholders.
- Proficiency in Salesforce CRM Excel and PowerPoint; knowledge of Tableau or Jira is a plus.
Additional Notes
- Travel 1015% (approx. 4 international events/year)
- Global scope with evolving geographic focus
Apply now
Please click the apply button on this page and submit your application in English.
Please inform us if you require any special accommodations to participate fully in our recruitment experience. You can contact us at for any additional support.
Equal opportunity statement
Frontiers actively embraces diversity and is a safe and welcoming workplace. Recruitment is free from discrimination including based on race national or ethnic origin age religion disability sex gender identity or sexual orientation. With employees from more than 50 different nations our diversity creates vibrant teams and constantly challenges us to appreciate multiple perspectives.
Business Development Manager, Institutional Partnerships
