Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Business Developer

🎯 Role Definition

A Business Developer is tasked with driving the company’s growth by identifying, developing and securing new business opportunities, forging strong client and partner relationships, and collaborating cross‑functionally to bring strategic initiatives to market. This role blends strategic planning, market analysis, sales acumen and stakeholder engagement to expand the business footprint, increase revenue and strengthen competitive advantage.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Sales Representative or Account Executive
Marketing Executive with a growth orientation
Junior Business Development Associate

Advancement To:

Senior Business Developer / Business Development Manager
Strategic Partnerships Lead or Business Development Director
Vice President of Business Development or Head of Growth

Lateral Moves:

Corporate Strategy & Growth Manager
Key Account Manager
Partnerships & Alliances Manager

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Develop and execute a comprehensive business development strategy aligned with company vision and growth objectives to identify new market segments, product opportunities and revenue streams.
Conduct rigorous market research and competitive analysis to identify trends, threats and emerging opportunities, and translate findings into actionable business growth plans.
Generate, qualify and nurture new business leads through networking, outreach campaigns, cold calling, industry events and client referrals to build a robust sales pipeline.
Create and deliver persuasive presentations, proposals and commercial offers to prospective clients and partners, highlighting value propositions, ROI and differentiators.
Build and manage strong relationships with existing clients, strategic partners and key stakeholders to drive customer retention, upsell opportunities and long‑term partnerships.
Negotiate contract terms, commercial agreements, partnership deals and service level arrangements ensuring alignment with company goals and profitability targets.
Collaborate with sales, marketing, product and operations teams to align go‑to‑market execution, define target segments, refine offering, set pricing and monitor performance.
Maintain and update CRM systems, track business development metrics (pipeline growth, conversion rates, new accounts, revenue), forecast targets and report performance to senior management.
Attend industry conferences, trade shows, networking events and seminars to identify new prospects, build brand visibility and remain current with market and competitive developments.
Identify, propose and execute process improvements, sales methodologies and collaboration frameworks to increase efficiency, effectiveness and scalability of business development operations.
Develop and manage strategic partnerships, joint ventures and alliances with third‑party organisations to expand the company’s capabilities, reach and market presence.
Lead the design and launch of new products, services or market offerings by evaluating customer needs, coordinating internal resources and developing business cases.
Manage the full business development cycle—from opportunity identification and qualification through proposal development, negotiation, contract sign‑off and delivery hand‑over to account teams.
Support internal training, mentoring or knowledge‑sharing initiatives for business development staff, ensuring consistent approach, tools and standards.
Monitor and analyse business development KPIs and metrics, identify gaps in performance, produce reports and implement corrective actions to meet or exceed revenue targets.
Work cross‑functionally to support contract renewal, account expansion, customer satisfaction and retention efforts, aligning clients’ future‑state needs with company offerings.
Provide input into strategic business planning, budgeting, forecasting and resource allocation to support long‑term growth and market positioning.
Liaise with legal, finance and operations teams to ensure compliant contract structure, risk mitigation, pricing agreements and profitable deals.
Stay abreast of industry, technological and regulatory changes, competitor movements and emerging business models to position the company proactively for growth.
Serve as a brand ambassador for the organisation: engage with media, represent the company at events, deliver thought leadership, and promote corporate reputation in the market.

Secondary Functions

Support ad‑hoc business intelligence tasks such as market surveys, customer segmentation, competitive benchmarking or exploratory growth initiatives.
Contribute to the organisation’s business development roadmap by recommending strategic toolsets, automation, reuse of commercial templates and continuous improvement of BD processes.
Collaborate with internal business units to translate domain/industry insight into actionable BD tasks, user‑stories and go‑to‑market backlog items.
Participate in agile, lean or iterative workflows in partnership‑development, market entry and business model experiments.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Strong proficiency in market research, competitive analysis and business intelligence tools for identifying growth opportunities.
Expertise in CRM systems, pipeline management, sales analytics and performance reporting.
Proficient in proposal development, commercial modelling, contract negotiation and deal structuring.
Skilled in strategic planning and the creation of business development strategies, go‑to‑market plans and partnership frameworks.
Strong understanding of sales processes, lead generation methods, funnel management and conversion optimisation.
Ability to map and develop partnership networks, alliances and channel programmes to expand business capabilities.
Competent in using digital tools and analytics to track KPIs, forecast revenue and monitor business development performance.
Familiarity with contract management, pricing models, commercial terms, legal/regulatory compliance in business agreements.
Strong skills in communication and presentation tools (PowerPoint, Excel, dashboards) for stakeholder engagement.
Experience in project‑oriented work, ability to execute complex growth initiatives, manage business plans, and implement cross‑functional programs.

Soft Skills

Excellent interpersonal and communication skills: able to build credibility, influence stakeholders, deliver compelling presentations and negotiate effectively.
Strategic thinker with drive: sets ambitious goals, develops action plans, and remains focused on results and business growth.
Relationship‑builder: thrives in developing trust, maintaining long‑term client & partner relationships and managing stakeholder ecosystems.
Analytical and problem‑solving mindset: able to interpret market data, business metrics and derive actionable insights.
Self‑motivated and resilient: works independently, handles rejection, remains persistent and maintains high energy in growth‑oriented environment.
Collaborative team‑player: engages others across marketing, sales, product and operations teams to deliver unified business solutions.
Time‑management and organisational skills: balances multiple priorities, manages complex deals, meets deadlines and maintains sales pipeline discipline.
Negotiation and persuasion skills: confident in closing deals, overcoming objections and structuring win‑win partnerships.
Adaptability and learning agility: stays current with emerging market trends, product developments and modifies tactics accordingly.
Business‑impact oriented: understands how business development contributes to revenue, profitability, market share, and aligns actions to broader organisational strategy.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:
Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Sales, or a related field.

Preferred Education:
Master’s degree (MBA) or relevant advanced qualification in business development, strategic sales or management.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Business Administration / Management
Marketing / Sales
Strategic Partnerships / Alliances
Entrepreneurship / Innovation

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:
3–5 years of proven experience in business development, sales or strategic partnership roles with measurable results.

Preferred:
5+ years of experience driving growth through new business opportunities, partnerships, market expansion and leadership of business development initiatives.