Head of Business Development (Freight Forwarding)

Key Responsibilities:

1. Strategic Area Management

Planning & Budgeting: Develop and execute the annual sales plan and budget for the area, setting individual sales targets that aim for market share gains and exceed budgeted growth in both sales and profitability.
Strategy Communication: Ensure clear communication and understanding of the strategic plan, objectives, and performance expectations across the team.
Stakeholder Management: Build and maintain strong, collaborative relationships with all internal and external stakeholders.

2. Business Development & Commercial Excellence

Talent & Culture: Create and maintain a customer-focused, profitable organization with a robust pipeline of sales talent to achieve regional growth ambitions.
CRM Discipline & Data Integrity: Ensure all sales resources adhere to CRM reporting rules, taking accountability for the accuracy and timeliness of information entered. Utilize the CRM as the single source of truth for performance management and reporting.
Market Intelligence: Proactively monitor market trends and local country business strategies. Collaborate with regional sales and marketing teams to develop scalable products and service offerings for vertical segments.

3. Financial Management

Profitability Oversight: Own the profitability of the area, ensuring the achievement of the sales plan and budget.
Performance Intervention: Monitor low-yield or loss-making customers and work with sales owners to develop and implement action plans for remediation.
Credit & Compliance: Ensure compliance with credit management policies. Guide the sales team to actively engage with customers regarding payment delays and collection issues.

4 . Reporting & Performance Analysis

Data Consolidation: Gather, analyze, and report on area-level sales performance data to ensure alignment with the national sales strategy and plan.
System Proficiency: Ensure all users are fully trained in CRM systems and reporting tools.

Timely Reporting: Provide accurate and timely reports as required by leadership, relying on system-generated data for performance reviews.

5. Leadership & Team Development

Performance Management: Steer, develop, and motivate direct reports to achieve individual and company objectives. Initiate and execute the Performance Management process, including appraisals and mid-year reviews against measurable KPIs.
Coaching & Mentorship: Coach, train, and develop sales resources across all channels to achieve productivity, pipeline, and budget targets. Identify developmental needs and ensure follow-up on training execution.

Requirements:

Experience: Minimum 10 years of experience with a documented sales track record.
Industry Knowledge: Sales experience and working knowledge of the international transportation and logistics industry.
Financial & Market Acumen: Familiarity with the financial aspects of the relevant local economy, international market conditions and trends, and global business issues including currency factors and cultural differences.
Presentation Skills: Comfortable with presenting and meeting with groups of 3–5 people; strong presentation techniques.
Language Skills: Fluent in the local language; proficient in English and any other languages required to manage customer and stakeholder relationships effectively.
Core Competencies: Solid understanding of basic sales techniques and negotiation skills, combined with excellent interpersonal and communication abilities.

To Apply (via Harold Consultancy)

For a confidential discussion, please submit your detailed CV to Dennis Wee at hello@haroldconsultancy.com.

See also