Regional Business Development Leader (Maternity Cover | Contract)
IFS is looking for an experienced Regional Business Development Leader to lead our Business Development function across Asia Pacific, Japan, Middle East & Africa (APJ ME&A) for a fixed term contract.
This role involves leading a diverse team of Business Development Representatives across Japan, Australia and the Middle East, with a goal to build high-quality sales pipeline and create measurable impact for our Market Units.
Responsibilities:
- Lead, coach and develop a regional team of BDRs, creating a high-performance culture focused on quality pipeline and continuous improvement.
- Own regional BDR performance, including performance management, coaching and development.
- Drive results across multiple markets, industries, solutions and campaigns in close partnership with Sales and Marketing.
- Ensure effective lead management and SLA adherence, from initial engagement through qualification and handover to Sales.
- Use data to identify the leading and lagging indicators behind BDR performance, turning insights into actions that improve conversion, productivity and team behaviours.
- Maintain exceptional CRM discipline and lead pipeline hygiene, ensuring accurate, complete and actionable data before opportunities are handed over to Sales.
- Partner with Marketing to build coordinated, multi-channel outreach programs that create consistent engagement across internal BDRs, third-party resources and sales teams.
- Champion AI and automation within Business Development, identifying opportunities to improve prospect research, personalisation, outreach and BDR productivity.
- Drive adoption and effective utilisation of the modern BDR technology stack, including HubSpot, ZoomInfo, Lusha, LinkedIn Sales Navigator and related sales intelligence and engagement tools.
- Build strong relationships with regional Sales and Marketing leaders, ensuring Business Development remains tightly aligned to market priorities and pipeline goals.
What We’re Looking For
- Proven experience leading a high-performing Business Development/SDR/BDR teams, ideally across multiple markets or geographies.
- Demonstrated success delivering qualified enterprise sales pipeline through multiple simultaneous campaigns and workstreams.
- Strong understanding of the end-to-end BDR operating model – targeting, prospecting, qualification, conversion, handover and measurement.
- Data-driven leadership with the ability to diagnose performance challenges and continuously improve processes, productivity and outcomes.
- Strong working knowledge of modern sales technology, AI and automation and how these can be practically applied to Business Development.
- Excellent planning and organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities across a complex regional environment.
- A self-starting, resilient and highly accountable leadership style.
- Flexibility to adapt your management approach to different people and markets.