Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager (Executive Search / Professional Services)

Location: Remote / India

Experience: 4–7 years

Role Type: Individual Contributor

Role Overview

We are hiring a Business Development Manager to own end-to-end client acquisition and relationship management for a premium, founder-led professional services firm.

This is a high-ownership, revenue-linked role focused on:

• Generating and qualifying new business opportunities
• Converting mandates independently
• Building long-term client relationships

You will operate directly with senior stakeholders (founders, CXOs, business leaders) and be responsible for driving high-quality engagements, not volume sales.

What You’ll Own

1.New Business / Mandate Generation

• Drive outbound strategy and targeting (with junior support where applicable)
• Own discovery calls and initial client conversations
• Identify and qualify high-quality opportunities

2.End-to-End Sales Cycle

• Run the full cycle independently:
• Discovery
• Qualification
• Proposal
• Commercial discussions
• Closure
• Handle objections and close mandates without dependency

3.Client Relationship Management

• Own relationships post-conversion
• Drive repeat business and referrals
• Maintain structured engagement with clients over time

4.Market Presence & Positioning

• Build strong visibility within the founder / leadership ecosystem
• Ensure the firm is in consideration for business-critical mandates

What This Role Is NOT

• No delivery execution (sourcing / recruitment / operations)
• No research or candidate-side work
• No marketing or content ownership
• Not a support or junior BD role

Must-Have Requirements (Non-Negotiable)

1.Full-Cycle BD Experience

• Proven ability to own and close deals end-to-end
• Experience handling discovery → closure independently

2.Relevant Industry Background

• Experience in:
• Executive search
• Professional services
• Consulting / B2B advisory environments

3.Premium / Consultative Selling

• Experience selling high-value, non-transactional services
• Ability to engage in business-level conversations, not transactional pitches

4.Client Relationship Depth

• Experience managing long-term client relationships (6–12+ months)
• Ability to generate repeat business

5.Stakeholder Maturity

• Comfort engaging with:
• Founders
• CXOs
• Senior business leaders

Strong Differentiators

• Existing network with founders / CXOs / VC ecosystem
• Experience working with growth-stage startups (Series A–C)
• Exposure to sectors like tech, product, fintech, or consumer
• Experience selling retainer or hybrid engagement models

Not a Fit If

• Background is primarily in volume staffing / large agencies
• Limited to HR/TA-level conversations (not business leaders)
• No independent deal closure experience
• Focused on activity metrics (calls, CVs) over outcomes
• Prefer structured, low-ownership environments

How Success Is Measured

• Quality and volume of mandates generated
• Conversion rate from discovery to closure
• Strength of client relationships and repeat business
• Ability to engage in high-trust, high-value conversations

Why This Role

• High ownership and autonomy from Day 1
• Direct exposure to founders and senior leadership
• Opportunity to build deep relationships in the startup ecosystem
• Work on high-impact, business-critical engagements
• Performance-driven growth and upside