Head of Business Development

POSITION TO BE BASED IN: JOHOR BHARU/KL

About the Role

• Lead the overall Business Development function and growth strategy.
• Identify and develop new business opportunities that support the company's long-term growth objectives.
• Evaluate opportunities across new markets, channels, products, partnerships and business models.
• Build strategic partnerships with customers, distributors, principals and other business partners.
• Develop business cases and commercial proposals for new growth initiatives.
• Work closely with senior management and cross-functional teams to convert opportunities into sustainable and profitable businesses.
• Balance strategic planning, commercial analysis, relationship management and hands-on business development.

Key Responsibilities

Business Development Strategy & Planning

• Develop and lead the overall business development strategy.
• Identify new growth opportunities aligned with the company's business objectives.
• Develop short-term and long-term business development plans.
• Identify opportunities across:
• New markets.
• New channels.
• New customer segments.
• New products and categories.
• Strategic partnerships.
• Distribution opportunities.
• New business models.
• Assess industry trends, market developments and competitive activities.
• Develop market-entry and go-to-market strategies for new business opportunities.
• Present business opportunities and recommendations to senior management.

New Business & Opportunity Development

• Identify, evaluate and prioritize potential business opportunities.
• Build a structured pipeline of new business opportunities.
• Develop business cases, feasibility assessments and commercial proposals.
• Evaluate potential revenue, profitability, investment requirements and risks.
• Lead commercial discussions with potential customers and business partners.
• Negotiate commercial terms and partnership arrangements.
• Convert viable opportunities into executable business plans.
• Monitor new initiatives from concept through implementation and commercialization.

Strategic Partnerships & Business Relationships

• Identify and develop relationships with potential strategic partners.
• Build strong relationships with key customers, distributors, principals and other business partners.
• Explore collaboration opportunities that can expand the company's market presence.
• Lead commercial negotiations for new partnerships and business arrangements.
• Maintain strong relationships with existing strategic partners.
• Identify opportunities to expand existing partnerships into new categories, channels or markets.
• Represent the company in relevant business discussions, networking activities and industry engagements.

Market & Commercial Analysis

• Conduct market assessments to identify growth opportunities.
• Analyse market size, competitive landscape, customer trends and industry developments.
• Assess the commercial attractiveness of potential markets, products and partnerships.
• Develop revenue, margin and profitability projections for new opportunities.
• Evaluate potential investment requirements and expected returns.
• Translate market and commercial data into actionable business recommendations.
• Monitor the performance of newly developed businesses and initiatives.

Business Case & Financial Evaluation

• Develop comprehensive business cases for proposed initiatives.
• Establish clear commercial assumptions, investment requirements and expected financial returns.
• Work closely with Finance to evaluate:
• Revenue potential.
• Gross profit.
• Operating costs.
• Investment requirements.
• Break-even period.
• ROI.
• Conduct scenario and sensitivity analysis where required.
• Recommend whether opportunities should be pursued, modified or discontinued.
• Monitor actual performance against approved business cases.

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Work closely with Sales, Marketing, Trade Marketing, Finance, Supply Chain and Operations.
• Coordinate the implementation of approved business development initiatives.
• Ensure new opportunities are operationally and financially feasible.
• Align commercial opportunities with supply chain and operational capabilities.
• Facilitate cross-functional collaboration during new product, channel or market launches.
• Act as the key coordinator between external business partners and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure clear ownership, timelines and deliverables for strategic initiatives.

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead and manage the Business Development team.
• Set clear objectives, priorities and performance expectations.
• Coach and develop team members.
• Build team capability in:
• Opportunity identification.
• Market research.
• Commercial analysis.
• Business-case development.
• Financial evaluation.
• Partnership management.
• Negotiation.
• Project management.
• Establish clear KPIs for business development activities and outcomes.
• Build a commercially driven and opportunity-focused Business Development function.

Business Performance & Governance

• Establish measurable KPIs for new business initiatives.
• Track opportunity pipeline, conversion and business performance.
• Monitor the financial performance of newly launched initiatives.
• Conduct regular reviews of business development projects.
• Identify potential commercial, operational and financial risks.
• Recommend corrective actions when initiatives are not achieving expected results.
• Provide regular business development updates and recommendations to senior management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Finance, Economics, Commerce or related discipline.
• Approximately 8-12 years of relevant commercial experience, preferably within the FMCG, consumer goods, distribution or related industries.
• Strong experience in one or more of the following areas:
• Business Development.
• Commercial Strategy.
• Sales.
• Strategic Partnerships.
• Market Development.
• Distribution.
• New Business / New Ventures.
• Preferably 3-5 years of people-management or functional leadership experience.
• Strong understanding of the Malaysian FMCG and distribution landscape.
• Proven experience identifying and developing new business opportunities.
• Strong experience in commercial negotiation and partnership development.
• Experience preparing business cases, financial projections and commercial proposals.
• Strong understanding of revenue, margin, profitability, ROI and investment evaluation.
• Strong analytical and strategic-thinking capabilities.
• Ability to convert opportunities into practical and executable business plans.
• Strong stakeholder-management and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Strong networking, relationship-management and negotiation skills.
• Strong leadership and team-development capabilities.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint.
• Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen and hands-on execution capability.

Why Join Us

• Lead the Business Development function within an established FMCG organisation.
• Play a key role in identifying and building the company's next areas of growth.
• Influence new market, channel, product and partnership strategies.
• Work closely with senior management and cross-functional business leaders.
• Build strategic relationships with key customers, partners and industry stakeholders.
• Lead the development of new revenue streams and commercial opportunities.
• Develop and strengthen Business Development capabilities within the organisation.
• Play a key role in driving sustainable and profitable long-term business growth.

Please refer to job description.