Business Development Manager

At AKQA we believe in the imaginative application of art and science to create beautiful ideas, products and services. With an entrepreneurial and collaborative approach, we design adaptive digital services and applications that capture the imagination, delivering impressive returns for our clients. You will love working in a team of highly skilled people, all with strong opinions about various technologies, frameworks and approaches to delivery. You will be able to articulate your ideas to your colleagues effectively and will take on board the ideas of others. You will thrive when faced with new challenges and will constantly look to improve clients’ deliverables. We're looking for an interested, and interesting person to work in a business development role in our Studio, based in Gurgaon with a focus on developing client relationships for the India market. The role is wide-ranging and challenging - you'll be an active and important part of supporting our ongoing growth. You'll work directly with our in market studio leadership and regional leads and alongside other members of our supportive and fun-loving business development team. ROLE REQUIREMENTS Sales / Pipeline Management Meet annual new business revenue targets as set on an annual basis. In-depth understanding and leverage of AKQA’s service offering, delivery framework and case studies. Strong understanding and strategic experience in selling digital transformation, creative and technology services . In-depth understanding of prospective clients’ business and their business objectives. Work with studio leadership team and domain experts to identify revenue and growth targets across verticals, with new and existing AKQA clients. Drive and maintain the healthy pipeline of sales leads across the AKQA footprint. Expand the client portfolio in a balanced manner across the service offering. Provides all key pipeline data and opportunities in progress as required and report into global and local leadership teams. Management of sales and negotiation process, working with the studio leadership team and act as an advisor to the business development team on response / commercial engagement models. Hands on business development - from initial meetings through to pitch presentation preparation. Co-ownership of leads and moving responses down the funnel. Manage the NDA process with leads and escalate any issues with confidentiality or conflicts of interest. Management Involved in / co-owns partnerships with tier technology partners such as Adobe, Sitecore or Contentful Client liaison – act as a trusted client partner and advisor. Create and deliver highly personalised and insightful credentials to new prospects. Quality creation of commercially viable and attractive proposals and presentations. Plan the entire pitch process from beginning to end and deliver a high-quality finished product. Coordinate dynamic pitch teams as required. Work with discipline teams to align creative and technology with client needs and business objectives. Leverage talent across the group, providing clients with exposure to our specialists wherever possible. Inspire and manage pitch teams to: analyse and QA one another’s work deliver on time / to budget identify and resolve business issues. Engage and transfer knowledge to relevant team members as appropriate to create winning responses. Engage WPP India partner agencies where applicable to provide fully integrated solutions. Deliver market leading client service levels and effective, quality solutions to AKQA’s clients. Lead complex conversations and manage expectations. Knowledge management and retention across the business development lifecycle. Ensure appropriate levels of negotiation skills and commercial acumen within team. Provide recognition and constructive feedback informally to others in a timely manner, and formally during performance reviews. Assess performance of team members without bias. Foster a team culture and environment that promotes and supports work/life balance, fulfilment and job satisfaction. Business Growth Contribute to building the agency profile by participating in thought leadership activities, case study creation and award submissions. Work with the local offices to expand their knowledge of AKQA’s service offering. Establish advocates to support new business efforts. Develop and maintain a prospect database and ensure regular contact and communication. Report on and provide insights to Leadership Teams on new business initiatives and conversion. Proactively build relationships with senior stakeholder in organizations that align with AKQA’s strategic goals. Build strong relationships and quickly develop rapport with: new and potential clients. with sales teams of AKQA’s strategic technology partners. leaders of strategically aligned WPP businesses. AKQA is an Equal Opportunities Employer, we believe that diversity is vital to AKQA’s ability to provide our clients with the best recommendations and are committed to fostering a varied and inclusive work environment. Your race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.