Business Development Manager at Blue Label Telecoms

Job Purpose

The Business Development Manager is responsible for a high-revenue, highly specialized or a strategic portfolio of product categories. Responsible for the profitability and growth of each product within the category thereby facilitating revenue generation. Collaborates with the CFO to determine pricing, distribution and overall promotion of a product category to maximize consumer appeal and increase revenue for merchants through our products and services. Collaborates with Business Intelligence and external providers to provide the business with product, channel, merchant, and consumer insights. Manages and maintains strategic procurement relationships with suppliers. Manages the supply of product and is accountable for the commercialization of the product.

Responsibilities

Strategic Business Development

• Interfaces with cross-functional parties at all levels of the organization, including Chief Digital Officer, Commercial team, and Finance, as well as relevant technical and execution resources.
• Provides advice and collaborates on category strategy, approaches and requirements.
• Influences the strategic vision and direction of new product development within the category to enable a profitable category which will meet merchant and consumer needs.
• Leads the commercialization of the products within the category.
  Collaborates with channel marketing and IAP team to ensure effective execution and product availability.
• Assesses implementation of the commercialization plan across all areas of the business.
• Incorporates business insights and objectives into the development of the category strategy.
• Develops, leads, and executes category plans, strategies and frameworks, including market approaches, procurement analysis, supplier development and contract management.

Supplier Relationship Management

• Collaborate with Technology to provide expert advice to key stakeholders on all aspects of product procurement and development recommending a build or buy strategic choices within your category
• Work with outsourced service delivery organisation’s to develop products against agreed spec (MVP’s) and commercialisation plan
• Foster trust relationships with vendors to achieve better pricing and quality of services
• Challenge and motivate providers to optimise service outcomes 
• Lead negotiations on high impact, complex supply arrangements and manage contracts to deliver optimal category outcomes
• Consult throughout the organisation to support the development of strategic and high-risk contracts and supplier relationships
• Identify sources of value through the supplier relationship
• Take action to realize identified opportunities
• Lead supplier development activities for key suppliers and market segments to meet the needs of the organization
• Develop frameworks to identify and track benefit

Growing and Profitable Categories Delivered

• Create an ambitious and wide-ranging and profitable category based on future trends, disruptive technology, customer and consumer needs together with an in-depth knowledge of organisational demand, needs and requirements.
• Effectively evaluate, shape, influence and develop the categories to deliver long term shareholder value 
• Demonstrate expertise in analyzing category and product performance and provide expert advise to sales teams on how to improve profitability
• Set the overall strategy and framework for how different ‘go-to-market’ techniques are to be established and used throughout the organization
• Lead the interpretation of product availability on merchant profitability and collaborating to develop product value propositions to enable sales selling stories

Product commercialisation

• Leads commercialization effort for products, new product innovation programs.
  Collaborates across the business to develop internal feasibility assessments and business case rationale to support commercialization plans and revenue generation.
• Ensure effective team engagement; review project timelines, cost projections and revenue delivery with the key members of management.
  Make forecasts for product availability and ensure the availability of inventory in support of our market penetration strategy
• Facilitate creation of mitigation/contingency plans and manage communication for any disruptions in the game plan or revenue targets.
• Work closely with business areas to identify and manage commercial, contractual, operational, financial, reputational, ethical and supply chain risks emanating from category activity and supply base arrangements
• Act as an internal consultant on techniques and actions to manage risk for high value complex project and relationships

Work Collaboratively

• Build a culture of respect and understanding across the organisation
• Recognise outcomes which resulted from effective collaboration between teams
• Build co-operation and overcome barriers to information sharing, communication and collaboration across the organisation
• Facilitate opportunities to engage and collaborate with external stakeholders to develop joint solutions
• Collaborate with other leaders to deliver a superior end to end customer experience.

Team management

• Provide leadership, direction and effective management of the categorymanagement team and cross functional working groups to achieve a high-level of performance, integration and consistency
• Through effective inspirational leadership, facilitate the creation of accountable, full service teams who understand and strive to meet the needs of all stakeholders
• Role model behavior and motivate team members in line with the core values Take full responsibility for performance of all direct reports, motivating and managing them in relation to quality standards and agreed benchmarks and objectives, focusing on all aspects of sound people management:
• Provide support and guidance on career path planning, on-the-job training, coaching and mentoring to direct reports
• Develop, promote and direct the implementation of equal opportunities policies in all aspects of the company’s work.

Self-Management

• Follow through to ensure that personal quality and productivity standards are
• consistently and accurately maintained
• Demonstrate consistent application of internal procedures
• Plan and prioritize, demonstrating abilities to manage competing demands
  Demonstrate abilities to anticipate and manage change
• Demonstrate flexibility in balancing achievement of own objectives with abilities to understand and respond to organizational needs

Requirements

General Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Commerce, Technology or related field.

General Experience

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in similar or related role