Business development manager
Job profile (m/f/d)

Business development manager – develop your business areas further

The business development manager has a versatile, demanding and at the same time very exciting position within companies. As (international) competition intensifies in many companies and organisations, business development managers are looking for new markets. They also deal with the further development of existing business areas in management. In order to find suitable solutions, the development manager uses comprehensive market analyses.

For this reason alone, they occupy a key position in the company as a sought-after specialist. The business development manager acts as a communicative interface between customers and management and can legitimately hope to be part of the company management in the further course of their career.

The business development manager is not limited to a specific industry. Above all, this profession is in demand in companies that want to serve future technology trends and actively promote innovation. Your own specialist knowledge should therefore ideally fit the company industry.

Companies are often looking for engineers from the fields of natural sciences as well as IT, mechanical engineering, telecommunications, the pharmaceutical industry or biotechnology. An academic background is therefore a good basis for a career as a business development manager – although career changers also have good prospects.

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Are you looking for a business development manager job (m/f/d)?

Is your interest in new technologies just as strong as your entrepreneurial thinking? Do you enjoy networking internationally and sometimes tackling new ideas "outside the box"? If you are also creative as a business development manager and have strategic thinking and negotiation skills, we should get to know each other – and plan your next career step together.

Find your next job as a business development manager

Are you looking for an experienced business development manager (m/f/d)?

Are you looking for an ambitious specialist who will discover new potential for your company and set the first course for new markets on the international stage? The business development manager intensifies contact with regular customers and establishes promising relationships with interested parties. This position opens up new markets and contributes its specific expertise to your company's success.

Find a qualified business development manager

Are you looking for an exciting project as a business development manager?

Have you already developed entrepreneurial strategies for various companies and have been able to significantly increase the operational performance of former clients through far-reaching market analyses? Are you well networked in your industry and convince with your analytical skills and your pronounced self-motivation? If you are looking for new exciting business development projects, we should talk to each other – and set new milestones along your professional career.

Find current business development manager projects

Tasks – What does a business development manager do?

Analyse the current situation, identify new potential, develop new corporate strategies: These three core elements make up the majority of the tasks of the business development manager. The feeling for trends and the far-reaching communication skills make this person a key figure in companies as well as organisations. On the basis of data and in-depth analyses, the business development manager recognises the potential of other (internationally active) companies in their industry and, at the same time, keeps an eye on the performance of external specialists and their own employees. In addition, they establish initial contact with potential customers in order to boost joint innovations at an early stage. Soft skills, empathy, networking and communication skills are therefore in great demand in the field.

Business development manager salary

In which exact area the business manager salary lies cannot be specifically quantified. Various aspects such as company size, industry and the level of own professional experience that you bring with you are decisive.

Therefore, the following applies: The more professional experience you have gained in a particular industry to date, the more lavish the earnings.

Career starters can expect a salary of EUR 45,000 at the beginning; experienced business development managers can earn up to EUR 80,000, depending on the size of the company. There is therefore no average salary, as this depends on individual professional experience.

Business development manager – Opportunities on the job market

Jobs as a business development manager can be found in almost all industries – provided that innovation is in demand. Whether chemistry, IT, telecommunications, pharmacy or biotechnology: in companies or organisations with a scientific and technical background, business development managers actively shape the future.

For this reason, the development manager is a highly sought-after specialist who should constantly expand their skills through further training. As an interface between the company's management team and clients, they gain promising experience for themselves. They often prepare to take on a leadership position in the next career step.

Therefore, you should definitely take the opportunity when it comes to taking on responsibility and proving yourself as a specialist – who ambitiously plans their own strategic career and fully enjoys the job.

Which skills and characteristics should business development managers master?

There is no prescribed training path for BDM; nevertheless, an academic degree in economics or marketing serves as a good springboard to be used as a recognised specialist and manager in the field of business development in the future. In addition to their specialist knowledge in one area, the business development manager should have essential skills and characteristics, such as:

feeling for trends and current developments in the industry
professional experience in development, marketing or sales
(intercultural) strong communication skills and negotiation skills
pronounced self-motivation and proactivity
resilience and self-organisation
IT skills and creativity

What training should business development managers complete?

There is no fixed training and career path for business development managers. Nevertheless, BDM should master their speciality in a scientific-technical discipline and be able to prove this with a successfully completed degree.

In addition, business development managers should be constantly up-to-date in order to be able to make data-supported forecasts for companies and the industry. Therefore, it is only beneficial to constantly expand your own expertise and keep it up-to-date. Organisations offer many in-house further education and training courses in order to develop their own personnel and to transfer management tasks in the future. Possible contents include process management, employee leadership and team management.

Find your next dream job or employee as a business development manager with Hays

Are you looking for a new professional challenge as a business development manager in which you would like to contribute your experience, competence and versatile qualifications? With Hays you will find a position that suits your wishes. Because we not only make promising contacts to well-known companies for you, but also determine with you where your preferences lie in a personal conversation.

With our new "Find & Engage" concept, we bring companies together with experts. Since we have the needs of both sides in mind, we only make those contacts that really fit together.

If the skills, experience and wishes of candidates match the job requirements, we make personal exchange possible. If the chemistry is right in the discussions, the contractual framework conditions are coordinated with us – and together we shape your professional future. You can choose between different types of contracts, as to what is best for you.