Senior Business Development Executive (Consulting)

Job Purposes:

The primary objective of this role is to drive and accelerate profitable growth for KBC’s consulting and technology business across assigned countries and clients in the APAC region by consistently achieving or exceeding annual business targets.

The Business Development Executive will play a critical role in advancing digital transformation and decarbonization efforts within the process industries by promoting and selling KBC’s advanced solutions –including consulting services, simulation, analytics, and cloud-based technologies.

Serving as the key client interface for assigned clients in the APAC market, this role is responsible for aligning client needs with KBC's value proposition, cultivating strategic relationships, managing sales pipelines, and delivering tailored solutions that meet clients’ business and operational objectives.

Responsible for coordinating cross-functional internal teams to ensure successful execution of the strategy and delivery of commercial outcomes. 

Responsibilities:

• Business Development - Participate in formulating the strategy and identifying, evaluating, and structuring key transactions to ensure continued financial health and maximum value creation through the entire product life cycle. Transactions may involve alliances, collaborations, mergers and acquisitions, in and out licensing initiatives, and other activities.
• Customer Relationship Development / Prospecting - Develop and implement a relationship management plan for strategic, complex potential accounts to build key relationships at local and national levels. Coordinate the engagement of KBC with the customer organization to ensure effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues.
• Customer Needs Clarification - Consult with a range of customer representatives at different levels to identify the outcomes they require, introducing relevant internal specialists and utilizing their expertise to gather and analyze complex customer data, clarify mid- to long-term customer needs, and develop and agree to a specification of customer requirements.
• Sales Opportunities Creation - Actively create and drive new business opportunities by engaging directly with potential clients, attending industry events, and building a strong personal network of senior decision-makers. Represent the Company externally to uncover client needs, gather valuable market intelligence, and position the company as a trusted, forward-thinking partner. Through strategic outreach and consistent presence in the business community, enhance the Company’s reputation and fuel sustainable growth.
• Sell Customer Propositions - Lead a cross-functional internal team (for example, technical, commercial, and legal) to configure a complex tailored or bespoke product and services solution and associated contractual terms that meet the customer's mid- to long-term needs at a national/key operating unit level. Negotiate agreement with the customer and internally with commercial colleagues to ensure that customer requirements are met at an acceptable level of profitability and cash flow escalating issues to senior management where appropriate.
• Promoting Customer Focus - Develop internal marketing plans and work collaboratively with other departments to improve internal relationships and build strong external customer relationships.
• Customer Relationship Management / Account Management - Develop and implement relationship management plans for complex existing customer accounts to identify and build relationships with relevant decision makers and influencers within the customer organization and to enable effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues. Manage ongoing relationships with identified customer segments to ensure their needs are met, providing themes, summary analyses, and recommendations for changes based on customer input.
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Data - Oversee the implementation and maintenance of the customer relationship management system within the area of responsibility, identifying and communicating opportunities for system improvement that may enhance the management of customer relationships.
• Operational Compliance - Monitor and review performance and behaviors within area of responsibility to identify and resolve non-compliance with the Company's policies and relevant regulatory codes and codes of conduct.
• Personal Capability Building - Act as subject matter expert in an area of technology, policy, regulation, or operational management for the team. Maintain external accreditations and in- depth understanding of current and emerging external regulation and industry best practices through continuing professional development, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.

Position Requirements

Behavioral Competencies:

• Customer Focus - Builds strong customer relationships and delivers customer-centric solutions. For example, solicits customer feedback and data; aligns business process with customer needs.
• Manages Complexity - Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. For example, asks questions to encourage others to think differently and enrich their analyses of complex situations. Accurately defines the key elements of complex, ambiguous situations.
• Business Insight - Applies knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the Company's goals. For example, clearly understands how own activities relate to critical business drivers. Monitors business news and market changes for impact on the business or on own expertise area; uses this to shape decisions.
• Instills Trust - Gains the confidence and trust of others through honesty, integrity, and authenticity. For example, is consistently honest and straightforward; shares uncomfortable information in a clear and helpful manner. Maintains high ethical standards and professional codes of conduct.
• Drives Results - Consistently achieve results, even under tough circumstances. For example, regularly pushes self to achieve outstanding outcomes; consistently establishes bold goals for own performance; is passionate about excellent results and significant contributions. Shows great tenacity to complete goals/initiatives in a timely way.
• Collaborates - Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. For example, enlists a range of stakeholders to add value; ensures they are well informed and surprises are avoided. Confronts and challenges "us vs. them"; shows strong appreciation for others' efforts toward shared goals.

Skills:

• Customer-Focused Approach - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to orient the seller's organization around delivering to the key needs of their customers.
• Initiates Compelling Sales Conversations - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to propose a mutually agreed-upon agenda to start sales conversations that offer value to the client.
• Knows the Buying Influences - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to accurately identify and understand the key buying influences pertaining to an opportunity.
• Manages Buyer Indifference - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to acknowledge and ask questions to understand the circumstances surrounding client indifference.
• Understands Buying Influencer Needs - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to quickly and accurately define the needs of the key buying influencers.
• Verbal Communication - Applies comprehensive knowledge to act independently while providing guidance and training to others on using clear and effective verbal communications skills to express ideas, request actions and formulate plans or policies.
• Builds Rapport - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to quickly and effectively establish trust within the buying centers in the client’s organization.
• Commercial Acumen - Acts independently to apply comprehensive understanding of the business environment and objectives developing solutions while providing guidance and training to others.
• In-Depth Questioning - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to explore the depth and breadth of a problem, draw out the implications of not changing, and help clients self-discover and articulate the value of a solution.
• Manages Resistance - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to acknowledge a client's indifference and gain agreement from the client to discover the root causes of resistance.
• Navigates Customer Challenges - Works at an advanced level to navigate conversations in which the customer is frustrated or unhappy with the Company. Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Questions Strategically - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to uncover clients’ explicit needs and/or unforeseen opportunities and challenges.
• Strengthens Customer Connections - Works at an advanced level to connect with customers to strengthen the relationship, meeting personal needs through positive customer experiences. Typically works independently and provides guidance.
• Understands Customer Needs - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to articulate the customer needs in the customer's business language and business context.
• Understands Issues/Motivations - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to quickly identify and accurately articulate why a client does or does not want a change based on their business objectives and challenges.
• Closes Effectively - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to arrive at mutually beneficial commitments that help move the sales/client relationship forward.
• Customer and Market Analysis - Acts independently using comprehensive knowledge and/or skills to conduct research and analyze data while guiding and training others on how to develop a comprehensive understanding of customer and market conditions that enables maximum return on investments.
• Diagnoses Needs with Questions - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to ask questions that encourage the client to talk openly about their key objectives and challenges.
• Effectively Presents Solutions - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to clearly present solutions that link directly to the key objectives and challenges important to the client.
• Managing Change - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on maintaining high performance while applying a change mindset to the planning, execution and monitoring of business activities during times of change.
• Negotiates Strategically/Tactically - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to facilitate the commercial details of an opportunity such that both parties are satisfied with the value gained.
• Policy and procedures - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on developing, monitoring, interpreting and understanding policies and procedures, while making sure they match the Company strategies and objectives.
• Pre-Call Preparation - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to carefully prepare for client interactions using established frameworks.
• Prospecting - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to identify ideal potential clients.
• Qualifying - Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others to spend the appropriate time for the size and potential of each opportunity.

Education:

• Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Level in a related Engineering or Science discipline. Chemical Engineering degree preferred.
• Technical experience is essential.

Experience:

• Proven sales experience in enterprise software, consulting, or technical solutions within hydrocarbon sectors.
• Proven track record in closing large, complex enterprise software deals in energy, oil & gas, or chemicals.
• Extensive SE Asia experience including knowledge of cultural, economic, and legal differences across the region.
• Demonstrated experience in engaging C-level stakeholders, managing long sales cycles, and influencing strategic decisions.
• Experience working cross-functionally with marketing, engineering, and delivery teams to co-develop client strategies.
• Ability to translate technical offerings into high-level business outcomes.
• Skilled in long sales cycles, opportunity management, and stakeholder engagement.
• Proactive and networked self-starter with an entrepreneurial mindset.