Business Development Manager

Abra VMSD; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 600,000 - 1,000,000; Full time

Job summary

You will own the opportunity pipeline, deliver targeted revenue in Year 1, and coordinate with Estimation, Projects and Operations to ensure commercially viable outcomes. Strong leadership, CRM discipline and executive communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in business/engineering/architecture or related discipline.
• 8-10+ years of progressive business development or sales experience with leadership responsibility.

Responsibilities

• Drive market access, lead generation and bid management for luxury fit-out and bespoke joinery projects.
• Own end-to-end sales pipeline, target AED 20 million in Y1, and present capabilities with strong client insight.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Estimation, Projects, Operations and Design to ensure deliverability and value.
• Mentor Business Development Coordinators and establish robust CRM governance and reporting.
• Negotiate contracts, scope, pricing and terms within approved authority.

Skills

Business development

Sales leadership

Lead generation

Relationship building

Bid management

Negotiation

CRM systems

Team leadership

Executive communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business Administration

Tools

MS Office

CRM systems

Job description

Job description

Key Responsibilities:

Market Access, Lead Generation & Bid Management

• Build access to new clients, consultants, brands, developers and tenders within the premium interior fit-out and customized joinery segments.
• Develop a strong network and generate qualified leads through direct market engagement, referrals, industry relationships and strategic partnerships.
• Own bid management for luxury tenders, including documentation, clarifications, submissions, follow-ups and coordination across stakeholders.
• Maintain active market intelligence on upcoming projects, client priorities, competitor activity and changing commercial conditions.
• Partner with the marketing team to improve lead generation and targeting through LinkedIn, Instagram and other relevant channels.

Pipeline Ownership & Revenue Delivery

• Build and maintain a visible, qualified and realistic opportunity pipeline through CRM, with clear stage ownership, next actions, values and timelines.
• Deliver a booking target of AED 20 million in Y1
• Present ABRA’s capabilities, solutions and value proposition with strong business knowledge and a clear understanding of client requirements.
• Influence customer decisions and negotiate commercial contracts, scope, pricing, payment terms and risk provisions within agreed authority levels.
• Build strong win strategies and manage the end-to-end sales process from opportunity qualification to award.
• Provide clear feedback on the realism of targets, market conditions, pricing expectations and required commercial support.
• Develop and master the ABRA way of selling, ensuring consistency in client engagement and internal decision-making.

Cross-Functional Alignment & Sales-to-Delivery Handover

• Work closely with Estimation, Costing, Projects, Operations, Design and Production to ensure the opportunities being sold are technically and commercially deliverable.
• Validate scope, cost, timelines, risks and capacity before committing to clients.
• Lead structured sales-to-delivery handovers with complete documentation, assumptions, commercial terms, client commitments and key risks.
• Remain engaged through execution where commercial support, client alignment or collection follow-up is required.

Team Leadership, Systems & Governance

• Set independent targets, activity measures and review cadences for the Business Development team.
• Lead the Business Development Coordinators and Junior Business Development team by defining responsibilities, reviewing pipeline activity and ensuring disciplined follow-through.
• Build and maintain sales systems, SOPs, reporting rhythms, dashboards and governance that allow the function to operate independently.
• Own the recruitment, onboarding, retention, development and performance management of additional team members as targets increase in subsequent years.
• Ensure all activities, pipeline updates, client interactions and reports are accurately maintained in CRM.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Marketing, Engineering, Architecture or a related discipline.
• 8-10+ years of progressive business development or sales experience, including leadership responsibility.
• Demonstrated success in premium interior fit-out, luxury retail, bespoke joinery, construction, contracting or project-based B2B sales.
• Established UAE market network and experience handling large-value tenders and commercial negotiations.
• Proven experience leading teams and building an independent business development function.
• Strong working knowledge of CRM systems, reporting tools and MS Office.

Skills

Key Skills and Competencies:

• Strong business development and sales leadership capability within luxury retail fit-out, interior contracting, bespoke joinery or closely related sectors.
• Excellent market access, networking, lead generation and relationship-building skills.
• Proven ability to build and manage a high-value sales pipeline and convert complex opportunities.
• Strong bid management, presentation, influencing, negotiation and commercial contracting capability.
• Ability to assess opportunity quality, delivery feasibility, margin, risk and cash-flow implications.
• Capability to build systems, SOPs, reporting cadences, CRM discipline and performance measures.
• Strong team leadership, coaching and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• High level of ownership, commercial judgement and executive communication.