Business Development Lead

Thinkhq; Melbourne; Hybrid; AUD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid workplace

Flexible working arrangements

Job summary

Think HQ is seeking a Business Development Lead who turns ambition into action, opening doors, building valuable relationships and driving meaningful commercial growth. You’ll spend time in the market, meeting prospective clients, attending events and moving opportunities through pitches, proposals and to new clients.

Reporting to the Head of Growth, you’ll work with agency leaders to position capabilities, assess opportunities, and win business, balancing relationship-building with delivering

Qualifications

• 3-5 years experience in business development, partnerships, client development or a related commercial role.
• Not afraid to pick up the phone or start conversations with new contacts.
• Strong commercial instincts and sound judgement to identify worthwhile opportunities.
• Established professional network with the energy to grow it.
• Excellent communication skills across levels of seniority.
• Persistence and initiative to follow through and move opportunities forward.
• Meticulous attention to detail with tenders, RFQs, RFTs and RFPs.
• Ability to manage budgets and cost estimates for opportunities and proposals.
• Strong organisation and deadline management across multiple opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Identify, research and pursue new business opportunities aligned with growth strategy and Think HQ capabilities.
• Build relationships with prospective clients, industry contacts, partners and decision-makers through targeted prospecting.
• Maintain a robust pipeline and move opportunities through pitches, proposals and client conversion.
• Coordinate with Head of Growth and agency leaders to assemble right teams for opportunities.
• Own end-to-end tender processes, ensuring compliant and compelling submissions.

Job description

We're looking for a Business Development Lead who can turn ambition into action. Someone who will actively open doors, build valuable relationships, create new opportunities and drive meaningful commercial growth, without losing sight of what makes Think HQ different.

This is a role for someone who likes making things happen. You're not waiting for opportunities to come to you. You're actively looking for them, finding the right people to talk to and giving them a good reason to talk to Think HQ.

You'll spend plenty of time out in the market, meeting prospective clients, building your network, attending events, making calls and following up. You'll be comfortable starting conversations with people you've never met, and have the persistence to keep things moving beyond the first introduction.

You'll also need a good commercial instinct. Understanding what makes a strong opportunity, knowing how to position our capabilities and recognising when there's a genuine chance to win work. You'll be curious about the challenges organisations are facing and confident connecting those needs with what Think HQ can offer.

Reporting to our Head of Growth, you'll take an active role in building and converting our new business pipeline. You'll work closely with our agency leaders and specialists to turn opportunities into pitches, proposals and, ultimately, new clients.

This role needs energy, initiative and follow-through. Someone who enjoys the relationship-building, but is equally motivated by the commercial result. You'll know that a strong network is valuable, but what you do with it is what really counts.

Where you’ll make an impact:

Create opportunities

• Identify, research and pursue new business opportunities that align with our growth strategy, capabilities and values.
• Build relationships with prospective clients, industry contacts, partners and decision-makers through targeted prospecting, cold outreach and network development.
• Keep across industry trends and emerging opportunities where Think HQ could add real value.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of qualified opportunities, keeping relationships warm and conversations moving.
• Work with the Head of Growth and agency leaders to bring the right people and expertise to each opportunity.

Help us pursue the right work

• Act as a central point of contact for new business enquiries, triaging incoming opportunities and identifying next steps.
• Support our responsible business assessment framework, weighing strategic fit, commercial viability, capacity, impact and values.
• Help determine which opportunities we pursue, which need more thought and which aren't right for us.
• Work with agency leaders to qualify opportunities and keep them moving.
• Track opportunities, relationships and pipeline health to inform growth planning and priorities.

Bring rigour to pitches and tenders

• Own and coordinate the end-to-end RFQ/RFT/RFP process, translating complex tender requirements into clear actions, responsibilities and submission plans.
• Interpret procurement specifications, eligibility criteria and evaluation requirements to ensure responses are accurate, competitive and fully compliant.
• Manage contributors, deadlines, documentation and internal approvals, keeping submissions on track and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks.
• Take ownership of tender governance and quality assurance, ensuring every response, attachment and portal requirement meets client specifications and submission protocols.
• Partner with agency leaders and craft specialists who lead the strategic, technical and creative responses, providing clear processes, guidance and oversight.
• Maintain accurate, current and accessible credentials, compliance records, standard responses and supporting documentation to strengthen consistency and readiness.
• Continuously improve our new business systems, controls and processes, identifying risks, closing gaps and making it easier for teams to deliver high-quality, compliant submissions.

Ideally, you'll bring agency experience, but we're equally open to people from professional services, consulting, partnerships, sponsorships, fundraising or other B2B environments. What matters most is your commercial instinct, ability to open doors, build relationships and turn opportunities into meaningful business.

Ideally, you'll bring:

• 3-5 years experience in business development, partnerships, client development or a related commercial role.
• You're not afraid to pick up the phone, make the first move or strike up a conversation with someone new.
• Strong commercial instincts and the judgement to know which opportunities are worth pursuing.
• An established professional network, and the energy to keep growing it.
• Strong communication skills. You're credible, curious and comfortable talking with people at all levels.
• Persistence and initiative. You follow through and work out the next step without being told.
• A meticulous eye for detail, particularly when it comes to government tenders, RFQs, RFTs and RFPs. You can interpret complex procurement requirements, identify compliance risks and ensure every response, attachment and submission requirement is accurate and accounted for.
• You're comfortable with the practical side of new business, from developing indicative budgets and cost estimates to keeping opportunities, documentation and systems organised.
• Strong organisation and attention to detail across multiple opportunities and deadlines.
• Experience with formal tender, proposal or procurement processes, or the ability to pick it up quickly.
• Integrity and a considered approach to business development.

You don't need to be the loudest person in the room, and you don't need a hard-sell approach. But you do need to enjoy putting yourself out there and making things happen.

Think HQ is a family-friendly, hybrid workplace, and we recognise that great talent doesn't always fit a traditional full-time model. We're genuinely open to part-time and flexible working arrangements for the right candidate. What matters most is finding someone with the skills, experience and enthusiasm to help shape our media offering.

We value inclusion and diversity and actively encourage applications from people of all ages, abilities and cultures, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, LGBTQIA+ people, people from multicultural communities, people who speak a language other than English, people with disabilities, older Australians and parents returning to the workforce.

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