Business Development Manager - Clients & Strategy

Forefront Recruitment; City of Melbourne; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Modern offices in Melbourne CBD

Professional culture and collaboration

Job summary

Forefront Recruitment is seeking a senior business development and client strategy professional based in Melbourne's CBD. You will own the end-to-end opportunity lifecycle from initial qualification through to close, building strong client relationships and guiding deals across commercial workplace projects.

Working with leadership and delivery teams, you will develop deal strategies, lead pitches and tenders, and align solutions with client objectives, while maintaining the pipeline and

Qualifications

• Experience in commercial workplace consultancy or related sectors.
• Proven ability to win new work and manage client relationships end-to-end.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop, qualify, bid and close project opportunities while owning the client relationship through delivery.
• Collaborate with leadership, marketing, design and delivery teams to pursue opportunities.
• Develop deal strategies, lead pitches and tenders, and present capabilites to clients.

Skills

Business development

Client strategy

Relationship management

Bid management

Sales cycle

Tools

CRM

Job description

This is a senior business development and client strategy role with an established national commercial workplace consultancy.

Based in new state-of-the-art offices in Melbourne's CBD and reporting to the General Manager, Victoria, the salary is expected to sit between $150k -200k plus super. The final package will depend on your experience, existing relationships and track record of developing new business.

The company has operated for more than 30 years and works with clients across Australia and New Zealand. It combines workplace strategy and design with in-house estimating, project management and construction, providing one point of accountability from the initial brief through to completion.

This is not a traditional business development position where you introduce an opportunity and then step away. You will develop, qualify, bid and close project opportunities while retaining ownership of the client relationship throughout delivery.

Working closely with the directors, Victorian leadership, lead generation, design, estimating and delivery teams, you will assess new opportunities and help determine which projects the business should pursue. You will develop deal strategies, lead pitches and tenders, present the company's capabilities and align the proposed solution with the client's commercial and workplace objectives.

You will also manage the pipeline and forecasting process, contribute to targeted marketing campaigns and represent the business at property and workplace industry events. Once a project is secured, you will remain connected through client meetings, site walks, handover and post-project feedback.

The culture is professional but personable, with genuine camaraderie across the different parts of the business. Sales, design, estimating and delivery work together closely, and the person who develops the relationship remains part of the team delivering the outcome. The business values people who communicate openly, support their colleagues and take collective ownership of the client experience.

Forefront has worked with the business for several years and recruited a number of staff across the team. The low level of turnover reflects a stable, supportive environment where people tend to stay and build their careers. Our experience with the leadership team has been consistently positive, and we have seen first‑hand that good people are valued and given the opportunity to develop.

The recent move into a new Melbourne CBD office reflects the next stage of the company's growth and provides a modern, collaborative base for the Victorian team.

We are deliberately open to two types of candidate.

You may be an up‑and‑coming client‑facing professional who understands the commercial property, workplace or fitout industry and has already developed some relevant relationships. You may not have an extensive network yet, but you will have the confidence, judgement and ambition to build one.

Alternatively, you may be more established in the market, with a stronger network and a proven record of developing relationships and converting opportunities into projects. This could include someone from commercial fitout, workplace design, tenant advisory, project management, property consultancy or another closely related part of the industry.

At either level, you will need to understand how commercial workplace projects come together and be comfortable engaging with senior decision-makers. You will be able to write and present clearly, negotiate opportunities and challenge client assumptions when necessary.

The business is looking for someone who is persistent without being transactional, commercially aware and comfortable working as part of a wider team. Success will be measured through new and repeat business, the quality of client relationships, realistic pipeline management and your ability to bring the internal team together around the right opportunities.