Senior Business Development Manager

Ampersand; Sydney; On-site; AUD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Ampersand is partnering with a leading global professional services firm to appoint a Senior Business Development Manager focused on Financial Institutions and Private Capital. You will own strategic client development, work with senior leaders and coach a small BD team to deliver high-quality growth across key relationships.

The role blends strategic oversight with hands-on execution, shaping campaigns, identifying opportunities and driving revenue across sophisticated client segments.

Qualifications

• Experience in strategic client development within professional services.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and execution of strategic client plans across Financial Institutions and Private Capital relationships.
• Collaborate with senior relationship leads and partners to identify, develop and convert opportunities.
• Guide understanding of clients across FI, private equity, funds, investment management and private capital ecosystems.
• Provide strategic BD advice across client development, account management, market positioning and growth initiatives.
• Develop compelling value propositions and go-to-market strategies.
• Lead proposals, pitches, tenders and other high-value growth opportunities.

Job description

Are you an experienced business development professional ready to step into a senior, strategically important role within a leading global professional services firm?

Ampersand are partnering with a highly regarded global professional services firm to appoint a Senior Business Development Manager with a focus on Financial Institutions and Private Capital.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced BD professional to take ownership of strategic client development, work closely with senior leaders and provide leadership to a small, high-performing BD team.

The opportunity

This is a senior and highly visible role with responsibility for driving the development and growth of some of the firm's most important client relationships across the Financial Institutions and Private Capital sectors.

Working closely with senior business development leadership, sector leaders and relationship partners, you will shape and execute strategic client plans, identify opportunities for growth and provide commercially focused advice that helps convert relationships into revenue.

You will work across a sophisticated client base spanning financial institutions, investment managers, private equity, funds and other private capital participants, developing a deep understanding of their businesses, market priorities and evolving needs.

You will also provide day-to-day leadership and coaching to a small BD team, helping to set priorities, build capability and ensure a consistent and high-quality approach to business development delivery.

This is a role for someone who enjoys operating at both a strategic and hands-on level, able to advise senior stakeholders on growth strategy while also getting into the detail to make things happen.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Leading the development and execution of strategic client plans across key Financial Institutions and Private Capital relationships
• Working closely with senior relationship leads and partners to identify, develop and convert opportunities
• Developing a strong understanding of clients across financial institutions, private equity, funds, investment management and the broader private capital ecosystem
• Providing strategic business development advice across client development, account management, market positioning and growth initiatives
• Identifying opportunities to deepen existing relationships, connect clients with broader capabilities and introduce new areas of work
• Developing compelling value propositions, client propositions and go-to-market strategies
• Using market and client intelligence to identify emerging trends, opportunities and areas for growth
• Partnering with senior stakeholders to develop targeted campaigns and initiatives across priority sectors and client groups
• Leading and supporting proposals, pitches, tenders and other high-value growth opportunities
• Providing leadership, coaching and direction to a small BD team, helping to prioritise workloads and develop capability
• Building strong relationships with senior stakeholders and acting as a trusted, commercially minded advisor
• Working with the wider BD and marketing leadership team to contribute to broader sector and firm-wide growth strategies
• Tracking client development activity and translating market intelligence into actionable commercial opportunities

About you

You will be an experienced Senior Business Development Manager or Business Development Manager ready to take the next step, with a strong background in professional services, ideally within a leading law or professional services firm.

You will have demonstrated experience working with senior stakeholders and relationship partners, developing strategic client plans and influencing business development activity that delivers measurable commercial outcomes.

A genuine understanding of Financial Institutions and/or Private Capital will be highly regarded. This could include experience working with banks, insurers, investment managers, private equity firms, funds, superannuation or other institutional and investment clients.

You will also be comfortable providing leadership to others. Whether you have formal people management experience or have led projects, mentored team members and coordinated BD activity across a team, you will enjoy bringing people with you and creating a high-performing team environment.

Most importantly, you will bring:

• Strong commercial judgement and strategic thinking
• Proven experience in strategic client development and account management
• An understanding of the Financial Institutions and/or Private Capital landscape
• The confidence and credibility to influence senior stakeholders
• Excellent relationship-building and communication skills
• Strong proposal, pitch and client engagement capability
• The ability to identify opportunities and turn strategy into action
• A collaborative and pragmatic leadership style
• The ability to operate autonomously while working effectively within a broader BD function
• A genuine interest in understanding clients, their businesses and their growth priorities

Why this role?

This is a genuine opportunity to step into a senior BD position with strategic ownership, leadership responsibility and strong exposure to senior decision-makers.

You will have the opportunity to influence the growth of high-value client relationships across Financial Institutions and Private Capital, develop a small team and play an important role in shaping the firm's broader growth agenda.

If you're looking for a senior Business Development opportunity where you can influence strategy, develop people and make a tangible commercial impact, we'd love to hear from you.

Please note: due to the confidential nature of this search, further details regarding the firm will only be shared with suitable candidates during the recruitment process.