Business Development Manager - Smart Infrastructures - Asean

LACROIX Group; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 368,000 - 613,000; Full time

Job summary

LACROIX Group is expanding its commercial presence in Southeast Asia from Malaysia, focusing on Smart Grids and Water. The role develops partner networks, identifies market opportunities, strengthens customer relationships, and provides market feedback to European units.

Reporting to the regional lead, the position emphasizes business development, partner management, and regional representation across ASEAN.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience in business development, sales, channel management or partner management.
• Experience in Smart Grids, power distribution, electrical infrastructure, industrial automation or energy technologies.

Responsibilities

• Drive market entry and growth of Smart Grids in Southeast Asia.
• Develop and expand local partner networks and channel partnerships.
• Support implementation of proactive push-pull commercial strategy.
• Gather customer insights to inform product localization and development.
• Act as bridge between ASEAN markets and European teams to translate needs into actions.

Skills

Business development

Partner management

Channel management

Market intelligence

Customer relationship

Job description

Role Context

LACROIX is strengthening its commercial presence and market development capabilities in Southeast Asia across two business units:

• Smart Grids (medium-voltage power distribution automation and grid automation solutions)
• Smart Water (primarily drinking water network monitoring and management solutions)

The role is being created to establish a stronger local presence in the ASEAN region and to:

• Accelerate the development of the Smart Grids business.
• Maintain and expand the existing Water business.
• Build closer relationships with customers and partners.
• Provide market intelligence and customer feedback to European business units and product teams.
• Support the long-term regional growth strategy of LACROIX.

The position will report directly to Carlos Miranda, who oversees international markets across the business units.

The employee will be based in Malaysia, which has been identified as the most suitable regional hub due to:

• Its strategic location within ASEAN.
• Ease of travel across the region.
• A strong international business environment.
• Lower operational costs compared to Singapore.
• Visa advantages for regional and European travel.

In the short term, the main focus countries will be:

• Malaysia
• Indonesia

Over time, the scope is expected to expand to additional ASEAN markets.

Purpose of the Role

To drive the growth of LACROIX's Smart Grids and Water businesses in Southeast Asia by developing partner networks, identifying market opportunities, strengthening customer relationships, and acting as the voice of the market toward the European business units.

The role combines business development, partner management, market intelligence, and regional representation.

Key Responsibilities

Smart Grids Business Development (Primary Focus)

• Drive market entry and growth of the Smart Grids business in Southeast Asia.
• Identify and develop new business opportunities.
• Build market awareness and customer engagement around LACROIX Smart Grid solutions.
• Develop and expand local partner networks.
• Support the implementation of a more proactive "push-pull" commercial strategy.
• Understand utility and energy market requirements.
• Gather customer insights to support future product development and localization.

Water Business Development (Secondary Focus)

• Maintain and grow the existing Water business across the region.
• Support and develop the established partner network.
• Identify additional opportunities in drinking water network monitoring and management.
• Leverage existing market presence while expanding business potential.

Partner Management

• Develop strong relationships with distributors and channel partners.
• Train, support and enable partners.
• Identify and onboard new partners where relevant.
• Ensure partners understand LACROIX's value proposition and solutions.
• Support partner-driven business growth.

Customer Engagement & Market Intelligence

• Meet customers, utilities, partners and end users regularly.
• Understand local market expectations and purchasing drivers.
• Gather feedback on product features, market needs and competitive positioning.
• Provide structured market intelligence back to the business units and product teams.
• Monitor market trends and competitor activities.

Regional Representation

• Act as the bridge between ASEAN markets and European teams.
• Translate local customer needs into actionable business insights.
• Facilitate collaboration between local stakeholders and headquarters.
• Participate in training sessions and meetings with European teams.

Key Challenges and Success Factors

• Establishing and accelerating Smart Grids business growth in a region where LACROIX currently has limited market penetration.
• Balancing the development of a growing Smart Grids business while maintaining an existing Water business.
• Managing diverse cultures, business practices and stakeholder expectations across ASEAN.
• Building credibility with customers and partners.
• Delivering meaningful market feedback that influences future product and portfolio decisions.
• Successfully navigating both local and international business environments.

Role Differentiators

• Newly created strategic role with high visibility.
• Direct impact on the growth of two business units in a key region.
• Significant autonomy and ownership.
• Exposure to international leadership teams.
• Opportunity to influence product roadmap and market strategy through direct customer feedback.
• Long-term potential to support the expansion of LACROIX across additional ASEAN markets.
• Unique combination of business development, partner management and market intelligence responsibilities.

Additional Information

Expected Profile

Professional Experience

Required:

• Minimum 5 years of relevant experience.
• Experience in business development, sales, channel management or partner management.
• Experience in one or more of the following sectors:
  • Smart Grids
  • Power distribution
  • Electrical infrastructure
  • Industrial automation
  • Energy technologies

Highly desirable:

• Experience with companies such as Schneider Electric or similar industry players.
• Experience with manufacturers, technology providers, system integrators or channel partners in the sector.
• Experience working through indirect sales channels and partner networks.

Regional Experience

• Strong exposure to Southeast Asian markets.
• Experience working across multiple ASEAN countries rather than a single domestic market.
• Understanding of regional business cultures and commercial practices.
• Existing regional network would be advantageous.

Technical Understanding

• Solid understanding of Smart Grid technologies and applications.
• Ability to understand customer requirements and market trends.
• Credibility when interacting with technical stakeholders.
• Knowledge of utility, energy distribution or automation environments.

The role is not expected to be a highly technical engineering position, but candidates must be able to understand the technology and engage credibly with customers and partners.

Behavioral Competencies

• Strong relationship-building skills.
• Business development mindset.
• Entrepreneurial and proactive approach.
• High level of autonomy.
• Ability to work remotely and independently.
• Strong networking capabilities.
• Curiosity and market awareness.
• Influencing and stakeholder management skills.

Intercultural Capabilities

This is considered a critical success factor.

The successful candidate must be able to:

• Bridge Asian and European business cultures.
• Translate local market expectations into actionable recommendations for headquarters.
• Operate effectively within an international organization.
• Manage communication across different cultural environments.

The hiring team specifically highlighted that they are looking for someone who already brings this capability rather than someone who would need to develop it from scratch.

Languages

Required:

• Fluent English.

Strongly preferred:

• Bahasa Malaysia and/or Bahasa Indonesia.

Consolidate a strong smart water business while unlocking new growth in smart grids across ASEAN.

LACROIX develops electronic solutions for critical infrastructure, supporting utilities and cities facing challenges related to water management, energy efficiency, digitalization and resilience.

In ASEAN, LACROIX has an established and successful smart water business. The next step is to leverage this footprint to develop smart grids and smart lighting, relying on strong partner ecosystems and regional growth.