Regional Business Development Manager - Fire Protection

Michael Page; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international fire protection firm is seeking a Regional Business Development Manager based in Malaysia to drive growth across Southeast Asia. This role involves developing business strategies, managing key accounts, and supporting channel partners. The ideal candidate will have 8-10 years of experience in fire protection solutions, a strong hunter mentality, and expertise in engaging various stakeholders. Competitive salary with performance-based incentives offered.

Benefits

Competitive base salary

Performance-linked incentives

Career visibility and impact

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of experience in fire protection or life-safety solutions.
• Proven track record in new business development.
• Experience working within a distributor sales model.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute regional business development strategy.
• Manage and grow key strategic accounts.
• Track market trends and competitive activity.

Skills

New business development

Channel partner engagement

Consultative selling

Negotiation skills

Market analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related field

MBA or commercial qualifications

Job description

Regional Business Development Manager - Fire Protection

Responsible for driving regional growth of fire protection solutions across Southeast Asia by aggressively developing new business, managing key accounts, and enabling channel partners to succeed.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a regional business development strategy focused on new market entry and opportunity creation across SEA.
• Act as a hunter, proactively identifying, qualifying, and developing new business opportunities and projects.
• Drive demand creation and early‑stage specification of fire protection solutions with consultants, engineers, contractors, and end users.
• Manage and grow key strategic accounts to ensure long‑term engagement and repeat business.
• Build, develop, and manage a strong channel partner and distributor network across assigned countries.
• Support and enable partners to win opportunities through joint customer engagement, commercial guidance, and sales support (no direct sales).
• Lead customer presentations, commercial discussions, and negotiations together with channel partners.
• Deliver product, application, and commercial training to distributors, consultants, and key accounts.
• Identify gaps in regional coverage and recommend new partner appointments where needed.
• Represent the business at regional trade shows, industry events, and customer meetings.
• Track market trends, competitive activity, and regulatory developments within the fire protection sector.
• Provide structured pipeline updates, forecasts, and market intelligence to internal stakeholders.
• Be based in Malaysia, with responsibility for the entire Southeast Asia territory.
• Travel approximately 20-25% of the time (around one trip per month), with travel plans aligned to an agreed business plan and regional priorities.

Growth and Profile

Growth mandate: hunt, open doors, and build markets across SEA. High autonomy, high visibility: shape go-to-market strategies. A seasoned fire protection business development professional with a strong hunter mindset and experience operating in a partner‑led sales model.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related technical discipline; MBA or commercial qualifications are an advantage.
• Minimum 8-10 years of experience in fire protection, fire suppression, or life‑safety solutions.
• Proven track record in new business development (hunter role) within project‑based or solution‑driven environments.
• Experience working within a channel‑led or distributor sales model.
• Strong understanding of specification‑driven sales and long sales cycles.
• Ability to manage and grow key accounts while continuing to prospect for new business.
• Comfortable engaging with consultants, engineers, contractors, distributors, and end users.
• Strong commercial acumen with excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Self‑motivated, independent, and comfortable operating across multiple SEA markets.
• Willingness to travel regionally (~20-25%).
• High standards of professionalism, integrity, and stakeholder management.

About the client

Our client is an international provider of fire protection and life‑safety solutions used in mission‑critical and high‑risk environments. The business operates through a strong partner ecosystem, working closely with distributors, system integrators, consultants, and end users. With an established presence globally, the organisation is now accelerating growth across Southeast Asia by investing in dedicated commercial leadership on the ground.

Benefits

• Regional growth mandate: own Southeast Asia from a Malaysia base.
• Attractive total rewards: competitive base salary with performance‑linked incentives.
• Career visibility and impact: play a key role in shaping regional market growth for a specialised fire protection business.