Senior Manager, Business Development Operations

Turner & Townsend; Kuala Lumpur; On-site; MYR 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A global project management firm is seeking a Business Development Operations Lead in Kuala Lumpur. This role involves supervising a team to enhance business development functions and drive success in major bidding processes. The ideal candidate will have over 10 years of experience in business development and strong proficiency in CRM systems like Salesforce. Additionally, skills in stakeholder management, communication, and organizational abilities are essential. The firm offers an opportunity to lead initiatives across Asia and improve processes in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years' experience in leading a business development function.
• Proficiency in CRM systems and data analytics tools.
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of operations professionals.
• Oversee management of business development systems and databases.
• Guide strategy for knowledge management and content sharing.
• Support major bids with structured guidance.

Skills

Stakeholder management skills

Proficiency in CRM systems

Strong skills in Microsoft Office Suite

Organizational skills

Proofreading skills

Communication skills

Team player

Education

Relevant degree in Business, Commerce, Management, Marketing

APMP accreditation (advantageous)

Tools

Salesforce

Data analytics tools

Job description

Working in partnership with our clients, we deliver major projects and programmes with skill and precision, by focusing on outcomes and driving high performance.

Delivering innovative solutions and exceptional outcomes across our sectors, we drive the success of our client’s projects and programmes through effective planning, highly skilled teams, and rigorous controls.

Our capabilities include asset management, controls and performance, cost and commercial management, digital, procurement and supply chain, programme advisory, project management and sustainability. Backed by our extensive experience, we focus on outcomes to transform client’s projects and programmes.

With over 133 offices across 47 countries, we are an organisation of over GBP 1.5 billion turnover and 12,000+ talented team members across the world. In 2025, we are combining with CBRE’s Project Management business to create the premier, differentiated programme, project, and cost management capability globally. Through this change, our profile in Asia will scale significantly, comprising a team of over 4000 staff across all major countries in region. The combination of our programme management and project management and commercial management capabilities will provide a unique opportunity to do things for our clients. In Asia, we bring more than 4000 talented colleagues together across ten locations, supporting the region’s most iconic and critical projects and programmes. Our local track record includes high-profile projects such as Marina Bay Sands, Osaka Expo and offshore wind farms, as well as oversight of major property portfolios for major local and global brands.

Job Description

Turner & Townsend is seeking a strategic and collaborative Business Development Operations Lead to oversee a team responsible for enabling the business development function to grow the business and drive work winning. This leadership role is central to managing business development systems, reporting, knowledge assets, and major bid support, while also acting as a key interface between business development leadership, marketing, and client-facing teams.

The successful candidate will be technically strong in bidding and business development (BD) and have key strengths in stakeholder management and collaboration. They will be comfortable working in a matrix-organisational structure and fast paced environments.

The Operations Lead will lead a team of specialists and interface extensively with leadership both in Asia, Asia Pacific and globally on a regular basis.

Key Responsibilities

Team leadership & strategic enablement

• Lead, coach, and develop a team of operations professionals across data, reporting, knowledge management, and bid disciplines to enable the Business Generation (BG) Function to drive work winning.
• Set team priorities aligned with BD and regional growth strategies, ensuring delivery of high-quality outputs that support business development goals and colleagues.
• Partner with business development leadership to understand strategic priorities and translate them into operational plans and support.
• Collaborate closely with marketing, BD leads in priority markets, and sector teams to ensure alignment of messaging, content, and pursuit strategies.
• Foster a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Line manage 5 professionals

Data & Reporting Oversight

• Oversee the management of BD systems and databases, ensuring understanding, data integrity and usability within business development, and the wider business.
• Establish and maintain accurate and timely reports, dashboards, and analytics to inform decision‑making and track performance.
• Support forecasting and pipeline reviews in collaboration with finance and BD leads.

Knowledge Management

• Guide the strategy and enablement of content and knowledge tools including central repository of business development materials, including case studies, credentials, and client insights.
• Drive initiatives that improve knowledge sharing and content reuse across the business, with the Content and Knowledge Manger.
• Oversee the development and maintenance of bid libraries and reusable content assets.

Major bids enablement

• Lead the resourcing of strategic bid support, ensuring bid professionals provide structured and responsive support for major pursuits.
• Oversee bid compliance processes and our bid to win framework
• Ensure that bid professional deliver winning, high quality and compliant bids.
• Own bid libraries and toolkits, including capability and training programmes

Operational Excellence & Process Improvement

• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance the efficiency and scalability of business development operations.
• Provide training and support to business development and client-facing teams on tools, systems, and best practices.
• Champion innovation and digital enablement across business development operations.

Qualifications

• Relevant degree in Business, Commerce, Management, Marketing, English or engineering.
• Association of Proposal Management Professional (APMP) accreditation advantageous, or willing to be completed
• Minimum 10 years' experience of working in/leading a business development function
• Line management experience (essential)
• Proficiency in CRM systems (e.g., Salesforce), data analytics tools, and knowledge management platforms.
• Strong skills in Microsoft office suite, including Powerpoint and Word
• Stakeholder management skills including influencing and building trust in matrix organisation environments.
• Proof reading skills with a keen eye for accuracy and detail, including ensuring responses adhere to word/page limits (essential)
• Organizational skills, with the ability to priorities and meet deadlines while maintaining a high standard of quality (essential)
• Communicate confidently and effectively, verbally and in writing and ability to foster credible collaborative relationships (essential)
• Team player who is willing to adapt to changing priorities of the business (essential)
• Contribute openly to the team with innovations and ideas to ensure the success and development of the company