Business Development Manager Southeast Asia/ Responsable développement commercial Asie du Sud-E[...]

CLS Group (Collecte Localisation Satellite); Manila; On-site; PHP 400,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading international mission-driven company is looking for a Business Development Manager in Manila, Philippines. This role involves leading intergovernmental projects, establishing relationships with stakeholders, and developing business strategies. Candidates should have an advanced degree in International Business or related fields, and experience in public-sector projects. Strong negotiation skills in both French and English are required. Join a dynamic team and contribute to sustainable solutions across Southeast Asia.

Qualifications

• Experience in developing business for public-sector or intergovernmental projects.
• Understanding of international financing mechanisms.

Responsibilities

• Lead commercial development of intergovernmental projects.
• Establish and nurture relationships with institutional counterparts.
• Develop bidding strategies and contribute to proposals.

Skills

Negotiation skills

Interpersonal skills

Autonomy

Initiative

Education

Advanced degree in International Business, International Relations, or Project Management

Job description

Overview

CLS (Collecte Localisation Satellites), a subsidiary of CNES and CNP, is an international mission-driven company. Since 1986, we've pioneered Earth observation and monitoring solutions. With over 1,000 employees across 30 countries, CLS develops innovative services at the intersection of space technologies, data science, and software engineering. Our ambition: to conceive and deploy sustainable solutions that help understand, protect, and enhance our planet. We operate in five strategic sectors: sustainable fisheries management, environment and climate, maritime security, fleet management, and energy & infrastructure. Joining CLS means becoming part of a committed, agile, innovation-focused company serving the planet.

Note: About the role – International Development Division. The International Development Division supports CLS Group’s international growth and deployment of services through intergovernmental projects. It leverages the expertise of our Business Units—especially in Environmental Monitoring and Sustainable Fisheries—and other group entities. In Southeast Asia, CLS is already present via its subsidiary PT CLS Indonesia in Jakarta. Beyond Indonesia, the entire region—Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, Cambodia—offers promising opportunities for expanding our products and services.

Role and location

We are seeking a Business Development Manager for Southeast Asia, who will:

• Lead commercial development of major and/or intergovernmental projects related mainly to the group’s Environment vertical, coordinated by the International Development Division.
• Act as Local Liaison Officer for the CopPhil project (see Annex for details).

For the first role, you will: implement the commercial strategy to develop intergovernmental projects in partnership with international donors, bilateral agencies, and government stakeholders. Establish and nurture trusted relationships with high-level institutional counterparts. Identify and qualify business opportunities with international institutions and partner governments. Build and maintain a high-quality institutional client relationship based on listening, responsiveness, and reliability. Maintain an active, solid network of public-sector decision-makers and donors, ensuring regular proactive engagement. Coordinate local pre-sales activities for these intergovernmental projects. Develop bidding strategies in response to tenders. Contribute to drafting technical and financial proposals with internal teams. Help establish contracts and partnerships with clients, funders, and local partners. Monitor ongoing projects commercially and report to senior management. Represent CLS at international forums, exhibitions, and events.

Location: Manila, Philippines — minimum 2-year assignment. Administrative and financial conditions will be agreed during the selection process to find suitable arrangements.
Start Date: January 1, 2026

Second role: CopPhil Project – Philippines Activities

In January 2024, CLS was selected by ESA to lead the CopPhil contract—a consortium project with about 10 partners. This includes a Local Liaison Officer role, constituting approximately a 50% workload over the project duration. CopPhil is an ESA initiative, requested by the European Commission (DG-INTPA), to develop a platform of services based on Copernicus data, including: Ground Motion Monitoring, Land Cover, Forest & Crop Mapping, Benthic Habitat Monitoring. These developments are accompanied by communication, training, and co-development activities. Local institutional linkage—requested by ESA—is vital to project success.

For the two-year project, liaison duties were handled by Indra Philippines and CLS staff. A one-year extension is planned, and ESA strongly requests local presence in Manila. The main interlocutor will be the Philippine Space Agency (PhilSA), along with other government bodies and universities.

Under the guidance of the CLS France Project Manager, the local representative will: maintain near-daily interactions with PhilSA; support service usage for defined use cases within the contract amendment; help organize local CopPhil events and facilitate missions (e.g., setting up meetings) for CLS and consortium staff; present CopPhil activities at various events; foster synergies between this CopPhil service project and other ESA or EU Delegation activities in the Philippines; provide monthly reports on past and upcoming activities. These tasks will be performed in collaboration with Indra Philippines. PhilSA has provided office space for project personnel. The contract amendment covers 12 months from January 2026, with liaison responsibilities estimated at 50% commitment.

Location notes and project details are subject to change per ESA and partner requirements.

Evidence of work areas

• Land cover, Forest, Crop Mapping
• Benthic Habitat Monitoring

Candidate Profile

• Advanced degree in International Business, International Relations, or Project Management.
• Proven experience in implementing and/or developing business for public-sector or intergovernmental projects.
• Understanding of international financing mechanisms (donors, development banks, etc.).
• Excellent negotiation and writing skills in both French and English.
• Strong interpersonal and diplomatic skills for engaging high-level institutional stakeholders.
• Ability to work in networks and multicultural environments.
• Rigor, autonomy, and initiative.