Senior Business Development Manager

RELX International; Johannesburg; Hybrid; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

LexisNexis Legal & Professional in Johannesburg is seeking a Senior Business Development Manager to drive revenue growth across an assigned sector. You will lead complex deals, coach cross-pod teams, and manage pipeline with a blended existing-book and new-logo target.

You will influence stakeholders, coordinate with Sales Operations and Product, and ensure governance on pricing and contracting while maintaining high ethical standards.

Qualifications

• Senior commercial experience across new-business acquisition, account growth, and retention.
• Ability to influence complex, high-value deals with multiple stakeholders.
• Strong coaching capability without formal people-management authority.

Responsibilities

• Deliver commercial targets across existing-book growth, retention, and new-logo acquisition.
• Coach Account Managers and Business Development Managers in prospecting, discovery, value articulation, negotiation, closing, and account growth.
• Build capability through joint customer engagements, field coaching, deal reviews, and knowledge sharing.
• Drive disciplined pipeline creation, progression, and qualification.

Skills

Deal leadership

Pipeline management

Stakeholder influence

Coaching capability

Negotiation skills

Job description

About the Role

The Senior Business Development Manager is a senior individual-contributor role responsible for commercial performance across an assigned sector or sub-sector. You'll drive revenue growth through complex-deal leadership, cross-pod coaching, disciplined pipeline management, and flexible capacity cover, while carrying the commercial result for your assigned scope.

You'll lead through commercial expertise, collaboration, and influence. You'll carry a blended existing-book and new-logo commercial target.

About the Team

LexisNexis Legal & Professional serves customers in more than 150 countries and is part of RELX. We use AI and advanced technologies to improve productivity and transform the business and practice of law.

Responsibilities

Commercial Performance and Deal Leadership

• Deliver commercial targets across existing-book growth, retention, and new-logo acquisition.
• Lead or support complex, high-value opportunities and progress them to commercially sound closure.
• Support opportunity qualification, deal strategy, negotiation, and customer engagement.

Sales Coaching and Capability Building

• Coach Account Managers and Business Development Managers in prospecting, discovery, value articulation, negotiation, closing, and account growth.
• Build capability through joint customer engagements, field coaching, deal reviews, and knowledge sharing.
• Prioritise coaching and deal support across pods based on commercial needs and risks.

Pipeline and Forecast Management

• Drive disciplined pipeline creation, progression, and qualification.
• Support pipeline inspections, deal reviews, and evidence-based forecasting.
• Identify conversion, coverage, and revenue risks and recommend corrective actions.

Commercial Cover and Collaboration

• Provide defined, time-bound commercial support during vacancies, leave, ramp-up periods, or capacity gaps.
• Collaborate with Sales Operations, Product, and other stakeholders to resolve deal dependencies and improve customer outcomes.
• Maintain compliance with pricing, contracting, customer, data, and internal-governance requirements.

Decision-Making Authority

• You may recommend deal strategies, prioritise coaching, challenge forecasts, and coordinate agreed commercial cover with the relevant Manager or Head.

Requirements

• Senior commercial experience across new-business acquisition, account growth, and retention.
• Success influencing complex, high-value, multi-stakeholder deals.
• Strong coaching capability without formal people-management authority.
• Relevant sector, customer, product, and commercial-model knowledge.
• Advanced pipeline management, forecasting, negotiation, and closing skills.
• Ability to balance competing commercial demands across teams.
• Strong stakeholder influence, communication, judgement, and ethical-selling skills.
• Ability to lead through expertise, share best practice, and strengthen commercial execution.

How Success Is Measured

• Achievement of blended existing-book and new-logo commercial targets.
• Pipeline quality, coverage, progression, and forecast accuracy.
• Complex-deal conversion and commercially sound wins.
• Measurable coaching impact and improved seller capability.
• Effective commercial cover and revenue continuity.
• Cross-functional collaboration and governance compliance.

About the Business

LexisNexis Legal & Professional provides legal, regulatory, and business information and analytics that help customers increase productivity, improve decision-making, achieve better outcomes, and advance the rule of law around the world.

Work in a Way That Works for You

We promote a healthy work-life balance and support flexible working hours to help you work when you're most productive.

Working for You

Benefits in South Africa include Medical Aid, a retirement plan with disability, critical-illness, life and funeral cover, modern family benefits including adoption and surrogacy, and study leave

We know your well-inilling and happiness are key to a long and successful career. We are delighted to offer country specific benefits.

We are committed to providing a fair and accessible hiring process. If you have a disability or other need that requires accommodation or adjustment, please let us know by completing our Applicant Request Support Form or please contact 1-855-833-5120.

We are an equal opportunity employer: qualified applicants are considered for and treated during employment without regard to race, color, creed, religion, sex, national origin, citizenship status, disability status, protected veteran status, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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