We are seeking a Business Development Associate Director who loves to win! This role will play a critical commercial role in a key growth priority area for us.  

You'll speak the customer's language, look at marketing issues from their point of view and know how to build a bridge to a company's service offering in a convincing way. You have already shown in your work that you can generate profitable new business. 

The role will also require you to work closely and proactively with our Brand, Customer Experience, Innovation, Media and Analytics teams, colleagues in other countries and client leaders. 

What you’ll be doing 

As a BD Associate Director, you would drive the Business Development activities for Kantar Insights, UAE. 

Specifically, you will:  

• Continually identify new sales opportunities with new prospects, lapsed clients  

• Grow a strong new business portfolio to deliver against sales targets 

• Ability to understand and converse with clients on the full range of Kantar offers 

• Identify client needs; collaborating with the domain team to craft research proposals to meet these needs 

• Network within client organizations and develop new relationships to sell additional services into the client organization 

• Bring a strong commercial focus, continually working to uncover new client revenue opportunities 

• Supervise financial forecasts and activity throughout the sales cycle 

• Setting and meeting sales targets, while maintaining profitability and margins. 

• Make recommendations and collaborate with the Marketing department on relevant propositions and collateral to share with clients 

The skills & experience needed as Associate Director 

Sales Strategy: Define and agree a hunting strategy and pipeline in both target sector, clients and territories. This will enable achievement of financial target and that will also align with the context of the wider Kantar offer.   

Network: Build Network and role profiles both internally and externally to activate the hunting strategy alongside ensuring presence and offer is known amongst the relevant groups. Internally: Broader sales team across Kantar, SDR’s, Marketing, Domains and wider Kantar divisions. Externally: Thought leadership, Industry events, Social media platforms, leveraging personal network etc.   

Activity: Proactive and focused approach to sales activity, whilst continuously evaluating return on investment on sales techniques and approaches.   

Pitches & Proposals: To be a trusted adviser to clients developing an emerging or formal brief into a win for Kantar. Project manage the story-telling and curation of winning pitches and proposals, leaning into the support of experts across the business as and when needed gain the relevant solutions / research design to provide the appropriate detail to win the pitch.   

Opportunity Qualification: Lead on deeper conversations with the client to understand the risks and the rewards associated with the opportunity whilst continuing to build a trusted partner relationship. Take ownership in ensuring Kantar are pitching ‘on-strategy’ business that is mutually beneficial for client and Kantar and has a high chance of success.   

Systems and Technology: Awareness, enablement, adoption and review of systems and platforms including CRM, Maconomy, LinkedIn, Sales navigator and any identification of new systems.   

Revenue: Achieve / exceed individual financial target.   

Qualifications: 

• Strong record of strategic commercial outcomes 

• Highly commercial, with extensive experience of success across the sales funnel (Pre Sales, Lead Qualification, Sales and Client Onboarding) 

• Deep client development experience, including generating and managing individual pipeline and commercial management 

• Knowledge of the Middle East market is a plus 

• Arabic speaking is a plus 

About the Dubai office 

Dubai offers an exceptional living with world class infrastructure, tax free income, high quality education, safe and secure family living with easy connectivity to any part of the world. There are more than 30 nationalities residing in Dubai offering a unique cosmopolitan culture. 

We offer visa sponsorship and assist with relocation support for this role.  

#LI-LB2