Business Development Manager

Skills this role screens for

Also

Position Purpose

The Business Development Manager will drive strategic growth by securing new contracts and expanding the company’s market share in dry and liquid bulk cargo handling, port terminal operations, stevedoring, and warehousing services. This role focuses on identifying high-value commercial opportunities, building strategic partnerships with major industrial clients, commodities traders, and shipping lines, and securing long-term service agreements to maximize terminal and asset utilization.

The work

Key Responsibilities

• Market Expansion & Sales Strategy
• Formulate and execute comprehensive business development strategies to target producers, traders, and end-users of bulk commodities (e.g., coal, iron ore, grain, fertilizers, cement and biomass).
• Identify, qualify, and secure new business opportunities for port terminals, stevedoring, stockpiling, and multimodal logistics solutions.
• Conduct regular market research to monitor industry trends, competitor landscape, freight tariff fluctuations, and emerging trade routes.
• Achieve or exceed set annual volume (tonnage) and revenue targets defined by executive leadership.
• Client Acquisition & Relationship Management
• Build and maintain a robust pipeline of qualified enterprise leads through targeted networking, industry conferences, and direct outreach.
• Manage the complete sales lifecycle from initial cold outreach and site visits to technical scoping and contract finalization.
• Act as the primary relationship manager for strategic accounts, ensuring high customer satisfaction and identifying opportunities for upselling or cross-selling logistics services.
• Address and resolve complex client grievances by coordinating closely with the terminal operations team.
• Proposal Development & Contract Negotiation
• Lead the preparation and submission of comprehensive commercial proposals, expressions of interest (EOIs), and formal Request for Proposal (RFP) responses.
• Collaborate with engineering, operations, and finance teams to calculate accurate cost estimations, handling rates, and feasibility metrics for complex bulk cargo operations.
• Operational Collaboration & Reporting
• Liaison between customers and operations teams to ensure terminal capacity, draft restrictions, and equipment capabilities (e.g., conveyor networks, grab cranes, stacker-reclaimers) match client requirements.
• Participate in monthly and quarterly business reviews, providing senior leadership with precise sales forecasts, pipeline visibility, and market intelligence reports.
• Maintain meticulous records of all lead interactions, contract stages, and account health indicators within the corporate CRM system.
• Rapid Communication & Email Management: Act as the first point of contact, managing incoming emails and phone calls with high speed and polite etiquette. Draft, edit, and reply to correspondence on behalf of the MD swiftly to maintain momentum in business operations.