Business Development Manager IMENA (India, Middle East and North Africa)

ABRSM is expanding its Business Development team and is seeking a strategic and results driven Business Development Manager to lead our growth initiatives across India, the Middle East, and North Africa. In this role, you will be responsible for developing key partnerships, identifying new opportunities, and driving market expansion within these vibrant regions. Your passion for music education, paired with strong business acumen and exceptional relationship-building skills, will play a pivotal role in increasing ABRSM’s presence and impact. This is a unique opportunity to join the world’s leading music exam board at a significant moment in its global expansion. If you are looking for a strategic, hands-on role in an international setting and are eager to make a lasting impact on music education worldwide, we’d love to hear from you!

Job purpose

• To lead business development in the region ensuring that we meet agreed targets for exam entries, publication sales and uptake of digital products in IMENA.
• To manage consultants based in the region.
• To represent ABRSM in IMENA.
• To nurture new and existing business relationships in IMENA.
• Feed back requirements for and participate in the development of new markets, products and services.
• To provide ABRSM management with timely market information which could have a material impact on our sales performance in IMENA.

Job context and scope

The Business Development Department is primarily responsible for growing revenue, devising and implementing customer strategy, collaborating with colleagues to develop new products and services, managing communications with all ABRSM stakeholders and customers, and managing sales and marketing activities internationally. We need someone in this region to manage and grow opportunities and manage complex stakeholders.

Principal duties and responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Team Development: Lead, mentor, and develop the IMENA Regional Development Executives, fostering a high-performance sales culture. Drive professional growth through structured coaching, training, and succession planning.
• Sales Strategy & Performance Optimization: Develop and implement innovative sales strategies to overcome market challenges, including leveraging technology to enhance efficiency. Continuously refine sales processes, challenge existing work practices, and introduce new methodologies to maximize team productivity.
• Revenue Growth & Business Expansion: Own IMENA’s sales and income targets across exams, publications, sponsorships, and other revenue streams. Drive revenue growth by optimizing existing accounts and expanding into new customer segments, proactively identifying and executing high-impact strategies.
• Sales Forecasting & Pricing Strategy: Play a key role in shaping annual sales forecasts and revenue targets for IMENA, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Lead the development of annual pricing strategies, balancing market competitiveness with profitability.
• Market Expansion & Commercial Strategy: Conduct in-depth commercial evaluations of new market opportunities, influencing strategic product launches in emerging markets.
• Financial & Operational Oversight: Manage IMENA’s sales operating budget, ensuring efficient allocation of resources and ROI-driven decision-making.
• Market Coverage & Customer Engagement: Ensure full market coverage across all geographical areas and customer segments, optimizing resource deployment.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Utilize advanced analytics and data visualization to inform sales strategies and executive reporting.
• Regional Travel & Market Presence: Represent the business across the IMENA region, engaging in strategic business development initiatives and high-level client interactions.

Nature and purpose of internal and external contacts

Internal: Business Development Director, Members of the Global Business Development team, Colleagues within Product Development, The Insight team, Regional Development Executives and Publications Sales Manager, Finance, SLT and members of the Corporate Management Group.

External: Any key customer (existing and potential), by phone, email, events and meetings in the IMENA in relation to business development or resolving issues which fall outside of agreed policy.

Remit of role

• Responsible for the relevant income and expenditure budget(s).
• Spending decisions within authorisation limits.
• Managing and leading the Sales Team.
• Resolving relationship issues without escalation, to a maximum financial impact of £3,000.

Typical problems escalated to line manager

• Significant relationship issues with customers (trade or end-user) which have the potential financial impact of over £5,000.
• Budget overspend.
• Difficulties delivering on agreed objectives.
• Complex relationship issues with colleagues within or outside the department.

Nature and range of impact

The Middle East and India are significant potential markets for ABRSM and this role will ensure we have the right research and focus on opportunities.

Allocation, review and approval of work

The job holder is responsible for planning and prioritising their own activities in order to meet their responsibilities and the department goals as agreed with the Business Development Director against objectives and competencies is assessed throughout the year by the Business Development Director in accordance with ABRSM’s performance management cycle.

Equipment operation

Standard office equipment.