Business Development Manager (FTC - 12 months)

at  OLIVER AGENCY

Established in 2004, OLIVER is the world’s first and only specialist in designing, building, and running bespoke in-house agencies and marketing ecosystems for brands. We partner with over 300 clients in 40+ countries and counting. Our unique model drives creativity and efficiency, allowing us to deliver tailored solutions that resonate deeply with audiences.
As a part of The Brandtech Group, we’re at the forefront of leveraging cutting-edge AI technology to revolutionise how we create and deliver work. Our AI solutions enhance efficiency, spark creativity, and drive insightful decision-making, empowering our teams to produce innovative and impactful results.
Role: Business Development Manager (FTC - 12 months)
Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

KEY SKILLS:

• 7+ years professional experience in sales/ growth, strong preference for background in the advertising/ marketing industry
• Experience networking at large and small industry events
• Excellent communication skills: written, presentation, in-person and virtual
• Strong PowerPoint skills (not necessarily design, but a pro-user of the application)
• Able to research a category and/or client, and synthesize into insights for the pursuit
• Conveys a professional and solution-oriented approach to clients, demonstrating an understanding of the marketer’s challenges and concerns
• Understands marketing and advertising activities, such as digital media, shopper, ecommerce, social media, community management, influencer marketing, content production, plus emerging tech like automation and Generative AI
• Experience in developing winning sales and pitch strategies to deliver results across a diverse range of decision-makers
• Experience leading sales operations management activities, including pipeline hygiene (accurate forecasting, assessing probabilities, recommending next-best actions)
• Experience influencing executive-level clients and internal stakeholders, through a outcomes-based, win-win orientation
• Proficient in both spoken and written Dutch and English

ABOUT THE ROLE:

The Business Development Manager is an integral part of our continued growth. You will identify, nurture, and manage new business leads from initial discovery through closing, guiding the action plan, communication strategy, and coordinating the resources and materials required for all presentations and meetings. The position is much more than a sales role – it requires a solutions mind-set, a deep curiosity about a prospective client’s business challenges, and the ability to translate those insights into a clear, actionable opportunity brief and approach to win.
The Business Development Manager is a natural networker, connecting with people both virtually, and IRL, through inbound and outreach, and at events and conferences. You are both a great conversation starter, and active listener. You love the small details that make a difference in a new relationship, and follow-up is your forte. People remember you.
You are fluent in both the marketing and procurement sides of a prospective client organization, and are able to frame conversations that resonate with different audiences. You are a collaborator at heart but are comfortable with self-direction. You write persuasively and clearly, are a compelling storyteller in a presentation setting, and intuitively understand how to shape the dynamic in the room with the right people and content.

WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING:

• Identify and manage leads from discovery to close, using tools and methodology to qualify, vet, understand, evaluate, and recommend the sales and communication approach for a new business opportunity
• Build and manage a robust pipeline of leads, and develop and execute a contact strategy at all relevant level of the target organization
• Collaborate with Growth Leaders on level of effort to expend on prospects, based on your evaluation of their potential, and manage to that decision
• Collaborate with Account, Operations, Strategy, Technology, and People teams to assemble response and pitch teams, and brief and prepare subject-matter experts for success deliverables into the process
• Coordinate all activities related to meetings and presentations, on both agency and client side
• Use your excellent communication, writing, and presentation skills to organize and share information in a compelling and effective manner to internal and external stakeholders, whether in email, calls, or in-person
• Manage the pipeline reports with accurate forecasts and handicaps, and lead status meetings for senior leadership, providing an accurate and actionable view into the new business pipeline, including clear communication of any needs you have from the broader organization
• Attend events and conferences both virtually and in-person, in order to network with prospective clients and other contacts, in service of converting introductions to active new business lead opportunities
• Oversee the handoff of new business wins to the Implementation Team, remaining an active part of the process to ensure a seamless transition from prospect to client