Business Development Manager

WorldFirst helps businesses move money across borders quickly and at lower cost, giving small and medium-sized companies the kind of international payments infrastructure usually reserved for large enterprises. As part of Ant International, we are continuing to grow into new markets and build relationships with new clients and partners around the world.

We are looking for a Business Development Manager to drive that growth. This is a hands-on role that brings together business development, sales, market research, and market entry. You will identify new opportunities, own a sales pipeline end to end, build relationships with prospective partners, and help stand up our operations in new markets.

Key responsibilities

• Business development.
• Identify and reach out to prospective clients, partners, and financial institutions in target markets.
• Generate new opportunities through cold calls, email, LinkedIn outreach, and meetings.
• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline of qualified leads.
• Own opportunities from first contact through commercial discussions and contract signing.
• Prepare proposals, presentations, and commercial agreements.
• Hit business development and revenue targets.

Market expansion

• Research new markets and assess opportunity, competition, regulation, and customer demand.
• Help shape market entry plans for new countries and regions.
• Coordinate the setup of local entities, licenses, and registrations required to enter new markets.
• Partner with internal teams to ensure a successful launch and smooth ongoing operations in new regions.

Relationship management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients, partners, financial institutions, and other key stakeholders.
• Serve as the main point of contact for prospective partners throughout the business development process.
• Represent WorldFirst at industry events, conferences, and meetings to develop new opportunities.

Reporting and analysis

• Keep accurate records of leads, opportunities, and sales activity in the CRM.
• Track pipeline performance and provide regular forecasts and updates.
• Run market and competitor research to inform business decisions.
• Prepare clear reports and recommendations for management.

What you bring

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Marketing, or a related field.
• At least 3 years in business development, sales, partnerships, or market expansion.
• A track record of generating leads, managing a pipeline, and closing deals.
• Strong communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• The ability to build trust with both external partners and internal stakeholders.
• Solid analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Comfort working across multiple countries or regions (preferred).
• Familiarity with CRM systems and sales reporting.
• Willingness to travel when needed.
• Fluent English; Chinese is a plus.

Nice to have

• Experience in Payments, FinTech, Banking, or Financial Services.
• Experience supporting market entry or international expansion projects.
• MBA is a plus, but not required.