Business Development Manager - Certification (Management Systems)

The Business Development Manager (BDM) – Assessment (Management Systems) Services is accountable for driving new business growth and pipeline conversion for LRQA's management systems certification portfolio in Malaysia (ISO 9001, 14001, 45001, 27001, 50001, and related standards), including GHG verification and emerging compliance-driven services.

This is a hunting-focused, sales & revenue-accountable role. The BDM will build a robust, well-qualified pipeline, convert it to signed contracts, and grow LRQA's footprint with new and existing clients across the Singapore market. The role is being backfilled following the resignation of the previous incumbent, whose performance had fallen short of target — the mandate is a clean reset on pipeline discipline, prospecting activity, and revenue delivery from day one.

Key Responsibilities

1. New Business Development

• Identify, qualify, and pursue new certification/assessment opportunities across target sectors in Malaysia (manufacturing, energy & utilities, ports & logistics, oil & gas, financial services, and others based on market demand drivers).

• Build and maintain a pipeline of qualified opportunities at a minimum of 3x annual sales target at any given time.

• Proactively prospect via direct outreach, industry associations, regulatory bodies, and referral partners — not solely reliant on inbound leads or renewals.

2. Regulatory-Driven Selling

• Actively map Malaysia's evolving regulatory landscape to certification opportunities, including drivers such as the National Sustainability Reporting Framework (NSRF), the Cyber Security Act 2024 (ISO 27001), the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Act 2024 (ISO 50001), and the PDPA Amendment 2024.

• Use regulatory change as a proactive prospecting lever rather than waiting for client-initiated enquiries.

3. Account & Relationship Management

• Develop relationships with key decision-makers (QHSE, sustainability, compliance, and operations leaders) at target accounts.

• Manage a portfolio of existing Malaysia certification clients, identifying cross-sell and upsell opportunities (e.g. expanding from single-standard to multi-standard certification, adding GHG verification or Inspection services).

• Maintain accurate, up-to-date account plans for top accounts, coordinating with the SEA Strategic Account Management team on shared/multi-country accounts.

4. Sales Execution & Pipeline Discipline

• Own the full sales cycle: prospecting, scoping (with technical/scheme teams), proposal development, commercial negotiation, and close.

• Maintain 100% CRM hygiene — every opportunity logged, staged accurately, with realistic close dates and next steps.

• Provide accurate monthly forecasts and be accountable for variance against forecast.

5. Cross-functional Collaboration

• Work closely with technical/scheme managers to ensure proposals are deliverable, scoped correctly, and priced accurately.

• Partner with Marketing on lead generation campaigns and local market events/trade shows.

• Feed competitor and market intelligence back to regional leadership.

Experience

• Minimum 3 years of B2B sales/business development experience, ideally within certification, TIC (testing, inspection, certification), professional/compliance services, or related technical services.

• Demonstrated, quantifiable track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets.

• Existing network within Singapore’s manufacturing, energy, logistics, F&B, Datacentres, financial services sectors is highly advantageous.

• Experience selling ISO management system certifications (9001/14001/45001/27001/50001) or sustainability/GHG-related services preferred.

• Experience selling into QHSE, sustainability, or compliance buyers within regulated industries.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong hunter mentality — comfortable with cold outreach and proactive prospecting, not just managing renewals.

• Commercially astute: able to negotiate pricing and contract terms confidently.

• Fluent in English, Chinese (written and spoken).

• Strong CRM discipline and forecasting accuracy.

• Resilient, self-directed, and comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy while remaining accountable to clear metrics.

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in business, Engineering, or related field preferred; equivalent industry experience will be considered.

What Success Looks Like in the First 6 Months

• Fully ramped pipeline meeting the 3x coverage threshold, built from active prospecting rather than inherited renewals.

• First new-logo wins closed within 2 months.

• Clean CRM with accurate forecasting demonstrated over at least two consecutive months.

• At least one cross-sell win (multi-standard, GHG verification, or Inspection) demonstrating portfolio-wide selling.