Business Development Manager (China)

As our first full-time commercial hire focused on China, you'll also help shape how we approach the market as we learn what works.

• Building and prioritising a target list of Chinese consumer brands with strong UK or international growth potential
• Creating new opportunities through outbound, WeChat, LinkedIn, email, events, introductions and relevant partner networks
• Finding and building relationships with the right contacts
• Using time in China to meet priority brands in person, attend relevant industry events and develop relationships that are harder to build remotely
• Testing which brands, messages and channels generate the strongest opportunities and adjusting your approach based on what works

• Owning opportunities from first conversation through discovery, demo, negotiation and close
• Understanding how prospective brands are approaching international growth, customer acquisition and promotions
• Demoing Gocertify in Mandarin and English and tailoring the commercial case to what the brand is trying to achieve
• Managing multiple stakeholders and keeping opportunities moving through clear next steps and consistent follow-up
• Negotiating commercial terms and maintaining accurate pipeline and forecast information

• Sharing what you are learning about Chinese brands, buying processes, objections and competitors
• Improving how we position and sell Gocertify in the Chinese market
• Building useful Mandarin-language sales materials, case studies and other assets where they will help opportunities progress
• Identifying which events, networks, partners and routes into the market are producing the strongest results
• Turning what works into a more repeatable approach as our China business grows

• Coordinating a clear handover into Client Success once a new partnership is agreed
• Staying involved through onboarding where your Mandarin, market knowledge or relationship with the partner helps move things forward
• Supporting clear communication around onboarding and implementation requirements
• Creating or adapting Mandarin-language onboarding materials where useful
• Feeding recurring questions or onboarding friction back into the wider team so we can improve the experience for future Chinese partners

• Fluent Mandarin and professional-level English
• Experience in B2B sales, business development or partnerships
• Evidence of creating opportunities yourself through outbound, networking, introductions or account research
• Experience progressing commercial opportunities through discovery, demo, negotiation and close
• Confidence running product demonstrations and commercial conversations with prospective clients
• Experience building relationships with Chinese businesses and a strong understanding of how commercial relationships are developed in China
• Strong pipeline management, with clear follow-up, prioritisation and forecasting
• Comfort managing your own territory or pipeline with a high level of independence
• Experience using different routes to create opportunities, including digital outreach, networking and face-to-face relationship building

Experience in ecommerce, retail, affiliate/performance marketing, SaaS, loyalty or related technology would help you get up to speed more quickly, but we do not require it.

This role will suit someone who is comfortable operating between two markets and can combine strong relationship-building with commercial discipline.

• You can bridge different ways of doing business. You'll often be the person closest to the Chinese market, so you'll need to understand what a prospect is really telling you and help the UK team understand the context behind it. Equally, you can explain Gocertify's approach in a way that makes sense to a Chinese partner, without simply translating a UK sales pitch word for word.
• You balance adaptability with commercial discipline. You'll need to adjust how you communicate and build relationships depending on the brand and situation, while still qualifying opportunities properly, maintaining momentum and being clear about what it will take to get a deal done.
• You're comfortable being the person closest to the market. There won't always be someone else internally who knows the answer about how a Chinese prospect, event or route to market works. You'll be expected to form a view, bring the right context back to the team and help us make sensible decisions from it.

• Fully remote (UK-based) with monthly in-person meetings in London.
• Core working hours: 10am-4pm UK time with flexible remote work.
• When working from the UK, you'll work 6am-2pm up to three days a week to overlap with the Chinese working day.
• Regular travel to China, typically in trips of up to 3 weeks and totalling around 3 months across the year.