Business Development Agent Malaysia

Sector: Beauty, Personal Care, FMCG & Contract Manufacturing (AU)

Location: Malaysia — Remote and field-based; Kuala Lumpur/Klang Valley preferred

Employment Type: Remote Independent Contractor

Time Zone: Malaysian business hours, with reasonable availability for meetings with the Melbourne team

Unit: The Grid // Market Expansion

Compensation: Performance-based commission. A fixed monthly contractor fee may be considered depending on the candidate's experience, commercial network, availability, and final engagement scope.

The Blueprint

Lumen Partners doesn't do traditional staffing. We build specialized remote and market-entry capabilities for businesses ready to scale.

We are supporting the Malaysian expansion of an established Melbourne-based product-development and manufacturing company. The business specializes in personal care, bath and body, fragrance, home care, and related consumer-product categories.

Its capabilities include Australian-made production, contract and private-label manufacturing, product development, sourcing, and Halal-certified manufacturing capability.

We are looking for a locally based Business Development Agent who can create credible commercial pathways between the Australian manufacturing partner and relevant Malaysian brands, buyers, distributors, importers, and retailers.

The Signal

This is not a traditional entry-level BDR position or a high-volume cold-calling role.

We are looking for a commercially connected professional who already understands Malaysia's beauty, personal-care, FMCG, retail, distribution, or consumer-products ecosystem.

You will use your existing market knowledge and professional relationships to identify suitable customers, create qualified introductions, and develop those opportunities through commercial discussions.

You will not be expected to build an industry network entirely from scratch. The relevance and credibility of your existing relationships are central to this engagement.

Operational Parameters

• Introduce the manufacturing partner to relevant brand owners, founders, buyers, procurement leaders, retailers, distributors, and importers.
• Prioritize credible, relationship-led introductions over generic high-volume outreach.
• Identify businesses considering new products, private-label programs, Australian manufacturing, product-development support, or alternative supply partners.
• Determine whether prospective customers have a genuine manufacturing, sourcing, product-development, or distribution requirement.
• Gather initial information regarding product categories, estimated volumes, timelines, commercial objectives, and decision-making processes.
• Present the partner's Australian manufacturing and product-development capabilities clearly and professionally.
• Arrange and participate in virtual and in-person customer meetings.
• Coordinate briefs, product information, samples, quotations, and commercial discussions with the Melbourne team.
• Help advance opportunities from initial introduction through qualification, commercial evaluation, quotation, and potential order.
• Provide reliable updates on customer activity, opportunity stages, risks, and next steps.
• Share market intelligence concerning buyer behavior, competitors, pricing expectations, product trends, and distribution structures.

System Compatibility

You should bring:

• Current residence in Malaysia, preferably Kuala Lumpur or the wider Klang Valley.
• Professional-level English; fluency in Bahasa Malaysia is strongly preferred.
• An established commercial network within the Malaysian market.
• Existing access to relevant buyers, distributors, importers, retailers, founders, brand owners, or procurement decision-makers.
• Demonstrated success in business development, commercial representation, account development, distribution, or market expansion.
• Experience within cosmetics, beauty, personal care, home fragrance, home care, FMCG, retail, packaging, ingredients, manufacturing, or an adjacent category.
• Strong commercial judgment and opportunity-qualification skills.
• The ability to work autonomously while collaborating effectively with an Australian leadership team.
• Willingness to participate in local customer meetings, exhibitions, and relevant industry events.
• The ability to disclose existing agency arrangements and potential commercial conflicts.

Years of experience matter less than the relevance, quality, and credibility of your commercial relationships.

Mission Outcomes

Success during the initial engagement will include:

• A prioritized target-account map for Malaysia.
• Credible introductions to relevant commercial decision-makers.
• Qualified customer meetings with documented needs and next steps.
• Active product briefs, sample discussions, RFQs, quotation requests, or partnership conversations.
• A transparent pipeline showing opportunity stage, commercial potential, risks, and next actions.
• Actionable feedback that helps the manufacturing partner understand the Malaysian market.
• Commercial opportunities capable of progressing toward confirmed orders and repeat business.

Commercial Structure

This is an independent-contractor engagement rather than salaried employment.

Compensation will be primarily performance-based. Depending on the successful candidate's network, availability, and agreed responsibilities, a fixed monthly contractor fee may also form part of the final arrangement.

Before commencement, the parties will agree on the commission structure, territory, approved accounts, account attribution, repeat-order treatment, payment timing, reporting expectations, time commitment, exclusivity, and approved business expenses.

The Ethos

We reject activity for activity's sake.

This opportunity is for commercially connected operators who understand that one trusted, relevant introduction can be more valuable than hundreds of generic messages.

• If you understand the Malaysian market, protect your professional relationships, and know how to turn commercial access into meaningful opportunities, we want to hear from you.