Business Development Team Leader – Automotive Tech
Location: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent
About the Client We are partnering with a pioneering AI-powered tech company dedicated to revolutionizing the automotive industry. Our client combines state-of-the-art AI video technology with deep automotive expertise to deliver innovative content solutions. Their mission is to transform how vehicles are marketed and sold by creating smarter, more engaging, and highly efficient digital experiences.
The Opportunity We are exclusively seeking a highly driven Senior Business Development Team Leader with a deep-rooted background in the automotive sector and an extensive local network.
This is not a desk-bound role. Our client needs a hands-on, highly strategic leader to drive aggressive new business expansion through systematic offline store visitation and partnership acquisition. If you have a proven track record of 0-to-1 market development and possess a black book of strong automotive relationships across Malaysia, this is a unique opportunity to build and lead a high-performing team in a cutting-edge sector.
Key Responsibilities
New Business Development & Strategic Expansion
- Spearhead the end-to-end development of new business channels within Malaysia's automotive ecosystem, including workshops, spare parts retailers, fleets, and service centers.
- Identify and penetrate untapped markets, leveraging your hands-on experience in 0-to-1 market creation (launching new cities, verticals, or customer groups from scratch).
- Design and execute a rigorous offline store visitation strategy—planning daily/weekly field routes, conducting face-to-face pitches, negotiating, and closing lucrative partnership agreements.
Team Leadership & Field Execution Management
- Recruit, train, and mentor a high-performance, field-focused BD team.
- Strategically assign territories and visit targets to ensure maximum market coverage.
- Establish and monitor clear KPIs based on completed store visits, visit-to-partnership conversion rates, partnership quality, and new account revenue.
- Lead from the front: regularly accompany your team on field visits to provide coaching, help close key accounts, and enforce high execution standards.
Automotive Network & Resource Leverage
- Instantly activate your existing network of garage owners, workshop chains, spare parts distributors, tire shops, accessory retailers, and automotive associations (especially within the Klang Valley).
- Utilize your industry credibility to negotiate win-win commercial terms.
- Serve as the senior escalation point for key automotive partners, resolving high-level issues and deepening strategic ties.
Operational Excellence in Offline BD
- Standardize the end-to-end field visit process, from pre-visit targeting and pitch materials to onboarding compliance and CRM updates.
- Leverage data analytics to continuously optimize route efficiency, team productivity, and partner lifetime value.
- Collaborate closely with product, operations, and marketing teams to ensure client offerings perfectly align with on-the-ground partner needs.
The Ideal Candidate
- Industry Veteran: Minimum 5+ years of experience in automotive after-sales, parts distribution, workshop management, fleet services, or mobility platforms.
- Established Network: You bring actionable, pre-existing relationships with workshop owners, garage chains, suppliers, or fleet operators in Malaysia (Klang Valley network is highly prioritized).
- Proven Leader: Demonstrated experience managing a field-based BD or sales team of at least 3–5 members, with a strong track record in coaching and performance metrics.
- 0-to-1 Builder: Proven success in developing a new market, city, customer segment, or product vertical entirely from scratch to meaningful scale.
- Expert Negotiator: Exceptional B2B closing skills, specifically tailored to small-to-medium automotive businesses.
- Field-Oriented: A strong willingness and preference to be out in the field leading the team, rather than managing from behind a desk.
- Linguistically Versatile: Fluent in English and Bahasa Malaysia. Mandarin proficiency is a strong advantage for engaging specific segments of the automotive supply chain.
