How to become a business development manager
Official title: Business development manager
Also called: Business development assistant manager, Business development director, Business intelligence director, Chief commercial officer (CCO), Commercial manager (manufacturing/mining company), Market development director, Business Development Manager - Brokers, Business Intelligence Manager, Head – Content, Head of Business Development - Brokers, Head of Business Development, Head of Trade Management
Business development manager conceptualises sales strategies and business plans. He/she may refer to data insights and analysis to make informed business decisions. He/she implements market expansion and new market plans for business growth. He/she prospects, develops relationships with potential customers and formulates new account development strategies. He/she may manage the allocation of business resources, including manpower and internal assets of specific projects.
Main tasks
- Planning and organising special sales and marketing programmes based on sales records and market assessments
- Determining price lists, discount and delivery terms, sales promotion budgets, sales methods, special incentives and campaigns
- Establishing and directing operational and administrative procedures related to sales activities
- Leading and managing the activities of sales staff
- Establishing and managing budgets and controlling expenditure to ensure the efficient use of resources
- Representing the enterprise or organisation at sales and marketing conventions, and trade exhibitions
Ways in
- University: Business & Commerce degrees, Offered by 6 universities in Singapore
Pay · Outlook · AI and this job
- Median pay: $104,028 a year. The middle half earn $71,484 to $158,268 a year.
- Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
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Questions people ask
How do I become a business development manager?
Ways in include: Business & Commerce degrees.
How much does a business development manager earn in Singapore?
Median full-time pay is $104,028 a year (Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg)). The middle half earn $71,484 to $158,268.
Will AI change the work of a business development manager?
Generative AI could change some tasks in this job, by the ILO's global estimate.
Sources
- Ministry of Manpower (via data.gov.sg): Resident Occupational Wages (Occupational Wage Survey) (June 2024 (data.gov.sg update 2026-04-01)), Singapore Open Data Licence v1.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
- International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026
Updated 4 October 2026