Business Development Manager & Partner Manager

About this role

To strengthen our Sales Team, we are looking for a Business Development Manager & Partner Manager to join us as soon as possible. In this role, you will be responsible for identifying and developing new business opportunities while building and managing strategic partnerships that contribute to our sustainable growth. You will actively expand our market presence, establish relationships with potential customers and partners, and transfer qualified market opportunities into commercial success.

As the connection point between customers, partners and our internal teams, you will manage the entire business development process, in cooperation with the marketing team from market research, initial outreach, commercial negotiations, close deals, and to long-term business relationships. You will work closely with Consulting, PMO, Marketing, and Product Management as well as other relevant stakeholders to ensure that new opportunities are strategically relevant, commercially viable and successfully implemented.

This position combines hands-on business development with strategic partner management. We are therefore looking for someone who enjoys opening new doors, building trusted relationships and taking responsibility for opportunities from the initial idea through a closely managed sales process to a successful commercial outcome. For this position, residency in Germany (Ideally in Hamburg) as well as very good German and English skills, both written and spoken, are required.

The role may involve regular travel to customers, partners and industry events. Identification, evaluation and development of new business opportunities, target markets and potential customer segments Development and implementation of business development and partner strategies aligned with the company’s growth objectives Proactive acquisition of new customers and partners through targeted outreach, networking, referrals and industry events Building, managing and further developing long-term relationships with strategic partners, including technology, implementation, consulting and sales partners Ownership of the business development cycle, from initial contact and needs analysis to solution positioning, commercial negotiation and contract conclusion Development of individual business cases, cooperation models and go-to-market approaches for customers and partners Negotiation of commercial terms and coordination of agreements in close cooperation with management and relevant internal stakeholders Establishment of structured partner onboarding, enablement and development activities Monitoring of partner performance and joint business activities based on defined objectives and relevant KPIs Maintenance of an accurate and transparent sales and partner pipeline, including regular forecasting and reporting Continuous analysis of market developments, customer requirements, competitors and relevant industry trends Representation of the company at customer meetings, partner meetings, trade fairs, conferences and other relevant industry events Close collaboration with internal teams, particularly Sales, Marketing, Product Management, Consulting and Management Contribution of customer and partner feedback to the ongoing development of our products, services and commercial strategy 5+ years of professional experience in a sales function with focus on business development, strategic sales, partner/channel management or a comparable commercial role Proven experience in acquiring new customers or partners and developing commercial relationships from the initial contact through to a successful agreement (required) Experience in developing and managing strategic partnerships and partner ecosystems (indirect sales channels) Ability to assess market potentials, develop opportunities, qualifiying customer needs and developing customer specific business cases Experience in selling complex software products, IT solutions or consulting services, ideally in a B2B environment Experience in the Oil & Gas, chemical, energy, logistics or industrial software sector is a strong advantage; alternatively, a clear willingness and ability to develop a deep understanding of the relevant industry Confident communication with customer and partner stakeholders at different levels, including operational contacts, technical experts, decision-makers and senior management Strong negotiation, presentation and relationship-building skills Experience in commercial negotiations and the coordination of contracts, cooperation agreements or partner models A structured, reliable and results-oriented way of working, combined with a high degree of ownership Entrepreneurial thinking and the ability to independently identify, prioritize and develop new opportunities Ability to understand complex products and technical topics and communicate their business value clearly to customers and partners Experience working with CRM systems and maintaining a transparent, accurate and up-to-date opportunity pipeline Very good German and English skills, both written and spoken (required) Willingness to travel regularly for customer and partner meetings as well as relevant industry events A completed degree in Business Administration, Economics, Business Informatics, Engineering, International Management or a comparable qualification Note: This is not an entry-level position.