Business Developer

Open Knowledge Foundation is looking for a motivated Business Developer to help us expand our commercial services activities.

Our ideal candidate has in-depth knowledge of and experience with the sales process, excelling at lead generation, relationship building, and closing deals in projects related to data infrastructures and software as a service, but also experiences combining consulting services, training services and software as a service.

We are seeking a quick learner with strong negotiating skills, and someone with a track record of success who can inspire the same in others. The role demands a leader with a sharp mind and the ability to lead a business inspired by values and the advancement of the public interest.

Main duties and responsibilities

• Identify and research potential clients
• Develop and maintain client relationships
• Lead proposals creation.
• Lead services package creation.
• Negotiate contract terms with clients and communicate with stakeholders
• Gather useful information from customer and competitor data
• Make and give presentations to prospective clients, with the CEO's support.
• Attracting new clients by innovating and overseeing the sales process for the business
• Working with senior team members to identify and manage company risks that might prevent growth.
• Identifying and researching opportunities that come up in new and existing markets and social spaces.
• Preparing and delivering pitches and presentations to potential new clients
• Combining efforts and fostering a collaborative environment within the business as a whole
• Communicating with clients to understand their needs and offer solutions to their problems
• Creating positive, long-lasting relationships with current and potential clients

Preferred experience

• 5 years+ of work experience in Sales Management or non for-profit development. Free software familiarity is a plus.
• Experience in the non for-profit sector.
• Basic data literacy skills
• Strong customer service and sales skills for generating leads.
• A social purpose mindset
• Outstanding interpersonal skills at all levels for building meaningful relationships with clients
• Advanced presentation and persuasive skills
• Experience in both the project management and sales side of running a business
• Fluent in English (Multilingual is a plus)
• Problem-solving skills to propose mutually beneficial solutions
• Proficiency with word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software
• Ability and willingness to travel for meetings with prospective and existing clients
• Excellent teamwork skills
• Extensive knowledge of productivity tools and software 

The Organisation:

Open Knowledge Foundation is a global non-profit organisation working towards the openness of all forms of knowledge to secure a fair, free and open future for all. A world where all non-personal information is open, free, for everyone to use, build on and share, in which creators and innovators are recognised and rewarded. The wide range of projects we work on all aim to give people access to data, the knowledge to understand it, and the power to use it in our everyday lives.

Open Knowledge Foundation is a distributed team, based all over the world, so experience or strong understanding of what is required to work in a global, multicultural, highly transparent, remote team is a distinct advantage. 

The applicant must have their own computer, with all the software required to perform their work  as well as access to a reliable internet connection, after a trial period, the organisation provides support for equipment acquisition and a budget for products and services to perform their work.