Employment

1. Introduction

Buna (The Arab Regional Payments Clearing and Settlement Organization) is looking for a Business Development Lead. Duties of the Business Development Lead include developing and diversifying business through the acquisition and onboarding of new partners and managing relationships with existing ones to support overall growth strategies. The job holder is also responsible for serving as the main point of contact between Buna and existing/prospective participants, Central Banks and FHIs and financial services providers. This position will report to Chief Strategy & Development.

In this context, the following sections detail the main qualifications, skills and responsibilities related to this position:

1. Job Responsibilities

Business Strategy

• Devise and execute business development strategies to increase Buna’s customer base and service uptake via measurable KPIs.
• Own the business performance, provide strategic oversight and engage additional organizational resources as necessary.
• Serve as main point of contact for existing and potential direct participants, Central Banks, and other participants.
• Build and manage relationships with prospective partners and customers including Central Banks, commercial banks, and other types of participants.
• Keep regular contact and arrange meetings / workshops with existing and prospective partners.
• Plan and develop an effective sales and marketing campaign for Buna services.
• Promote the Buna products/services with potential participants in Arab countries and beyond.

Business Development

• Discover, qualify, research and analyse business opportunities ensuring a thorough understanding of the target industry, key participants, and competitive trends.
• Draft and present detailed presentations providing thorough assessment of opportunities, risks, benefits, alternatives, and investment justification.
• Effectively lead negotiations with partners and participants.
• Lead the partner onboarding process and contribute to the development of contractual agreements with customers ensuring adherence to law-established rules and guidelines.
• Detect areas for improvement and identify performance deviations.
• Deliver ideas and action plans to improve Buna’s results. 
• Coordinate with product management, operations, payment platform and other Buna. departments to enhance product and achieve optimal results.
• Work with participants and Central Banks to identify usage / uptake and devise strategies to increase and track uptake.

1. Qualifications and Skills

Experience & Education

• 5+ years of financial services business development, sales, or product management experience particularly in cross-border payment systems, correspondent banking, and FX solutions.
• Experience in successfully positioning new and transformative solutions that challenge the status quo in the respective sector / market.
• Experience in the following areas is a plus (Payment Market Infrastructures (PMIs), Instant Payments, Securities and Debt Markets, and CBDCs).
• Graduate degree from a reputable university preferably in finance, accounting, economics or in any relevant technical area.

Skills

• Knowledge of business development strategies, sales techniques, and marketing. 
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills.
• Excellent communication skills (oral and written). 
• Proficient in CRM applications and Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel and PowerPoint).
• Excellent organization and time management skills, negotiation skills, and ability to work on own initiative, accurately to tight deadlines, and to prioritize between conflicting demands.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks with tight deadlines simultaneously.
• Effective team player and excellent relationship building skills with ability to demonstrate a high level of discretion and positive attitude with all internal and external stakeholders.
• Ability to maintain the highest level of confidential/sensitive information and professionalism.

Languages

• Fluent in Arabic & English
• Knowledge of French is a plus