Senior Manager – Business Development

Location: Bengaluru, India (with frequent travel to client and partner sites across target markets)

Function: Business Development / Go-to-Market

Experience: 18–20 years in enterprise sales, partnerships, or business development (including 10 years in insurance)

Employment Type: Full-time, individual contributor with scope to build and lead a BD team

Reports to: Founder & CEO

About the Company

Our client is an innovative, AI-first insurance distribution and technology platform. Rather than operating as an insurer, our client empowers insurance companies to reach target audiences by seamlessly embedding products into high-volume transactional channels. The platform connects insurers, brokers, banks, digital platforms, and enterprises into a unified ecosystem—accelerating bancassurance and embedded insurance launches via APIs and white-label journeys.

Currently executing commercial pilots across Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia, and the UAE, the company covers diverse lines of business including motor, health, aviation, credit life, crop, and SME insurance, with near-term expansion planned for Turkey, Georgia, and additional international markets.

Role Overview

We are seeking a Senior Manager – Business Development to own go-to-market strategy and enterprise revenue generation. In this role, you will lead efforts to secure insurers as enterprise platform clients and establish bancassurance, embedded, and ecosystem distribution channels across pilot and expansion markets.

Key Responsibilities

- Go-to-Market Strategy

- Define and execute the multi-country GTM strategy spanning pilot markets (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia, UAE) and upcoming regions (Turkey, Georgia, and beyond).
- Determine market entry sequencing and priority lines of business based on insurer appetite, partner readiness, and local regulatory frameworks.
- Translate pilot results into repeatable playbooks, case studies, and reference models to accelerate expansion into new territories.
- Establish annual and quarterly commercial targets covering revenue, pipeline, and strategic partnerships, reporting directly to the CEO.
- Monitor industry landscapes, competitive InsurTechs, digital aggregators, and proprietary digital initiatives to inform platform strategy and commercial pricing.

2. Enterprise Lead Generation & Pipeline Management
- Identify, qualify, and secure high-value enterprise accounts via outbound prospecting, executive networks, industry forums, and strategic referrals.




- Maintain a disciplined sales pipeline with structured qualification criteria, milestone stages, and accurate revenue forecasting.
- Manage multi-stakeholder enterprise sales cycles from introduction through contract execution, including RFP responses, commercial proposals, and negotiations.

3. Insurer Partnerships
- Establish and nurture CXO-level relationships across life, general, and health insurers as well as reinsurers across target territories.
- Position the platform as a value-adding distribution partner that unlocks net-new customer segments without conflicting with agency or broker channels.
- Structure enterprise commercial partnerships encompassing product onboarding, technical integration roadmaps, data governance, and go-live plans.

4. Bancassurance, Embedded & Ecosystem Channels
- Originate bancassurance programs with commercial banks, microfinance institutions (MFIs), SACCOs, and digital lending platforms.
- Develop embedded insurance partnerships with mobile network operators (MNOs), mobile money providers, fintechs, mobility platforms, retailers, and agricultural ecosystems.
- Align relevant insurance products with channel partners and negotiate sustainable revenue-share structures.

5. Positioning & Value Proposition
- Tailor the platform's core value narrative to resonate with insurers, financial institutions, and digital platforms within distinct geographic markets.
- Collaborate with product and marketing teams to develop regional collateral, ROI frameworks, commercial pitch decks, and proposals in English, French, and local languages as needed.
- Serve as a domain ambassador at key insurance, banking, and InsurTech conferences across Africa, the Middle East, Turkey, and the Caucasus.

Qualifications

Must Have

- 18–20 years of experience in enterprise sales, business development, or strategic alliances, with at least 10 years in the insurance ecosystem (carrier, broker, bancassurance partner, or InsurTech).
- Direct commercial experience within target regions (Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Côte d'Ivoire, Zambia, UAE, Turkey, or Georgia) or analogous emerging markets across Africa, the Middle East, or the Caucasus.




- An active executive network among insurance carriers (CXOs, heads of distribution, bancassurance, and digital) and regional financial institutions or mobile money ecosystems.
- Demonstrated track record of delivering commercial outcomes in two or more lines: motor, health, aviation, credit life, crop, or SME insurance.
- Verifiable history of negotiating and closing complex, high-value B2B enterprise agreements.
- In-depth knowledge of diverse distribution architectures: broker networks, bancassurance, microinsurance, and embedded insurance models.
- Solid functional understanding of API architectures and white-label platforms to credibly lead technical scoping discussions.
- Strong commercial structuring and contract negotiation capabilities covering platform SaaS fees, commission splits, and implementation charges.
- Bachelor's degree; MBA or relevant advanced degree preferred.

Positive to Have:

- Professional working proficiency in French (for francophone markets); fluency in Arabic, Turkish, Russian, or Swahili is an advantage.
- Prior experience at an InsurTech, digital brokerage, microinsurance platform, or B2B SaaS organization selling to BFSI enterprises.
- Hands-on experience deploying embedded insurance programs via telco networks, mobile money rails, or digital lenders.
- Familiarity with regulatory frameworks across target markets (e.g., IRA, TIRA, PIA, Reserve Bank of Malawi, CIMA code, Central Bank of the UAE, SEDDK, or Georgia's ISSS).
- Experience in index-based agricultural insurance, aviation risk, or reinsurance structures.
- Experience launching operations in a new country or building a commercial BD unit from the ground up.

What We Offer

- Competitive Compensation: Above-market fixed compensation tailored for senior business development leadership.
- Uncapped Incentive Upside: Substantial variable incentive program aligned with revenue and partnership milestones.
- Long-Term Equity: Meaningful equity incentive participation (ESOP) providing direct alignment with company growth.
- Strategic Executive Exposure: Direct reporting line to the Founder & CEO with active input into corporate strategy and geographic expansion.
- Leadership Trajectory: Opportunity to build and mentor a regional business development team as platform footprint expands.
- Global Scope: Direct oversight of multiple international markets across diverse insurance product lines from day one.
- Executive Benefits: Comprehensive medical coverage and executive-level allowances.

📌 Senior Business Development Manager (Bengaluru)
🏢 NicheHR Global
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