Director of Business Development, AI & Data Consultancy – Amsterdam

We are working with an established and ambitious international professional services and technology business undergoing an exciting period of growth and development.

Operating across a number of international markets, the organisation helps major businesses address complex commercial and operational challenges through a combination of consulting, technology, data, AI and specialist expertise.

It operates in a rapidly evolving market where advances in technology, automation and AI are creating significant new opportunities for organisations prepared to rethink how they operate and compete.

Backed by external investment and with an established customer base, the business is now entering an important next phase of its development.

A key part of that journey will be building a more scalable, predictable and sophisticated commercial operation capable of developing larger strategic relationships and accelerating new business growth.

This creates an opportunity for a senior commercial leader who enjoys building — but who is equally comfortable being personally involved in winning business.

This is not a role for someone looking simply to devise the strategy and hand execution to somebody else.

Equally, it isn’t a conventional corporate sales leadership position with a mature sales machine already in place.

We are looking for someone who can combine commercial leadership with hands-on execution: introducing greater structure, focus and discipline while remaining close to the market, developing senior client relationships and personally helping to convert opportunities into significant new business.

Reporting into the senior leadership team, the Director of Business Development will take responsibility for the development of the commercial function and, critically, for delivering new revenue.

The role will hold a heavy focus on client facing engagement with balanced focused on supporting and developing the team, processes and commercial infrastructure required to support future growth.

The business already has strong client relationships and generates high levels of opportunity. The challenge is not just simply creating more pipeline but equally improving conversion, increasing deal values and developing larger, more strategic client engagements.

The successful individual will therefore be expected to:

• Provide hands on support of team to close significant new business opportunities.

• Build relationships with senior enterprise decision-makers including CIOs, CTOs, CDOs and other C-level executives.

• Help transition the organisation from relationship and founder-led selling towards a more structured and repeatable commercial model.

• Increase average deal values and improve conversion of existing opportunities.

• Develop strategic account planning, target account selection and pipeline management.

• Build and develop an effective partner and channel strategy.

• Assess, coach and develop the existing Business Development team and strengthen the function where required.

• Introduce appropriate commercial cadence, discipline and accountability without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

• Work closely with Marketing, Consulting and senior leadership to improve how the organisation takes its capabilities to market.

• Help develop new commercial models beyond traditional time-and-materials consulting engagements.

• Play an active role as a member of the company’s senior leadership team.

You may currently work within AI, Data, Analytics, Digital Transformation, Technology Consulting, Professional Services or a sophisticated solution-led technology environment.

You could already be a Chief Revenue Officer, Commercial Director, Sales Director, Business Development Director, Client Director or Partner.

Your title matters considerably less than what you have actually done.

You will need a demonstrable track record of personally winning significant, value based and complex B2B engagements plus an understanding of how to sell services, expertise and outcomes rather than simply a repeatable technology product.

We are particularly interested in individuals who can demonstrate:

• Strong enterprise sales and business development credentials.

• Experience selling complex consulting, professional services or solution-led engagements.

• The ability to sell an idea, transformation or business outcome that may not initially be tangible.

• A track record of increasing deal sizes and closing significant strategic engagements.

• Experience building or improving a commercial function, rather than simply inheriting one.

• The ability to lead, coach and create followship within a developing sales team.

• Strong understanding of modern CRM, pipeline management and GTM disciplines.

• Credibility and executive presence with senior enterprise customers.

• A strong personal network within the Netherlands and wider Northern European market.

• Curiosity and sufficient understanding of AI and data to engage credibly with sophisticated customers.

• An entrepreneurial and highly collaborative approach.

The company has an entrepreneurial culture and operates with pace. It does not want to replace entrepreneurialism with corporate bureaucracy.

You will therefore need to be comfortable operating in an environment where the plan can evolve, decisions are made quickly and senior people are expected to get involved and make things happen.

We are looking for someone sophisticated but still hungry.

Someone who can build a commercial system without becoming consumed by the system.

Someone comfortable contributing at leadership level one day and personally progressing a deal the next.

Someone who prefers action and results over endless decks and internal politics.

And above all, someone who still genuinely enjoys selling.

This is an opportunity to join a PE-backed, profitable and ambitious business operating in a market experiencing explosive growth.

The foundations already exist with exceptional technical capability, impressive clients, an established reputation and significant market opportunity.

The next stage is about commercialising that capability at scale.

What is needed now is the commercial leader who can help build the sales engine, develop larger strategic relationships and translate outstanding AI and data expertise into significant and sustainable growth.

If you have built commercial organisations before but still want to sell and you are excited by the opportunity to play a pivotal role in the next chapter of an ambitious AI and data business , we would be very interested in talking to you.