AI Solution Business Development Manager

SmartDev is looking for a Business Development Manager  - an individual contributor with excellent solution selling skills who can create solid and AI competence sales funnels and drive sustainable, predictable growth in the APAC region. 

We need a BDM  as a hybrid player who can translate complex AI capabilities into tangible business outcomes. You will identify, prospect, and close enterprise deals for custom AI solutions. Unlike a standard SaaS BDM, you must be comfortable discussing data pipelines, model accuracy, and ethical AI with CTOs while building a value-based ROI case for CMOs and CDOs. 

Strategic Business Development (70%) 

• Identify and target high-potential enterprise accounts across Media, Fintech, and Logistics. 
• Build a 12-month pipeline in AI solution opportunities. 
• Lead consultative discovery: Map client pain points (e.g., manual data entry, churn prediction, document processing) to AI solution blueprints. 
• Structure and negotiate complex contracts (POCs, pilot-to-production, managed services). 
• Develop strategic partnerships with SI partners, cloud providers (AWS, Azure, GCP), and tech vendors. 

Solution & Technical Acumen (20%) 

• Collaborate with Solution Architects to scope technical feasibility and effort estimates. 
• Translate technical differentiators (e.g., fine-tuned vs. RAG-based LLM) into competitive business advantages. 
• Educate prospects on AI risks (hallucinations, data privacy, bias) and our mitigation strategies. 

Internal Collaboration (10%) 

• Act as the voice of the customer to influence product roadmaps. 
• Work with Marketing to create AI-specific sales collateral (case studies, ROI calculators). 
• Provide feedback on pricing models (consumption-based, outcome-based, subscription). 
• Key Performance Indicators (KPIs): Pipeline generation; Won deals; Pilot-to-production conversion rate; Average deal cycle.

Must-Have: 

• 5+ years in B2B solution sales or business development, with at least  2 years selling AI, ML, or data science services. 
• Proven track record closing five-figure to six-figure solution deals (not just SaaS licenses). 
• Ability to articulate AI concepts (supervised vs. unsupervised learning, token pricing, fine-tuning). 
• Experience selling to a mix of technical (CTO, CDO) and business (COO, GM) personas. 
• Hunter mentality – comfortable with cold outreach, relationship mapping, and negotiation. 

Nice-to-Have: 

• Experience with cloud AI services (Azure AI, SageMaker, Vertex AI). 
• Familiarity with data privacy regulations (GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA) in AI context. 
• Existing networks in Media, Fintech, and Logistics. 

The Person:  

• Straight-talking with a genuine focus on delivery and building great relationships.  
• A natural problem solver with full accountability and responsibility for business. 
• Understands the value of transparency and ensures key stakeholders have full visibility of the sales pipelines and expected performance, creating contingency plans to mitigate risks and shortfalls. 
• Able to work autonomously and as part of a collaborative team. 

What we offer

• 20 days of annual leave – Because work-life balance matters.
• Premium healthcare package with MIC and comprehensive annual health check-ups
• 13th salary bonus
• Lunch allowance to fuel your productivity.
• Exposure to cutting-edge technologies and Agile methodology in a dynamic, modern work environment.
• Engaging company culture with fun activities like team buildings, company trips.
• Chance to work with high-profile multinational clients, expanding your global experience and technical expertise.
• Global collaboration – Work with both Vietnamese and international colleagues.