Business Development Director - Insurance - Future Opportunity

This posting is for a future job opportunity.

To support the needs of our clients, Avanade is actively recruiting and interviewing for future opportunities as we continue to build on another year of growth in our business. Now, with more than 60,000 employees around the globe, we are positioning our organization to effectively prepare for the future. What does this mean for you? We encourage you to apply and interview for this role without the need to decide now. This allows you to connect with leaders and hiring managers at a pace that works for you and when roles become available, you will be the first know.

Senior Business Development Manager - Financial Insurance

About Avanade

Avanade is the leading global technology and managed services provider specializing in the Microsoft platform. Our vision is to be the leading Digital Innovator realizing results for our clients through the full power of the Microsoft® ecosystem. Our professionals combine technology, business and industry expertise to build and deploy solutions to realize results for clients and their customers. Avanade has 30,000 digitally connected people across 23 countries, bringing clients the best thinking through a collaborative culture that embraces diversity and reflects the communities in which we operate. Majority owned by Accenture, Avanade was founded in 2000 as a joint venture between Accenture LLP and Microsoft Corporation. Learn more at www.avanade.com. We have just been awarded the Global Microsoft Partner of the Year award for the 15th time, highlighting the fact that we are the no.1 integration partner in the world.

Our Role:

In support of this journey, we need to capitalize our capabilities and have an opportunity within our highly successful Financial Services team. Our aim is to grow our existing strong base of clients and core business through increased sales focus, driving the growth strategy and delivering sales and revenue targets. This role is instrumental in ensuring Avanade achieves these objectives; with a specific focus on selling large scale custom application and cloud modernization deals. In particular, Microsoft are seeing a real boost in the cloud market and Avanade are equally seeing significant demand in this area. As a result, this is a core strategic pursuit for the business.

You will already be capable of navigating the Financial Insurance services ecosystem and have a wealth of contacts and connections in the market. Capable of initiating discussions at C suite level, developing long-lasting customer relationships and gaining referrals with new accounts. You will have a deep understanding of the needs of various stakeholders and be able to marshal the right resources with or without direct authority.

This is a senior role, with wide-ranging and often complex responsibilities, which call for a depth and breadth of business knowledge beyond the business development discipline.

The role will be responsible for managing the entire sales lifecycle and driving revenue by prospecting, acquiring and developing new and expanding business with direct clients within the Financial Insurance sector.

Building on known industry connections, you will build a pipeline for growth - able to close business, statements of works and contracts. Connecting with clients and forming strong trust relationships which open doors and close deals. Existing relationships with Microsoft are a bonus, but not essential.

You will be familiar with selling global on/offshore solutions, working with global delivery centers. With a demonstrable proven track record of success in the Financial Insurance sector with solid new business development experience in white space accounts with £multi+ deals.

With previous, solid outsourcing sales experience and a flair for closing deals, you will thrive working with colleagues in a wider team leveraging innovation and exciting customers with your enthusiasm. Your strong connections and your tenacity to be an assertive partner, along with your background in high value services (application development, system integration, outsourcing and infrastructure) will attest to your credibility with senior stakeholders and clients.

You will have the opportunity to be able to support, shape and grow our Financial Insurance practice within a global business for the #1 Microsoft® Partner.

Day to day, you will:

Identifyopportunities to increase sales volume while ensuring client satisfaction is achieved.

Understand how our custom application and azure platform offerings can solve pressing client problems and present these in a compelling way working with subject matter experts and strategies.

Manage customer relationships for new and existing accounts.

Prospect, acquire, develop and expand business leads, including working with Microsoft leads.

Work with the market & capability teams to capture client buying patterns and input into offering development.

Achieve short- and long-term revenue and profit growth by increasing the profitability of a portfolio of accounts by cross-selling service lines, including Application managed services and/or Infrastructure managed services.

About You:

Candidates will have extensive experience selling into the Financial Insurance sector in a services or consulting environment.

Experience selling a range of deals form early consultancy pieces through transformation into large managed services deals is key.

An understanding of the advantages of a global delivery capability and also the ability to leverage it in sales pursuits will be a significant advantage.

Proactive and practical, you will be adept at assessing customer requirements, and selecting appropriate methods to fulfil them.

You will be skilled at determining priorities, establishing a systematic course of action to ensure successful completion, and allocating time and resources effectively.

Inside and outside Avanade, your interpersonal skills will enable you to leverage your network to facilitate, develop and influence.

Strong customer interface and presentation skills are essential in this role, together with a mind-set of customer service.

A skilful negotiator, you will be confident acting as trusted advisor when dealing with customers’ business needs.

At a minimum, you will have sold multi-year work into clients with tangible business outcomes which can be described.

Other Skills/Knowledge:

As with any role within a global professional services environment, the flexibility to travel - predominantly around the UK - is a prerequisite.