Innovation & New Business Development Associate / Executive

Job Summary

We are seeking an entrepreneurial, commercially driven, and results-oriented New Business Development Associate/Executive to support the identification, assessment, and development of new business opportunities within the local market.

The role will involve conducting market research, developing strategic partnerships, undertaking commercial analysis, coordinating pilot projects, and exploring opportunities across new products, services, distribution channels, and business models. The successful candidate will work closely with internal cross-functional teams and external stakeholders to translate identified market opportunities into viable, scalable, and sustainable business initiatives.

Key Responsibilities

• Conduct comprehensive market research and competitor analysis to identify emerging market trends, customer needs, competitive gaps, and potential business opportunities.
• Explore and assess opportunities across relevant sectors, including digital services, mobile internet, content, fintech, e-commerce, digital advertising, gaming, artificial intelligence (AI), and other emerging local business ecosystems.
• Identify, research, and evaluate potential strategic partners, including digital platforms, technology companies, telecom operators, financial institutions, content providers, service providers, and marketing agencies.
• Drive and support the end-to-end partnership development process, including partner identification and mapping, initial engagement, business meetings, proposal development, commercial negotiations, onboarding, and ongoing relationship management.
• Assess the commercial viability of proposed business opportunities and initiatives by evaluating market size, target customer segments, competitive positioning, revenue potential, operating costs, commercial risks, and projected return on investment (ROI).
• Support the planning, launch, and execution of pilot projects and proof-of-concept (PoC) initiatives, ensuring clear objectives, defined milestones, performance tracking, and proper documentation of outcomes and lessons learned.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams, particularly Product, Marketing, and Operations, to translate business opportunities into actionable plans and ensure effective project implementation.
• Track and evaluate the performance of new business initiatives and strategic partnerships against agreed objectives and key performance indicators (KPIs), identifying opportunities for improvement, expansion, or scale-up.
• Develop and maintain a structured pipeline of prospective partners, business opportunities, commercial proposals, ongoing negotiations, and project implementation status, ensuring timely follow-up and accurate reporting.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong commercial awareness, entrepreneurial thinking, and a genuine interest in exploring emerging business opportunities, innovative business models, and the local market landscape.
• Demonstrated ability to conduct structured market research, analyse industry trends, identify commercial opportunities, and translate research findings into actionable business recommendations.
• Strong networking, interpersonal, and relationship-management skills, with the ability to establish and maintain productive relationships with internal stakeholders, prospective partners, and external business contacts.
• Ability to develop and deliver professional business proposals, presentations, commercial assessments, and management reports.
• Good understanding of commercial and financial evaluation, including revenue models, cost structures, market sizing, profitability assessment, and return on investment (ROI).
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and negotiation skills, with the ability to assess opportunities objectively and support informed business decisions.
• Demonstrates a high level of ownership, initiative, and accountability; proactive, resourceful, adaptable, and comfortable navigating ambiguity and a fast-paced, evolving business environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills in English and the relevant local language. Proficiency in Chinese is an added advantage but is not a requirement.

Education & Experience

• Bachelor's degree or higher in Business Administration, Economics, Marketing, International Business, Management, or other relevant disciplines.
• Fresh graduates are welcome to apply. However, candidates with at least two (2) years of relevant experience in business development, strategic partnerships, management consulting, corporate strategy, sales, investment, e-commerce, telecommunications, or the technology sector will be preferred.
• Candidates with an established network of professional and business contacts, strong industry connections, access to strategic commercial opportunities, and the ability to leverage relevant local market resources to facilitate partnerships and business growth will have a distinct advantage.
• Demonstrated ability to build and utilise high-value business relationships, connect organisations with strategic partners, and mobilise relevant resources to support new business initiatives will be an added advantage.

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