Senior Business Development Manager in Sydney

Credeq Australia Pty Ltd is the exclusive managing agent for Swiss Re International SE's Surety business across Australia and New Zealand, providing specialist Contract Performance Guarantee solutions to contractors, mining companies and corporate clients. Supporting ~AU$7 billion in active guarantee facilities, Credeq is the market leader in performance guarantees and works with many of Australia's leading construction, infrastructure and resources businesses.

The Senior Business Development Manager is responsible for driving sustainable growth by originating new client relationships, expanding strategic distribution channels and strengthening Credeq's market presence. The role is the primary front-end business development function for the business, responsible for identifying opportunities (either directly or via intermediaries), qualifying prospects against Credeq's appetite and originating new Performance Guarantee facilities. Following an initial qualification and commercial assessment, opportunities will be transitioned to Relationship Managers for detailed assessment, structuring, commercial/legal negotiations and execution.

The role is also responsible for representing Credeq across the industry through strategic partnerships, industry associations, conferences, marketing initiatives and thought leadership activities. The successful candidate will act as a key external representative of the business and contribute to the development of long-term distribution channels and strategic partnerships further strengthening Credeq’s market position.

Business Origination

• Identify, develop and secure new Contract Performance Guarantee opportunities with focus on construction, infrastructure, engineering, mining services and related sectors in New Zealand and Australia.
• Build relationships with contractors ranging from emerging corporates through to Tier 1 contractors both directly and via intermediaries.
• Develop and maintain a high-quality pipeline of prospective clients and strategic opportunities through the CRM.
• Conduct first-pass commercial and credit assessments to determine whether opportunities align with Credeq’s risk appetite, minimum eligibility requirements and strategic objectives.
• Coordinate prospect engagement activities from initial introduction through to transition to the Relationship Management team for detailed assessment, facility structuring and legal negotiations.
• Maintain accurate pipeline reporting and business development activity records.
• Develop and manage relationships with (but not limited to): Insurance and Finance Brokers, Law Firms, Bank and non-bank Financiers.

Responsibilities include:

• Originate new business opportunities.
• Establishing and growing referral partnerships.
• Identifying and developing new distribution opportunities.
• Educating intermediaries on surety solutions and appetite.
• Increasing awareness of Credeq's products and capabilities.
• Creating and coordinating opportunities for joint market engagement.

Industry Engagement and Market Development

• Represent Credeq across relevant industry organisations and events, including Australian Constructors Association, Civil Contractors Federation, Master Builders Australia, and various Industry conferences/forums.
• Attend industry functions.
• Deliver presentations and market updates.
• Support sponsorship initiatives.
• Build strategic relationships with key industry stakeholders.
• Promote Credeq's market leadership position.
• Drive broader acceptance of Surety Guarantees throughout the industry through development of relationships with private and public beneficiaries.
• Monitor construction, infrastructure and resources sector trends.
• Track competitor activity and market developments.

Marketing and Brand Development

• Work closely with the Credeq Marketing team to develop and execute targeted marketing campaigns.
• Manage digital marketing and social media engagement.
• Assist in the preparation of articles, case studies and client testimonials.
• Develop educational content for clients, intermediaries and beneficiaries.
• Increase brand awareness to market Credeq’s position as the leading specialist Performance Guarantee issuer in Australia and New Zealand.

To be successful in this role you will need to possess a confident and friendly manner, be a hunter, strong self-motivation, have excellent organisational and teamwork skills, ability to manage competing urgent priorities, strong attention to detail/commercial acumen, and the ability to communicate effectively across a wide range of audiences. You have a genuine interest in looking for new business leads/building relationship development, and supporting your clients through the business life cycle. You are a likeable, self-motivated, proactive and professional individual.

Skills & Experience:

• 7+ years’ experience in a Business Development and/or Sales Role in Financial Services.
• Be a hunter.
• Demonstrated ability to originate and develop commercial relationships.
• Strong stakeholder management and networking capability.
• Business, Commerce or Finance tertiary qualification (or equivalent industry experience).
• Experience dealing with customers, intermediaries, advisers and other financial institutions.
• Good communication and negotiation skills (both written and verbal).
• Strong capability and attention to detail with respect to financial analysis, transaction structuring, credit submission writing and facility/security documentation.
• Sound business acumen and problem-solving skills to make commercial decisions.
• Demonstrated organisation skills with the ability to effectively prioritise conflicting business priorities.
• Good ability to work independently and as part of a high performing team.
• Well organised and flexible to manage various conflicting business priorities.
• Computer literacy including MS Office skills across Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams and Generative AI.

Preferred

• Experience within Construction/Infrastructure/civil industry.
• Existing relationships with contractors, advisers or financiers.

Core Competencies

The prospective employee should display the following core behaviours:

• TEAMWORK: Credeq Australia is a small but growing organisation which depends upon teamwork.
• RESPONSIVENESS: High importance is placed on the responsiveness of employees to both their internal and external customers’ needs and a proactive approach to solving problems.
• INTEGRITY: Credeq Australia is committed to integrity and consistently high standards of conduct in all our business transactions both internally and externally.
• SELF MOTIVATION: As an organisation with a small, dedicated team, self-motivation to achieve objectives and work with limited supervision is essential.
• CUSTOMER SERVICE: Our people deliver results; our approach is to handle all matters professionally, fair, friendly and within corporate timeframes. Innovation and a “can do” approach are necessary to succeed in this role.

ESSENTIAL:

• Investigative DNA.
• Self-motivated to think through, research and analyse opportunities or problems.
• High level of intelligence and an ability to identify risks.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to analyse facts and draw appropriate conclusions.
• Ability and attitude to set and meet deadlines.
• A high degree of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Ability to work within a team environment and also individually.
• Efficient and reliable manner.
• Not afraid to implement change.

ESSENTIAL:

• Appropriate qualifications (Business or Finance degree and relevant industry experience).
• People leadership and training.
• Good understanding of credit underwriting.
• Attention to detail and problem-solving abilities.
• Relationship building and customer service skills.
• Business acumen to make commercial decisions.