Business Development Director, APAC

Role Location : Singapore

Reports to : Chief Executive Officer

Who we are

At CDP, we are on a mission to solve our planet’s biggest environmental challenges : climate change, water scarcity and deforestation.

We believe you can’t manage what you don’t measure so we run the world’s largest environmental disclosure system. For the past two decades, our team has worked tirelessly to create a thriving economy that works for people and planet in the long term we accomplish this by engaging the global actors who wield the greatest influence in driving environmental change : companies, cities, governments, and the capital markets.

CDP’s cascading global impact is powered by our tight-knit team of smart, savvy, curious and committed individuals, who share a common passion for creating a sustainable future.

It is our people who make our work possible. And we provide our people with a working environment that empowers each individual to reach their full potential : one that is committed to equity;

one that provides equal access for growth and development; and one that supports each individual throughout the full employee life cycle.

The role

The Asia Pacific represents a significant growth region for CDP’s disclosure targets and forms a pivotal strategic objective in our action plan.

We intend to grow our APAC revenue base across corporate disclosure, fundraising and grants. To this end, CDP is seeking a Director Business Development, APAC, who will lead and motivate our Commercial teams whilst overseeing and driving the expansion of CDP’s commercial relationships and opportunities across companies, governments, and other key stakeholders.

This position will play a critical role in accelerating and scaling our impact in addressing one of the worlds’ most pressing issues.

Who you are

• Extensive experience working with global commercial sales organizations within the APAC region, coupled with a passionate interest in ethical / purpose-driven organizations.
• Recent experience working within the sustainability industry required
• Working knowledge of financial services industry
• Relevant working experience within Saas / Data preferred
• Existing network in big tech / cloud / data / financial services
• Proven ability to lead and manage remote commercial teams effectively in the APAC region (HK / China, ASEAN experience required, Japan and India are highly desirable) of around 50-100 employees, providing guidance, mentorship, and support to team members within a global, multicultural and diverse environment, while fostering a collaborative and inclusive work environment.
• Exceptional networking, relationship building and community development and engagement capabilities
• Extensive knowledge of key trends and developments in Nature / Climate space
• Ability to think strategically and develop innovative commercial strategies that align with the organization's goals and objectives, while also anticipating and addressing potential regional challenges and risks.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with internal stakeholders, including senior management, board members, and other cross-functional departments
• Advanced negotiation and influencing skills (comfortable negotiating large commercial deals), and the capacity to develop and maintain strong relationships with corporates, governments, donors, not-for-profit, scientific and political communities.
• Someone at ease in a changing organization and sector and able to excel by operating with a sense of urgency while remaining flexible, open-minded and adaptable.
• An appreciation of CDP’s values.
• Commitment to upholding the highest ethical standards and promoting a culture of integrity, transparency, and compliance with legal and regulatory requirements throughout the organization.

Your day-to-day

Strategic leadership

• Development and implementation of our strategic vision in collaboration with our CEO and the co-lead in Europe
• Management support and strategic guidance to country programs in the implementation of this vision.
• Development of a strategic business development unit within Singapore, to capitalize upon emerging philanthropic and private finance opportunities for environmental disclosure.
• Actively contributing to the CDP Executive Leadership Team and creating nodes of engagement for other global departmental and cross-regional exchange and engagement.
• Experience managing a regional P&L, complex or multiple projects, including staffing, workloads, and finances under deadlines.

Business Development :

• Leading the region to address threats and opportunities that are both common across countries and too large for individual country programs to address alone.
• Strategic partnership development with government, bilateral / multilateral agencies and partner institutions in the region to enhance and enable the regional vision.
• Creating a powerful and compelling value proposition for prospective donors, trustees, partners, and the general public.
• Facilitating opportunities to participate in country programs through promotion of CDP thematic expertise and connection to country programs aligned with CDP’s regional priorities.

Team Management :

• Management and capability enhancement of our highly motivated and passionate regional commercial and support teams
• Create leadership and succession plans for the APAC commercial functions
• Shape organizational culture by setting the tone at the top
• Leading and cultivating a work culture that aligns with CDP’s Values and which attracts, develops, and retains top talent.

Salary & Benefits : Competitive Salary Offered. Holidays and benefits in accordance with local regulations. Interested applicants must reside and be eligible to work in Singapore without employer sponsorship.

Before you apply

We’ll only use the information you provide to process your application. For more details on how we use your information, see our applicant’s privacy notice.

By sending us your CV and covering letter, you are permitting CDP to use the information you have provided for recruitment purposes

How to apply

Please upload your CV in the application form along with a covering letter as an additional document setting out how you meet the required skills and experience or key responsibilities, which should be no more than two pages.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. The closing date is 28th June 2024.