The Senior Business Development Executive is a hands-on international seller. The role hunts, develops and closes business across our export markets — building relationships with distributors, dealers, architects & designers (A&D), and project/contract partners for District Eight and Root and Branch. You will own a live pipeline and carry a revenue target, working under the Commercial Director's direction and coordinating with Commercial Planning so that the demand you create converts into reliable, profitable orders.
This is a doer's role, not a management one. It is measured first and foremost on growing revenue — with the discipline to protect margin, pricing and brand positioning while doing so. A strong performer can grow into a Sales & Market Development Manager role as the international business scales.
Responsibilities1. Business Development & Revenue
- Actively identify, approach and win new distributors, dealers and project clients across international markets.
- Own and convert a structured pipeline; carry and deliver a personal revenue target.
2. Distributor, Dealer & Channel Development
- Develop and grow relationships with distributors and dealers; support their sell-through, not just the first order.
- Build relationships with architects, interior designers, developers and contract partners; pursue and close project opportunities.
3. Working with Our International Branches
- Act as HQ's commercial interface to District Eight Italia (EMEA) and District Eight Inc. (North America): support their sell-in and sell-through, coordinate demand, stock and delivery, and help them meet their market targets.
- Develop new distributors and markets via these branches, respecting each branch's territory to avoid channel conflict.
4. Deal Execution & Commercial Discipline
- Prepare proposals and quotations and follow through to closing.
- Work within the company's commercial rules: territory, pricing discipline (discounts above 10% require written approval), payment terms (30% deposit / 70% before shipping), and trademark / customer-transparency protections.
- Keep CRM and reporting accurate and current — pipeline, forecast and account activity.
5. Coordination & Fulfilment
- Keed demand signals to Commercial Planning for stock, lead-time and allocation; coordinate with Logistics on order readiness so clients get reliable delivery.
6. Market Presence & Insight
- Represent the brands at international and regional tradeshows and market visits; deliver basic product training to partners.
- Gather market and competitor insight and feed it back to the Commercial Director and HQ.
Qualifications- Proven international / cross-border B2B sales experience — you have sold to, or developed, clients or dealers in more than one country. This is essential; domestic-only experience does not meet the bar.
- Working English for international commercial conversations; a second relevant language (for EMEA or APAC) is an advantage.
Preferred
- Background or strong interest in furniture, interior, architecture, design or premium/luxury products - able to sell in a design-oriented context and engage clients as a trusted advisor, not just a vendor.
- Exposure to distributor or dealer channels, and to OBM / ODM / OEM commercial models.
- Additional languages are an advantage — European languages (given the Italia / Europe branch) and, for wider reach, languages relevant to the Middle East or APAC.
- Strong market insight and cross-cultural adaptability — able to read different markets, adjust approach, and feed useful intelligence back to HQ and the branches.
Experience & Skills
- 4–6 years in international sales or business development with a clear track record of hitting targets.
- Strong hunting, negotiation, relationship-building and follow-through; disciplined with CRM and pipeline.
- Self-driven and comfortable in an early-stage, unstructured environment; willing to travel internationally.
Mindset
- Seller-oriented and revenue-owning; hungry to build opportunities from zero.
- Taste-driven, not only target-driven; respects margin and brand while chasing growth.
