Business Development Manager

Join our team
CLEVER°FRANKE is an enthusiastic, multi-disciplinary team of 40+ people with 15+ nationalities from across the world. We are interaction designers, visual designers, developers, project managers and data analysts. All with a passion for what we do. We are curious about the world around us and apply the same curiosity to our work and projects.
As a Business Development Manager, you have a genuine interest and curiosity in complexity and data, especially in our core business of (interactive) data visualization. You are someone who recognizes potential long before it’s obvious. You'll be responsible for finding new clients and closing new deals, guiding clients from the first conversation to signing contracts. With your experience, you'll build trust with potential clients and shape possible collaborations, helping the company grow.
As a Business Development Manager you will contribute to the following:
Bring in the work: Shape and qualify leads, take charge of finding new clients and closing new deals, transforming cold leads into sustained client relationships, initiating and responding to client communications to identify valuable collaboration opportunities, gather market intelligence, guiding the process from the first talk to signing contracts.
Deal shaping: With your agency or consulting background, you can earn the client’s trust through understanding their needs and walk them through unfamiliar territory. You shape winning deals that match our company's expertise and serve as the foundation for successful partnerships.
Proposal writing and contract formation: Craft compelling proposals together with our design and development specialists that win over clients and seal the deal. In later stages you will create sales contracts, manage expectations and ensure smooth transactions.
Project team hand-over: You will create a briefing, with an accurate scope of client requirements, for the project team to set them up for success and align expectations.
Account management: Keep an eye on the long-term relationship with the client, identify opportunities for new projects with existing clients, and revive old engagements. Smooth transition between account management, on-going advisory engagements and increase the likelihood of repeat business.
You will work closely with management and senior members of the team and have experience in selling complex consulting, design and development solutions to a professional audience.
What you bring
As a Business Development Manager, you will bring 5+ years experience. You have a hunter mentality, driven by the thrill of securing new opportunities rather than tending to existing accounts. With your expertise, you will build trust and foster potential collaborations to drive company growth. Key skills include:
Proven track record of success in proposal writing and negotiation
Commercial heart, skills in (cold) acquisition, assertiveness in pursuing opportunities while maintaining professional and respectful
Hands-on approach to business development, seamlessly transitioning between strategic planning and operational execution
Entrepreneurial mindset, you are ready to seize opportunities, innovate and drive growth
Detail oriented and demonstrated success in sales contract formation
Comfortable with ambiguity, as clarity may not always be present, flexibility is essential
Leveraging your (international) network of prospects
Experience in deal sizes ranging from €100k to €2M
Knowledge of working with sales workflow tools like Pipedrive, Hubspot and Sales Navigator
Proficiency in spoken and written English
Agency experience, particularly in the creative sector is a plus
Strong affinity with domains like Financial Services, Life Sciences, Communication & Marketing, Mobility & Logistics, Energy transition, High-tech, AI and Innovation is a plus.
You’re welcome at CLEVER°FRANKE regardless of your appearance, identity or background. It’s not a place you have to ‘fit in’ but somewhere everyone can feel themselves and be their best to do their best.
Studies suggest that women and underrepresented groups tend to hesitate to apply for a job if their CV isn’t a perfect fit. Here, we look for talent and potential – not just formal experience and expertise. So if you like the role and think you could be awesome at it, go ahead and apply.
We’ll give you
Full-time/part-time role (32-40 hours per week);
A competitive salary, based on your background and experience;
Support from a friendly, passionate, down-to-earth team;
A personal development budget of 1000 euro per year for trainings tailored to your personal and professional growth;
A personal wellbeing budget of 250 euros per year (purchase a bike, fitness or yoga membership);
Two extra holidays per calendar year, because we all have events in our life that we need time for (weddings, celebrating religious or cultural events);
Hybrid working from our studio or home – (at least 2 days per week in the studio);
A healthy, abundant lunch every day in the studio;
Paid train expenses from your home to the studio;
A collective pension plan;
A MacBook and all the peripherals you need;
Inspiring team events; such as our annual team prototyping day, team trainings, sport events and conference visits.
We’ll support you
We find it important that you grow and challenge yourself and we want to ensure that you are supported in this. That’s why we offer:
Training courses: tailored to your experience level and needs, personal development planning, and feedback sessions.
Our People & Culture Manager and your Lead will help you with your professional and personal development.
CLEVER°FRANKE Development week: about 3 times a year, we organize a week where the entire studio fully focuses on personal and professional growth, outside of client projects.
CLEVER°FRANKE Prototype Day: a day full of creativity, innovation, learning, and working with colleagues in a hands-on environment.
Would you like to join us?
Apply now with your CV and answer some questions we’ll ask to get to know you a little better.
Please note that for this position we are looking for someone who has EU working permit and already lives in The Netherlands. The position is based in Utrecht, The Netherlands.
If you successfully pass through our screening, we’ll invite you to the interview process, which entails three further conversations to ensure you get to know our culture and the role better, and to identify whether there is a fit from both sides.
Questions?
Please contact Charlene Benjamins for more information about this job opening at charlene@cleverfranke.com.
Acquisition based on this job opening is not appreciated.











