Business Development Director

About Extend

Extend is a cultural intelligence and advertising firm based in Saudi Arabia since 2012, serving notable brands and institutions in the Kingdom through media, experiences, and publishing. The company is developing Extend CIP, a comprehensive Cultural Intelligence Platform that integrates planning, managing, and measuring of media activities including earned and paid media, influencer buying, and brand monitoring, powered by cultural insights and AI.

Role Overview

This is the inaugural sales position for the Extend CIP platform. The successful candidate will be responsible for acquiring new clients from the ground up, handling the entire sales process from initial contact through to securing deposits and launching live campaigns. Performance will be measured by the ad spend processed via the platform, including deposits obtained and accounts activated. The role involves shaping the future sales methodology for successors.

Key Responsibilities

• Champion adoption of the platform by targeting and converting new Saudi brands and agencies not yet utilizing CIP.
• Manage the end-to-end sales cycle including prospecting, discovery meetings, pitching, negotiating contracts, finalizing agreements, and ensuring receipt of initial deposits.
• Generate and maintain a robust sales pipeline through focused outreach, industry engagement, and strategic account planning; exercise disciplined forecasting and pipeline oversight.
• Conduct value-led discovery sessions with senior and C-level decision-makers at brands and agencies.
• Deliver live demonstrations of the platform, clearly differentiating it from competing solutions, managed services, and international options.
• Devise competitive strategies for business opportunities, preparing responses to RFPs and crafting persuasive new business presentations.
• Seamlessly transfer accounts to Account Management post-signing, remaining involved through initial campaigns to safeguard early-stage spending.
• Communicate market insights and competitive intelligence to product teams to enhance strategic positioning and development plans.
• Advocate for the use of self-serve, data-driven media planning, buying, and measurement within the Saudi market.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum of 6 years’ experience in digital media or ad tech sales within Saudi Arabia or the GCC, focusing strongly on acquiring new clients.
• Proven track record of exceeding targets in quota-driven acquisition roles.
• Experience in selling advertising or media intelligence platforms such as DSPs, social advertising tools, influencer marketing platforms, or social listening/monitoring software; preference for platform sales over service-only sales.
• Well-established network within Saudi brands, agencies, and marketing/communications leadership circles.
• Executive presence with the ability to influence C-level executives and manage complex negotiation and contracting processes.
• Highly strategic thinker with strong analytical and commercial judgement skills.
• Proactive hunter mentality with a strong drive to build and grow business from inception.
• Fluency in both Arabic and English.
• Bonus: Experience launching new platform categories into markets and working with government or semi-government clients.