Business Dev & Partnerships
New Market
You crack virgin markets where others see impossibility, building commercial empires from zero. This forges CCOs who thrive in ambiguity and turn market skepticism into competitive moats.
The Career Arc
Rotational · L1–L3
Build the New Market craft. Prove you can wield the tools of Business Dev & Partnerships.
Transformational · L4–L7
Deliver New Market outcomes — each Business Dev & Partnerships tour at this altitude has a defined mission and success criteria.
- L4 : Drive strategic market entries
- L5 : Lead the most important market expansions
- L6 : Define market expansion strategy and lead the most strategic market entries
- L7 : Serve as the company's foremost market expansion strategist
Manage a Team?
Great New Market managers are practitioners first. The Business Dev & Partnerships IC responsibilities in L4–L7 are your foundation — your management responsibilities are additive:
- • Hire for relationship building AND deal structuring—both are essential
- • Coach strategic thinking—which partnerships move the needle?
- • Run 1:1s that develop negotiation skills and partner empathy
- • Give feedback on deal quality, not just deal volume
- • Remove blockers—fight for legal bandwidth, exec alignment, and internal resources
Foundational · L8–L9
Shape the Business Dev & Partnerships organization from the New Market chair — build institutions, not just products.
L1 — Associate Market Development Rep Rotational
Mission
Learn market development fundamentals
This tour of duty
Support your first market entry initiative
Own the outcomes
- • Learn market development fundamentals and research methods
- • Support market research and opportunity analysis
- • Document market findings and competitive landscape
- • Assist with market entry planning activities
- • Build knowledge of different market segments
- • Participate in market development reviews
New Market at L1 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Researching market opportunities
- • Creating market briefs
- • Preparing competitive analysis
L2 — Junior Market Development Rep Rotational
Mission
Support market entry initiatives
This tour of duty
Contribute to a successful market launch
Own the outcomes
- • Support market entry initiatives with guidance
- • Conduct market research and opportunity assessment
- • Develop market entry proposals and business cases
- • Build initial relationships in target markets
- • Coordinate pilot programs and early customers
- • Track market entry metrics and progress
New Market at L2 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Building market assessments
- • Analyzing entry barriers
- • Creating presentation materials
L3 — Senior Market Development Rep Rotational
Mission
Lead market entry projects
This tour of duty
Lead a market entry to initial revenue
Own the outcomes
- • Lead market entry projects independently
- • Develop and execute market entry strategies
- • Build relationships with key market stakeholders
- • Validate product-market fit through pilots
- • Handle market entry challenges and pivots
- • Contribute to market expansion best practices
New Market at L3 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Developing entry strategies
- • Analyzing market dynamics
- • Creating business cases
L4 — Staff Market Development Manager / Manager, New Markets Transformational
Mission
Drive strategic market entries
This tour of duty
Drive a market entry that becomes profitable
Own the outcomes
- • Drive strategic market entries and mentor others
- • Build executive relationships in new markets
- • Develop market entry frameworks and playbooks
- • Lead complex market expansion initiatives
- • Influence product localization for new markets
- • Train others on market development techniques
New Market at L4 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Building strategic plans
- • Analyzing competitive positioning
- • Creating executive presentations
L5 — Senior Staff Market Development Manager / Senior Manager, New Markets Transformational
Mission
Lead the most important market expansions
This tour of duty
Open a market that transforms the business
Own the outcomes
- • Lead the most important market expansion initiatives
- • Define best practices for market entry excellence
- • Drive strategic initiatives for market expansion
- • Build partnerships that accelerate market entry
- • Influence company strategy through market insights
- • Create market entry success stories
New Market at L5 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Developing expansion frameworks
- • Analyzing industry trends
- • Creating thought leadership
L6 — Director, New Markets Transformational
Mission
Define market expansion strategy and lead the most strategic market entries
This tour of duty
Build a team that enters new markets successfully
Own the outcomes
- • Define market expansion strategy and lead the company's most strategic market entries
- • Architect market development approaches for transformational geographic or vertical growth
- • Establish best practices and playbooks that elevate market expansion excellence
- • Serve as the expert on market entry methodology and go-to-market in new regions
- • Drive initiatives that shape new market approach company-wide
- • Influence company strategy through deep market insights and opportunity analysis
New Market at L6 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Forecasting and planning
- • Building team playbooks
- • Creating market programs
L7 — Senior Director, New Markets Transformational
Mission
Serve as the company's foremost market expansion strategist
This tour of duty
Scale market expansion operations
Own the outcomes
- • Serve as the company's foremost expert in market expansion methodology
- • Define the strategic framework for successful new market entry
- • Establish thought leadership in geographic and vertical expansion
- • Architect innovative approaches for entering new markets efficiently
- • Drive cross-functional alignment on market expansion initiatives
- • Shape market development culture through expertise and best practices
New Market at L7 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Market analysis
- • Building scale strategies
- • Creating regional plans
L8 — VP, New Markets Foundational
Mission
Own new market strategy
This tour of duty
Transform market entry practices
Own the outcomes
- • Own new market strategy and planning
- • Build organizational structure for expansion
- • Define market investment and priorities
- • Establish executive relationships in new markets
- • Drive alignment across business functions
- • Represent market expansion in executive forums
New Market at L8 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Organizational modeling
- • Building expansion strategies
- • Creating executive content
L9 — SVP, Market Expansion Foundational
Mission
Define the market expansion strategy
This tour of duty
Define the expansion strategy
Own the outcomes
- • Define the market expansion strategy
- • Shape company approach to new market entry
- • Establish initiatives for geographic and vertical growth
- • Build programs that accelerate market expansion
- • Drive market development culture and excellence
- • Influence board decisions on expansion investment
New Market at L9 — the competency bar
AI in this role
- • Strategic planning
- • Building board content
- • Creating growth strategies
What Hiring Managers Look For
Market research depth that reveals untapped segments with quantified opportunity sizing and competitive gap analysis.
Revenue-generating partnerships that demonstrate negotiation skill, relationship building, and ability to structure complex multi-party deals.
P&L ownership across multiple markets with proven ability to scale go-to-market strategies while managing board-level stakeholder expectations.
Common Career Transitions
New Market BD → Corporate Strategy at L5-L6 for broader market expansion planning
New Market Partnerships → VP Sales at L6-L7 leveraging channel partnership experience
Official Classifications
| System | Code | Official Title |
|---|---|---|
| O*NET-SOC (US) | 13-1161.00 | Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists |
| ISCO-08 (UN/ILO) | 2431 | Advertising and Marketing Professionals |
| ESCO (EU) | — | Business developer |
| SSOC 2024 (Singapore) | 24313 | Marketing strategy/planning professional |
| NCO-2015 (India) | 2431.0501 | Market Research Associate – Sales & Marketing/Business Development |
At L6 and above, the manager classification 1221 — Sales and Marketing Managers applies IN ADDITION to the professional code — a manager is a superset of the individual contributor, never a replacement.
Measure yourself against this ladder — pin it to your Career Record.
Build Your Career Record