Business Development Manager

Company Background

zenda is a financial technology partner to schools, colleges, and nurseries, building products exclusively for the education sector. We help institutions improve collection efficiency, digitise all payments, and offer flexibility to parents and guardians.

Launched in 2021, zenda is present in 40% of all UAE K-12 schools and 500+ schools across markets, serving 150,000+ parents across the Middle East and Southeast Asia, and on track to process USD 1B+ in transactions annually. We partner with leading global networks, and are actively expanding across Southeast Asia and Europe.

zenda is backed by leading VCs including the $1.5bn Saudi Technology Venture and Global Founders Capital, and is seamlessly integrated with 70+ local, regional, and global SIS and ERP systems.

The Role

We are looking for an experienced, commercially sharp sales professional to own and grow the Southeast Asia market. This is a field role for someone who has done this before, who knows how to navigate institutional sales cycles in SE Asia - particularly Malaysia, Singapore & Thailand, build trust with decision-makers, and close deals in a relationship-driven market.

You will own the full sales cycle, from identifying and engaging prospects to negotiating commercials and bringing deals to close. This is not a role for someone looking to learn the ropes. We want someone who can hit the ground running and build a strong, self-sustaining pipeline from day one. And you do not stop at the signature. You stay involved through activation, supporting the internal teams and keeping the school engaged, until the deal turns into revenue we can count.

We are a small, flat team. You will work directly alongside the people building and closing the business, and what you do here will directly shape zenda's growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the SE Asia pipeline end to end across Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam & Hong Kong, self-sourcing through your network, referrals, direct outreach, and in-person visits (leads may be provided, but generating your own is core to the role).
• Develop and execute a territory plan using modern tools and AI: identify and prioritise high-value targets, and build senior relationships with Principals, CFOs, finance teams, IT managers, and ECA coordinators.
• Deliver compelling demos, handle objections, and build the commercial case: turn collection efficiency, digitised payments, and a better parent experience into a return a bursar or CFO will sign off on.
• Lead negotiations and close deals in line with targets, then stay involved post-signature, supporting implementation and onboarding until the school is live, parents are adopting, and revenue is flowing.
• Grow your accounts (renewals, expansion into more campuses and products) and maintain a clean, accurately forecasted pipeline in Freshsales CRM.
• Represent zenda at regional industry events and bring structured market intelligence back to the team.

Requirements

• 5-8 years of B2B field sales experience in a similar role, ideally selling to SME and mid-market clients, with a clear, demonstrable track record of closing deals (be ready to talk quota attainment, deal sizes, and sales cycle length).
• Strong English communication skills; additional regional languages (Malay, Mandarin, Thai, etc.) are a strong advantage.
• Proven experience selling into the SE Asia market, ideally in education, fintech, or SaaS, with an existing senior-level network within SE Asia educational institutions a strong plus.
• Comfortable managing a complex, multi-stakeholder sales process, with commercial fluency in business cases, pricing, and negotiation.
• Experience with CRM tools and disciplined pipeline management, plus a valid international driving licence and own transport.
• zenda is building a diverse team, and we especially welcome applications from women.

What Makes Someone Successful Here

• A self-starting hunter: you build and sustain your own pipeline and don't wait to be handed leads.
• Trusted and culturally fluent: senior institutional stakeholders across SE Asia open up to you fast, and you understand the dynamics of selling into international schools there.
• Resourceful and patient but persistent: you find a way to hard-to-reach decision-makers, and know how to keep long institutional sales cycles moving without pushing too hard.
• Commercially rigorous: you qualify hard, forecast accurately, and close, handling objections on price and terms through to signature.
• Accountable for revenue, not just signatures: you stay close to the account until it's realized revenue.
• Digitally sharp and independent: you use modern sales tools and AI to work your patch efficiently, and don't need to be chased for updates or targets.

What We Offer

• Ownership of a high-growth regional market with real commercial upside, and direct access to the founding team.
• Competitive compensation with performance-based incentives, plus employee stock options (ESOPs): a genuine stake in what you help build.
• Room to grow with the business as it scales across SE Asia.