Business Development Executive job description template (India, 2026)
A Business Development Executive job description written for Indian companies: responsibilities, requirements, CTC and notice-period framing, five screening questions, and the full text to copy or post on ofper.
Last updated 3 September 2026. Competitor pricing and plan limits are re-verified against each vendor’s own pages.
What does a Business Development Executive do?
Business development in an Indian SME is the outbound half of sales: building lists, reaching decision-makers who have never heard of the company, and getting the first meeting. The measure is new accounts opened and pipeline created, not only revenue closed, and the working day is heavier on research, LinkedIn, cold calls and emails than a Sales Executive's.
The role is often the first hire when a company moves from founder-led sales to a team, which means the person inherits half-finished lists, no scripts and a founder who still wants to be on every call. The best candidates are comfortable building the process, not just running it.
Business Development Executive responsibilities
Written as work the person does, not qualities they have. A responsibility a candidate can picture is one they can decide about.
- Build target account lists for agreed segments, with decision-maker names, using LinkedIn, directories, events and referrals.
- Run outbound sequences — calls, emails, LinkedIn messages — to book first meetings, and keep response rates and conversions measured.
- Qualify opportunities on budget, authority, need and timeline before committing the company's time to a demo or proposal.
- Run or co-run first meetings and demos, and either close directly or hand over to a Sales Executive with full context.
- Identify partnership and channel opportunities — resellers, integrators, associations — and open the conversation.
- Represent the company at trade events and industry meetups, and convert the contacts made into pipeline.
- Maintain accurate CRM records for every account touched, including the reason an account was disqualified.
- Report weekly on meetings booked, opportunities created and pipeline value by segment.
Business Development Executive requirements and qualifications
Keep the required list to what you would actually reject a candidate for. Everything else goes under nice to have — a long required list mostly filters out the people you wanted.
- 1 to 4 years in business development, outbound sales or lead generation with a measurable meetings or pipeline target.
- Evidence of building a list and working it — not only handling inbound leads.
- Strong written English for cold emails and LinkedIn outreach; fluent spoken English and Hindi.
- Comfortable with rejection at volume and able to describe a personal system for staying consistent.
- Basic research skills: can identify the right buyer in a company from its website and LinkedIn in a few minutes.
- Graduate in any discipline; an MBA is not required.
Nice to have
- Experience selling into our target segment or a good understanding of its buying process.
- Familiarity with outbound tooling — LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, Lusha or similar — and a CRM.
- A network in the industry that can produce the first ten meetings.
Salary, CTC and terms for a Business Development Executive in India
State a CTC range. Postings without one get fewer and worse-matched applications, and the range is the first thing an Indian candidate looks for. Say how the CTC is made up — fixed, variable, and any statutory components — so the in-hand figure is not a surprise at offer stage.
- State the CTC as fixed plus variable and be explicit that the variable is tied to meetings booked and opportunities qualified, not only closed revenue — otherwise good BD candidates assume they will be paid on outcomes they do not control.
- State the ramp: a BD role usually takes two to three months to produce pipeline. Say whether the variable is guaranteed for the first quarter.
- Say whether tooling (Sales Navigator, a dialer) and a laptop are provided; candidates from larger companies assume yes and are surprised otherwise.
- Notice period: 30 days is standard. State it, and ask for the candidate's current notice period in screening.
Business Development Executive job description template
Replace every [placeholder]. Cut anything that is not true of your company — a generic paragraph is worse than no paragraph.
Business Development Executive — [Company name], [City] Employment type: Full-time | Location: [City] / [On-site, hybrid or remote] | CTC: [range] per annum | Experience: [years] About the role Business development in an Indian SME is the outbound half of sales: building lists, reaching decision-makers who have never heard of the company, and getting the first meeting. The measure is new accounts opened and pipeline created, not only revenue closed, and the working day is heavier on research, LinkedIn, cold calls and emails than a Sales Executive's. The role is often the first hire when a company moves from founder-led sales to a team, which means the person inherits half-finished lists, no scripts and a founder who still wants to be on every call. The best candidates are comfortable building the process, not just running it. What you will do - Build target account lists for agreed segments, with decision-maker names, using LinkedIn, directories, events and referrals. - Run outbound sequences — calls, emails, LinkedIn messages — to book first meetings, and keep response rates and conversions measured. - Qualify opportunities on budget, authority, need and timeline before committing the company's time to a demo or proposal. - Run or co-run first meetings and demos, and either close directly or hand over to a Sales Executive with full context. - Identify partnership and channel opportunities — resellers, integrators, associations — and open the conversation. - Represent the company at trade events and industry meetups, and convert the contacts made into pipeline. - Maintain accurate CRM records for every account touched, including the reason an account was disqualified. - Report weekly on meetings booked, opportunities created and pipeline value by segment. What we are looking for - 1 to 4 years in business development, outbound sales or lead generation with a measurable meetings or pipeline target. - Evidence of building a list and working it — not only handling inbound leads. - Strong written English for cold emails and LinkedIn outreach; fluent spoken English and Hindi. - Comfortable with rejection at volume and able to describe a personal system for staying consistent. - Basic research skills: can identify the right buyer in a company from its website and LinkedIn in a few minutes. - Graduate in any discipline; an MBA is not required. Nice to have - Experience selling into our target segment or a good understanding of its buying process. - Familiarity with outbound tooling — LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Apollo, Lusha or similar — and a CRM. - A network in the industry that can produce the first ten meetings. Compensation and terms - State the CTC as fixed plus variable and be explicit that the variable is tied to meetings booked and opportunities qualified, not only closed revenue — otherwise good BD candidates assume they will be paid on outcomes they do not control. - State the ramp: a BD role usually takes two to three months to produce pipeline. Say whether the variable is guaranteed for the first quarter. - Say whether tooling (Sales Navigator, a dialer) and a laptop are provided; candidates from larger companies assume yes and are surprised otherwise. - Notice period: 30 days is standard. State it, and ask for the candidate's current notice period in screening. How to apply Apply with your resume through this page. We reply to every application, and shortlisted candidates hear from us within [number] working days.
Opens a free ofper workspace with the title, description and screening questions filled in.
Screening questions for Business Development Executive applicants
Five questions is the ceiling on ofper, and it is the right ceiling: a form that asks more than that costs applications. Use them for the things that decide a shortlist, not for anything the resume already says.
| Question | Type | Knockout | Why it earns a slot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have you held a role with an outbound target — meetings booked, leads generated or new accounts opened — for at least 1 year? | Yes / No (pass: Yes) | Yes | Separates outbound experience from inbound order-taking, which is the most common mismatch for this title. |
| Roughly how many first meetings did you book in your best month? | Number (pass: 1+) | No | Not a knockout. Calibrates the candidate's volume against what the role needs and gives you a number to probe in the interview. |
| Are you able to work from [City] with travel for events and client meetings? | Yes / No (pass: Yes) | Yes | Settles location before anyone's time is spent. |
| What is your current notice period, in days? | Number (pass: 0 to 90) | No | Scheduling fact, needed early. |
Questions, answered straight
What is the difference between a BDE and a Sales Executive?
A Business Development Executive opens accounts the company is not yet selling to — outbound prospecting, first meetings, partnerships. A Sales Executive closes leads that already exist. In smaller Indian companies one person often does both; the job description should say which the role is measured on.
Should a BDE be paid on revenue or on meetings?
On what they control. If the BDE hands over to a closer, tie the variable to qualified meetings or pipeline created, with a smaller component on closed revenue. If the BDE closes their own deals, revenue is fine. Either way, state it in the posting.
Do I need an MBA for a Business Development Executive role?
No. An MBA is common on applications for this title in India but is not a predictor of outbound performance. Ask for evidence of building and working a list instead.