Business Development Manager

Awareness of GenAI technology has exploded over the last 12 months. Marketers, creatives and everyday people are both excited and sometimes, a little worried. At Pencil we’ve been on the cutting edge of the AI revolution since 2018 and want to ensure we take a leadership position in communicating a clear and optimistic view on how AI will change the way marketing works, while rapidly growing our business.

We’re looking for a Proposal Manager who will focus on scaling revenue through strategic relationships with marketing intermediaries—such as agency search consultants and advisory firms like The Observatory International—and driving our success in formal RFP processes. You’ll build and nurture these partnerships, develop responses to inbound RFPs, and proactively seek out new business opportunities within both enterprise and high-growth marketing teams.

You’ll be responsible for building repeatable commercial systems and assets, articulating Pencil’s unique value proposition in a highly competitive space, and collaborating with product, sales and legal teams to close high-value deals. This is a high-impact role at the intersection of relationship-building and strategic storytelling, helping some of the world’s biggest brands navigate the shift to AI-generated marketing.

You will need a strong grasp of AI-powered marketing platforms, fluency in the RFI/RFP lifecycle, and excellent communication skills. Succeeding in this role will grow Pencil’s presence in major procurement cycles, establish us as a preferred partner among intermediaries, and help shift global marketing budgets toward GenAI.

Job requirements

• Have 3+ years in SaaS, enterprise sales, or agency/consultancy BD roles

• Experience managing or contributing to RFP/RFI responses in a marketing or technology context

• Understanding of the intermediary/consultancy landscape (e.g. The Observatory, R3, AAR, Flock)

• Clear, persuasive writing skills and experience creating commercial pitch collateral

• Track record of working cross-functionally with sales, legal and product teams

Job responsibilities

• Building and maintaining strong relationships with marketing intermediaries and pitch consultants

• Monitoring and qualifying inbound RFP/RFI opportunities from intermediaries and prospects

• Writing compelling, tailored responses that clearly articulate Pencil’s value and capabilities

• Coordinating with internal stakeholders to assemble pricing, legal, product and case study inputs

• Building a library of reusable proposal assets (e.g., slides, templates, responses) to accelerate future pitches

• Your KPIs will be linked to the following:

  • Volume and quality of intermediary relationships established and maintained

  • RFP win rate and value of deals influenced by intermediary and consultant engagement

  • Revenue and pipeline growth attributable to formal proposal processes

Job benefits

• Fully remote work including WeWork "All Access" membership

• Opportunity to work at the cutting edge of GenAI for the Fortune 500

• Sponsored professional and personal learning

• Top-end Apple hardware

• Flexible vacation/time-off policy

• Competitive health insurance and welfare cover