Business Development Manager, API

The role

We are looking to hire a Business Development Manager, Solutions to join our EMEA sales team in London. 

This is an on-site role out of our London office

 

Working at WGSN

Together, we create tomorrow 

A career with WGSN is fast-paced, exciting and full of opportunities to grow and develop. We're a team of consumer and design trend forecasters, content creators, designers, data analysts, advisory consultants and much more, united by a common goal: to create tomorrow. 

WGSN's trusted consumer and design forecasts power outstanding product design, enabling our customers to create a better future. Our services cover consumer insights, beauty, consumer tech, fashion, interiors, lifestyle, food and drink forecasting, data analytics and expert advisory. If you are an expert in your field, we want to hear from you. 

About the Role

We are seeking a high performing Business Development Manager to drive new logo acquisition for the WGSN Intelligence API.

For 28 years, WGSN has provided category-leading trend intelligence to the world’s top consumer brands. As enterprise clients rebuild their systems around AI, this role is responsible for selling high-value, direct API integrations that embed WGSN’s proprietary intelligence into client design tools, merchandising platforms, e-commerce environments, and AI agents.

This is a pure hunting role focused on closing complex, enterprise integration deals across fashion, beauty, retail, consumer goods, and fintech.

Key accountabilities

• Pipeline Generation: Proactively source and build a net-new enterprise pipeline targeting C suite and VP level buyers (Chief Digital, Data, Innovation, and Product Officers).

• Technical & Consultative Selling: Lead end-to-end sales cycles for complex, high-value API integrations. Conduct deep consultative discovery to map WGSN API capabilities directly to client technical architectures and business cases.

• Deal Ownership & Orchestration: Direct the complete sales process from origination to signature. Strategically pull in internal technical specialists only when needed for deep scoping.

• IP Protection & Commercial Discipline: Structure deals within established pricing and legal guardrails, ensuring strict protection of WGSN’s intellectual property, training-data exclusions, and brand attribution.

• Pipeline & Forecast Management: Maintain accurate forecasting, deal stage hygiene, and pipeline coverage metrics.

Skills, experience & qualifications

• Background in trend intelligence, syndicated consumer data, SaaS, or enterprise AI/ML platforms is preferred.

• Consistent history of exceeding quotas in an individual contributor, net-new enterprise hunting role closing $1M+ multi-year deals.

• Ability to independently lead technical discussions with senior data and technology buyers. Solid working knowledge of enterprise integration models, including REST/streaming APIs, authentication, and enterprise AI/ML architectures (e.g., RAG, embedded copilots, AI agents).

• Expert at navigating complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise environments across technical, product, and commercial business units.

• Strong qualification discipline; ability to identify non-viable deals early and protect IP standards without compromising revenue goals.

• Existing network of senior digital, data, and innovation leaders within Tier-1 retail and consumer brands preferred.

• Familiarity with AI content licensing models, including training-data protections and brand attribution terms is preferred.