Occupation intelligence

ICT business development manager

Key facts

Are you passionate about technology and driving business growth? As an ICT business development manager, you'll be at the forefront of identifying new opportunities and shaping the future of your organization's ICT offerings.

Summary

As an ICT business development manager, you play a crucial role in expanding your organization’s reach and impact within the technology sector. Your days will involve analyzing market trends, identifying potential clients and partnerships, and crafting strategies to enhance product development and distribution. You'll be a key negotiator, ensuring favorable contract terms and pricing that benefit the company.

Key responsibilities
  • • Identifying and pursuing new business opportunities within the ICT landscape.
  • • Developing and implementing business development strategies aligned with organizational goals.
  • • Negotiating contracts and pricing agreements with clients and partners.
19%
Resilience Score · 2026 (Higher is better)
Bachelor's or equivalent level 77% AI exposure
Start Career DNA assessment
Labour market

Where this occupation is in demand

Reported labour shortages and surpluses, by year. Published for occupation groups, not for individual job titles.

Shortage reportedSurplus reportedBoth reportedReported in another yearNot covered by this source

Deeper colour: reported the same way in more consecutive years.

Figures cover Business and administration professionals — 134 jobs including this one.

5 of 8 in shortage202529 of 31 growing7.2Mopenings to 2035

In shortage: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Greece and 1 more.

Longest-running shortage: Cyprus, 2 years.

Select a place on the map to see its figures.

About this source

Source: ELA/EURES labour shortages and surpluses. Readings are published at occupation-group level, and cover Europe. Editions differ in annex layout and country coverage, so a change between years does not always mean the labour market changed. Countries in grey were not reported, which is not the same as being in balance.

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Quick fit check

Could ICT business development manager fit you?

Answer three quick questions. This is not a full assessment — it is a teaser to help you decide whether to compare your profile.

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NexFuture™

Future Outlook for ICT business development manager

The outlook for ICT business development manager reflects a balanced mix of automation exposure and durable, human-led work.

How are these scores calculated?

The Resilience Score (0–100) estimates how structurally protected this occupation is from automation and AI disruption, based on task-level analysis. Higher scores mean more human-judgment-intensive tasks. AI Exposure shows the estimated percentage of task hours that current AI capabilities could affect. These are model-derived structural indicators, not predictions about individual job security.

Play the future

How could ICT business development manager change as AI adoption grows?

Several task areas may shift toward AI-assisted workflows, so reskilling becomes more important.

Significant task-level transformation is estimated in 8 years (around 2034) under the selected Expected Pace scenario.
~15%
Resilience
Automation Risk
EXP~80%
Human advantage
MOAT~15%

Illustrative scenario based on task automatability — not a forecast. Values are rounded the further ahead you look.

2026
2030
2039
AI Adoption Speed:

How AI may change this role

Deterministic, model-based interpretation of current role signals — not a guarantee of replacement.

Human-owned 19% Human-owned
What still depends on people
  • innovate in ICT
  • identify new business opportunities
The Human Edge To stay ahead in this role, focus on business ICT systems and decision support systems. These human-centric skills are the hardest for AI to replicate in the next 20 years.
Assist 24% Assist
Where AI may become a co-pilot
  • perform business analysis
  • analyse business requirements
  • perform market research
Automate 77% Automate
Tasks most exposed to automation
  • collect customer feedback on applications
Detailed Analysis

Vital Signs & AI Vectors

AI Exposure Vectors

0-100%
Cognitive Software 24%

Exposure to workflow automation, decision-support software, and process digitisation

AI / Machine Learning 16%

Exposure to AI-assisted analysis, pattern recognition, and predictive modelling tasks

Generative AI 6%

Exposure to content generation, creative augmentation, and large language model tools

Robotic & Physical Automation 0%

Exposure to physical automation, robotics, and sensor-driven task displacement

Technical Details
Methodology: NexFuture v3.0 Sources: O*NET® 30.3, ESCO v1.2.1 Updated: Aug 2026

NexFuture v3.0 estimates automation exposure natively from ESCO essential-skill groups, weighted by skill mass and calibrated against expert anchors. Scores are probabilistic estimates, not guarantees. See the NexFuture Methodology White Paper for full details.

Measures automation exposure. It does not measure pay, demand, or how many jobs exist near you.

Day in the life

What people in this role usually do

Management & Entrepreneurship

Day in the life

A typical day as a ICT business development manager

09
09:00 · Morning
innovate in ICT
Create and describe new original research and innovation ideas within the field of information and communication technologies, compare to the emerging technologies and trends and plan the development of new ideas.
10
10:30 · Mid-morning
interpret current data
Analyse data gathered from sources such as market data, scientific papers, customer requirements and questionnaires which are current and up-to-date in order to assess development and innovation in areas of expertise.
12
12:00 · Midday
analyse business requirements
Study clients' needs and expectations for a product or service in order to identify and resolve inconsistencies and possible disagreements of involved stakeholders.
14
14:00 · Afternoon
collect customer feedback on applications
Gather a response and analyse data from customers to identify requests or problems in order to improve applications and overall customer satisfaction.
15
15:30 · Late afternoon
give live presentation
Deliver a speech or talk in which a new product, service, idea, or piece of work is demonstrated and explained to an audience.
17
17:00 · Wrap-up
identify new business opportunities
Pursue potential customers or products in order to generate additional sales and ensure growth.

Task order is illustrative. Individual days vary.

Software & Technologies & Knowledge areas
Software & Technologies
Adobe AcrobatAdobe Acrobat ReaderAdobe ActionScriptAdobe After EffectsAdobe Creative Cloud softwareAdobe DreamweaverAdobe IllustratorAdobe InDesignAdobe PhotoshopAdSense TrackerAEC Software FastTrack ScheduleAirtableAmazon RedshiftAmazon Web Services AWS softwareApache CassandraApache HadoopApache HiveApache PigApache SolrApple Final Cut Pro
Knowledge areas
  • business ICT systems

    The software packages, hardware devices and new technologies used in supporting business processes such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), customer relationship management (CRM), mobile devices and network solutions.

  • decision support systems

    The ICT systems that can be used to support business or organisational decision making.

  • ICT market

    The processes, stakeholders and the dynamics of the chain of goods and services in the ICT market sector.

  • innovation processes

    The techniques, models, methods and strategies which contribute to the promotion of steps towards innovation.

  • business process modelling

    The tools, methods and notations such as Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) and Business Process Execution Language (BPEL), used to describe and analyse the characteristics of a business process and model its further development.

  • business requirements techniques

    The procedures required to identify and analyse business and organisational needs.

Cross-sector skills
  • business processes
  • business strategy concepts
Essential skills
monitoring developments in area of expertise
  • interpret current data

    Analyse data gathered from sources such as market data, scientific papers, customer requirements and questionnaires which are current and up-to-date in order to assess development and innovation in areas of expertise.

  • monitor technology trends

    Survey and investigate recent trends and developments in technology. Observe and anticipate their evolution, according to current or future market and business conditions.

  • seek innovation in current practices

    Search for improvements and present innovative solutions, creativity and alternative thinking to develop new technologies, methods or ideas for and answers to work-related problems.

analysing business operations
  • perform business analysis

    Evaluate the condition of a business on its own and in relation to the competitive business domain, performing research, placing data in context of the business' needs and determining areas of opportunity.

  • analyse business requirements

    Study clients' needs and expectations for a product or service in order to identify and resolve inconsistencies and possible disagreements of involved stakeholders.

gathering information from physical or electronic sources
  • collect customer feedback on applications

    Gather a response and analyse data from customers to identify requests or problems in order to improve applications and overall customer satisfaction.

communication, collaboration and creativity
  • innovate in ICT

    Create and describe new original research and innovation ideas within the field of information and communication technologies, compare to the emerging technologies and trends and plan the development of new ideas.

presenting general information
  • give live presentation

    Deliver a speech or talk in which a new product, service, idea, or piece of work is demonstrated and explained to an audience.

identifying opportunities
  • identify new business opportunities

    Pursue potential customers or products in order to generate additional sales and ensure growth.

conducting academic or market research
  • perform market research

    Gather, assess and represent data about target market and customers in order to facilitate strategic development and feasibility studies. Identify market trends.

Skill DNA

Skill DNA

Work personality traits and values that define this role

Key traits you need
Achievement/Effort Persistence Initiative Leadership Cooperation Concern for Others Social Orientation Self-Control Stress Tolerance Adaptability/Flexibility Dependability Attention to Detail Integrity Independence Innovation Analytical Thinking
Key rewards you can expect
AchievementWorking Condit…RecognitionRelationshipsSupportIndependence
Career progression

Growth Pathways & Similar Roles

Explore typical career progression paths, adjacent skills, and similar roles to plan your next transition.

Career landscape

Where does ICT business development manager fit?

This role
ICT business development manager This role

Similarity scores based on skill overlap from ESCO data.

Common questions

Frequently asked questions

What kind of background is typically helpful for this role?
A strong understanding of ICT technologies, coupled with experience in sales, marketing, or business development, is highly valuable. While a specific ICT degree isn't always required, a solid technical foundation is essential for understanding the products and services you'll be promoting.
How does this role differ from a sales manager?
While both roles involve driving revenue, an ICT business development manager focuses more on long-term strategic planning and identifying new market segments. A sales manager typically concentrates on closing deals within established markets and managing a sales team.
What are some common challenges faced by ICT business development managers?
Staying ahead of rapidly evolving technology, accurately forecasting market trends, and building trust with clients in a competitive landscape are common challenges. Strong analytical skills and adaptability are key to overcoming these hurdles.
ICT Business Development Manager — is there a shortage in Europe?
Yes. In the 2025 ELA/EURES edition, a shortage was reported in 5 of the 8 European countries that assessed this occupation group: Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czechia, Greece and 1 more. Cyprus has reported one for 2 consecutive years. These assessments are published per occupation group rather than per job title.
ICT Business Development Manager — what does it pay in the United States?
$161,030 a year at the median, as of 2025-05. State medians run from $79,890 to $212,020. Source: US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is a United States figure and not a projection for Europe.