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Job outlook for directors, global business development in the United States
Director, global business development job growth summary. After extensive research, interviews, and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:
The projected director, global business development job growth rate is 10% from 2018-2028.
About 33,700 new jobs for directors, global business development are projected over the next decade.
Director, global business development salaries have increased 8% for directors, global business development in the last 5 years.
There are over 12,013 directors, global business development currently employed in the United States.
There are 134,226 active director, global business development job openings in the US.
The average director, global business development salary is $135,899.
Are director, global business development jobs in demand?
Director, global business development job and salary trends over time
Director, global business development jobs over time
Director, global business development job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 12,013 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 11,647 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 11,366 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 10,364 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 9,438 | 0.00% |
Average director, global business development salary over time
Director, global business development salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $135,899 | $65.34 | +3.9% |
| 2024 | $130,814 | $62.89 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $128,367 | $61.71 | +1.6% |
| 2022 | $126,397 | $60.77 | +0.8% |
| 2021 | $125,394 | $60.29 | +1.9% |
Director, global business development jobs by state
Most common states for directors, global business development
| Rank | State | Population | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 459 | 66% |
| 2 | South Dakota | 869,666 | 382 | 44% |
| 3 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 532 | 40% |
| 4 | Vermont | 623,657 | 233 | 37% |
| 5 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,788 | 32% |
| 6 | Alaska | 739,795 | 236 | 32% |
| 7 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 540 | 28% |
| 8 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 825 | 27% |
| 9 | West Virginia | 1,815,857 | 493 | 27% |
| 10 | South Carolina | 5,024,369 | 1,262 | 25% |
| 11 | Alabama | 4,874,747 | 1,171 | 24% |
| 12 | Arkansas | 3,004,279 | 712 | 24% |
| 13 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 2,984 | 23% |
| 14 | Wisconsin | 5,795,483 | 1,346 | 23% |
| 15 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 658 | 23% |
| 16 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,484 | 22% |
| 17 | New Mexico | 2,088,070 | 454 | 22% |
| 18 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 226 | 22% |
| 19 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 126 | 22% |
| 20 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 158 | 21% |
Most common cities for directors, global business development
| Rank | City | # of jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Annapolis | 1 | 3% | $127,132 |
| 2 | Cedar Falls | 1 | 2% | $120,550 |
| 3 | Sanford | 1 | 2% | $110,217 |
| 4 | Cambridge | 1 | 1% | $143,565 |
| 5 | Tallahassee | 1 | 1% | $109,422 |
| 6 | Boston | 2 | 0% | $143,553 |
| 7 | Washington | 2 | 0% | $129,300 |
| 8 | Irvine | 1 | 0% | $158,859 |
Director, Global Business Development job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of director, global business development experts
Georgia State University
Drexel University
Utah State University
University of Saint Mary
The Pennsylvania State University
Augsburg University
Northeastern University
What general advice would you give to a Director, Global Business Development?
Andrew Spicer: Resiliency is a particularly important skill for international business and career progression. Resiliency – the ability to recover quickly in the face of obstacles and failures – has always been a critical part of successful international assignments. The only constant of working abroad is that there will be miscommunication and mistakes. Successful international business careers depend on the ability to learn from these inevitable setbacks to improve over time. The constant change in the global business environment also leads to the demand for resiliency among international business specialists. An important role for those with a global mindset is to help companies adapt to the massive disruption to the global business environment for international trade and investment presently taking place across the world.
What will help Directors, Global Business Development increase their earning potential?
Andrew Spicer: My first piece of advice for a graduating college student who wishes to pursue a career in international business is to ask lots of questions about the potential for international assignments before accepting a job. Does the company send people abroad for work assignments? For how long? To which places? How do international assignments fit into long-term career progression in the company? Besides talking to the company recruiter, I would also advise to talk directly to people who have already completed an international assignment with the company.
What general advice would you give to a Director, Global Business Development?
Salomao De Farias: An International Business Analyst/Professional performs a variety of tasks that contribute significantly to understanding and navigating global markets. On a daily basis, these may include analyzing data trends and market information to identify patterns and insights that help in making informed decisions about market entry, product development, and other strategic moves. Also, IB analysts will work in compiling findings into detailed reports and presentations that communicate insights and recommendations clearly to stakeholders, they will be capable to use data visualization to simplify the complex set of data that they may face when analyzing a country's market potential. They will assist in the development of strategic plans based on analysis to help the company maximize its international potential and opportunities. A key responsibility is working closely with various departments (such as marketing, sales, and logistics) to ensure coherent strategies are implemented effectively across all sectors of the business. It is important to keep track of international economic and trade regulations, monitoring geopolitical impacts on international markets, and understanding international legal frameworks to adjust business strategies accordingly. I would say that for someone entering the field, initial activities typically involve more focused tasks such as data collection, basic analysis under supervision, and learning the specific technologies and methods used in their organization. They may also spend considerable time gaining understanding of the specific markets their company is interested in or already operating within.
What Director, Global Business Development skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Salomao De Farias: As businesses increasingly operate on an international scale, the demand for professionals who can analyze and navigate international markets continues to grow. Adding to this, the advancement in data analytics tools has enhanced the capability to collect and analyze extensive amounts of data, making international business analysis more efficient and insightful. AI tools will help in this task. Understanding complex global markets is crucial as companies seek to expand or improve their global footprint amidst fluctuating trade regulations and geopolitical tensions. After the COVID pandemic and the disruption of global markets, more than ever there is a need for professional that can understand and navigate the complexities of IB.
Parfait Kouassi PhD.
Associate Teaching ProfessorDrexel University
Bilingual, Multilingual, And Multicultural Education
What general advice would you give to a Director, Global Business Development?
Parfait Kouassi PhD.: In the next 3-5 years, bilingual and multicultural skills will likely become as indispensable as having access to transportation. Just as individuals without access to a personal vehicle can rely on public transit or ridesharing services, those lacking multilingual abilities will find themselves at a severe disadvantage in their careers. The world is becoming increasingly interconnected, and the ability to communicate across languages and navigate different cultural contexts will be essential for professional growth, success, and mobility.
What general advice would you give to a Director, Global Business Development?
Barbara Ribbens: It is important to develop your story about your skills and competencies to sell yourself to potential employers. Not many companies list jobs as International Business openings, but almost every company is happy to consider IB grads for their openings. IB grads are particular desired in rotational leadership development programs and in logistics/customs kinds of roles, but we have IB graduates go to work in many different companies and settings. We have found that IB grads tend to promote more quickly than average because they know a second language (which often results in improved communication skills) and they have studied abroad so they tend to be more confident and flexible than many other business graduates.
Brent Allred
Professor of International Business and Strategic ManagementUtah State University
Marketing
What Director, Global Business Development skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Brent Allred: I get this question often from my students that wish to have international careers and job opportunities. One of the reasons we suspended our International Business (IB) major was that we found that not a single company was coming to campus to specifically recruit students with IB degrees. At the undergraduate level, companies are more focused hiring students with function skills from degrees like Accounting, Finance, Operations, Marketing, Data Analytics, etc. Few companies are looking for fresh undergraduates to come advise in creating and implementing high level international strategies. Instead, they look to those in the company and industry that have extensive experience. Due to the expense of sending employees abroad, fresh undergraduates are also not the prime candidates for international assignments. While Executive Ex-patriot assignments are declining (due to expense and the increased availability of local national talent), companies that wish to have employees acquire international experience are sending more mid-level managers for international assignments. This allows them to send high potential employees that have developed the understanding and talent of the company/industry/specific field to enhance their value to the company with international experience. So, the advice that I give my students is to first focus on the functional business degree that interests them most and complement this with an International Business Minor or our new Certificate. They should then seek out companies that have a global reach and provide international opportunities to employees. Once on the job, excel at that job, while also seeking out opportunities that will expose them to global projects and managers that can result in international opportunities.
What will help Directors, Global Business Development increase their earning potential?
Brent Allred: As stated above, I feel that students should focus first on establishing a solid job/career within a company, typically an American company for US students. International assignments and experience within a company will only enhance your value. Pursuing international jobs directly in countries that pay as locals is not a recommended path for maximizing salary. It could be a good path for gaining experience, but many countries do not pay as well as the US and the cost of living may be high. I led a student experience to London this past March and while the students came away with a sense that they could pursue jobs there, they also learned that they would not be paid as well in a very expensive city. A colleague of mine taught at the London Business School and told me that his salary paid for rent and his consulting paid for food. It is wonderful to live and work in places like London for a couple of years, but that may not help you get ahead financially. On the other hand, the experience may prove invaluable for a career and future opportunities. It should also help make you a better global citizen, which may be the most important thing to be.
Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs, Coordinator of All-University Honors ProgramUniversity of Saint Mary
Division of Business and Information Technologies (DBiT)
What hard/technical skills are most important for Directors, Global Business Development?
Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.: Familiarity with software-basic windows packages, particularly MS Word and Excel. Candidates should not be afraid of quantitative data analysis. Analytics are necessary to figuring out what your business is doing and how it can grow. Also, familiarity with whatever social media platforms are used in that industry can be very important.
What skills will help Directors, Global Business Development earn the most?
Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.: One consideration is, does the position pay commission? If so, the soft skills listed above are extremely important because the more you apply those skills, the more likely you are to grow your business.
When a manager is not on commission, there's little correlation between skills and pay while doing the job. The employer will hire you at a given salary level, and it is your job to negotiate to the best position. Once they have chosen you-that's the moment when you have the most leverage. You will never get a raise that is as substantial as what you might be able to ask for upon hire. After that, most raises are not going to be tied mechanically to performance and skills. Your next chance at a raise will be when you move or are promoted to a new position. Thus, those soft skills can affect your ability to negotiate.
I will repeat a previous theme: education and experience are probably more important than skills in terms of making more money. An employer can't really tell what your skills are from your resume. Just because you say you have a skill doesn't mean that you really do. They can reasonably guess that somebody with a degree is responsible enough to have accomplished something big. Somebody who makes it through a graduate program is probably very good at what they know. And somebody who has been in the industry and/or in a similar job is more likely to be able to walk in with little orientation and know what they are doing. Employers take risks on employees and hope that they can deliver. Thus, with more education and more experience, you are able to apply for higher-level jobs, which usually come with higher salaries.
What skills stand out on Director, Global Business Development resumes?
Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.: Resumes are hard. It is very difficult to predict what any employer is looking for on any resume. The "skills" section of a resume is probably not the first thing most employers are looking at. The first consideration is probably education. Those with a bachelor's degree will be sorted first in fields-such as those who have business degrees, or particularly sales and marketing majors. Those with MBAs will be placed on the top. Those who have MBAs and marketing concentrations will likely be valued the most. The second consideration would probably be experience. Someone with several years of experience in business development or sales and marketing will be moved to the top. Someone with a bachelor's degree who has a lot of experience might beat out a fresh MBA. However, MBA plus experience beats almost everything. Someone with an MBA going for an entry-level position with little experience needed will likely beat out all bachelor challengers. For new graduates, getting some kind of internship in sales and marketing can differentiate them from those who do not.
Most hiring managers will probably assume that somebody who has sales and marketing education and/or experience probably has the skills necessary to do the job. An interviewer may probe on specific skills. I'll comment more specifically on other kinds of skills below, but it's also fair to say that a candidate's soft skills should shine in the interview. Simply saying that you have certain skills on a resume doesn't mean that you actually have them.
I think that the best thing a candidate can do is to research the company they hope to work for and tailor their resume to that employer. What does the business do? What kinds of things do you think that development manager is going to do in that particular industry? How do your skills as a candidate match what you guess they're looking for? The more you customize your resume, the better chances you have of resonating with the company. Employers are impressed when you already know something about the job and the industry.
What soft skills should all Directors, Global Business Development possess?
Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.: First, critical and creative thinking. Employers value problem solvers. A Business Development Managers' problem usually is finding growth opportunities. Candidates need to learn to take the initiative to figure out how to solve problems like those.
Second, writing. The best employees know how to communicate in writing. More and more communication occurs through email and other forms of social media and apps, and as such, this skill is absolutely critical. You don't need to be a creative writing genius, but you do need to know how to write in a professional tone, present your ideas in an organized way, get to the point, and avoid errors. There is a direct line between a student's ability to write an academic essay with a clear thesis and an employee's ability to write a good email or proposal. If you can't do those things, then you risk embarrassment and possibly limited options for promotion.
Third, speaking. The American business world discriminates against introverts-sometimes at their own peril. Everyone needs to know how to give a quality speech, but more importantly, you need to sound confident and assertive in a board room during meetings. You need to be confident in front of clients. Fake it if you have to. The way you present yourself is absolutely critical.
Fourth, social skills. You need to be friendly. Get to know co-workers and clients. Find out what they like and show an interest. Find common ground. Your undergraduate degree hopefully exposed you to a wide diversity of topics you may have thought were irrelevant at some point. Now is the time to remember that stuff and use it to connect with people. Nearly everything you learned will have some application someday. It will help you connect with others. In addition, put away your cell phone when you are at work or on social occasions. To some people, a preoccupation with a cell phone communicates a lack of interest in the person you are with. It can alienate bosses, co-workers, and clients.
James Wilkerson Ph.D.
Business Program Coordinator, Project and Supply Chain Management Program CoordinatorThe Pennsylvania State University
Business Department
What skills stand out on Director, Global Business Development resumes?
James Wilkerson Ph.D.: Skills, experience, knowledge, and abilities that matter especially strongly include target market analysis (including market research skills and knowledge), product/service positioning within competitive field, project work or coordination with sales staff, major client relationship management, and enough general business and industry knowledge to be able to relate business development to operational/production realities.
What soft skills should all Directors, Global Business Development possess?
James Wilkerson Ph.D.: Verbal skills (both speaking and writing), negotiation skills, unfailing honesty, ability to empathize with clients' wants, and teamwork skills suitable for working collaboratively with sales and operations staff.
What hard/technical skills are most important for Directors, Global Business Development?
James Wilkerson Ph.D.: Spreadsheet (Excel) skills (including graph production from data), basic statistical knowledge, and online information search skills.
What skills will help Directors, Global Business Development earn the most?
James Wilkerson Ph.D.: Skill at rapidly learning market trends, relating business development to product development, and persuading major prospective clients when brought in to help with closing sales. Bottom line: the business development manager must be on the cutting edge of new market conditions and new business opportunities to help the firm organically grow its sales, especially in new markets or product/service lines.
George Dierberger
MBA Director, Associate ProfessorAugsburg University
Business Administration
What general advice would you give to a Director, Global Business Development?
George Dierberger: Early on, it is all about getting international experience. Once you have completed 3-5 years then you can look at maximizing your earning potential and becoming an expert in a certain field like medical devices. I believe it is really important to become a subject expert in a given field like medical devices; that will create plenty of opportunities with high returns on investment.
What Director, Global Business Development skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
George Dierberger: Being fluent in multiple languages (written and oral); excel skills; having the experience of living abroad for a semester.
What general advice would you give to a Director, Global Business Development?
Ravi Sarathy Ph.D.: Around 75% of the global market lies outside the US, so firms that want to grow sales need to understand and market to foreign customers. Similarly, with the restructuring of supply chains formerly concentrated in China, firms need to analyze alternative sources of supply in other counties such as India, Brazil, Mexico, Kenya, Morocco and elsewhere, find and qualify suppliers, and negotiate supply contracts with them, taking into account transportation and logistics, customs duties, economic and political stability, and so forth. Students who graduate with an understanding of how IB affects a business based in the US will be able to offer additional analytical and decision-making skills which will be helpful to their potential employers. In a complex technological world, firms will often seek overseas alliance and joint venture partners, and new recruits who have an understanding of and can help manage economic, political and cultural differences will be invaluable.
What Director, Global Business Development skills would you recommend for someone trying to advance their career?
Ravi Sarathy Ph.D.: I am unaware of such a position - International Business Analyst. IB is intertwined with most business functions in companies that do international manufacturing or marketing, conduct R&D; with overseas partners, acquire human resource talent from outside the US or depend on global supply chains. Thus, students who work in one of the functional disciplines mentioned above, as well as in support functions, such as Finance or Accounting, will need to have some understanding of how IB affects their responsibilities and assignments. For example, firms marketing overseas will need to understand currency fluctuations, hedge receivables and payables, adjust pricing in local currencies and assess longer-term trends in currency fluctuations in making foreign investment and foreign borrowing decisions.
What will help Directors, Global Business Development increase their earning potential?
Ravi Sarathy Ph.D.: Positions involving IB are multi-faceted, requiring the integration of skills from different disciplines, and bringing to bear not only business thinking, but an understanding of politics, ideologies, Governmental regulations, history, languages, in sum, a multidisciplinary approach beyond just business. This can be exciting, rewarding, and one can always continue learning, by being exposed to new situations, countries, people and problems. The downside is that IB requires an open minds, a willingness to accept greater uncertainty and volatility, and readiness to work with foreign firms, as equal partners, sharing decision making, and trusting them. IB has more uncontrollable factors, and a firm and the team and an individual’s performance will all be affected by such unpredictability. Someone well trained in IB and with growing IB experience can help reduce this unpredictability, make it more manageable.