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Manager, corporate development skills for your resume and career

Updated January 8, 2025

5 min read

Quoted experts

Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.,

Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.

Below we've compiled a list of the most critical manager, corporate development skills. We ranked the top skills for managers, corporate development based on the percentage of resumes they appeared on. For example, 13.9% of manager, corporate development resumes contained corporate development as a skill. Continue reading to find out what skills a manager, corporate development needs to be successful in the workplace.

15 manager, corporate development skills for your resume and career

1. Corporate Development

Corporate development is the planning and execution of strategies to meet objectives within an organization.

Here's how managers, corporate development use corporate development:

Co-established Corporate Development division within corporation.
Spearhead corporate development and M&A functions for established financial services firm, driving corporate profitability and overall financial performance.

2. Project Management

Here's how managers, corporate development use project management:

Implemented project management methodologies and standards within organization, including code standards, change management processes, and standard operating procedures.
Interfaced with service providers to customize the system to exceed the requirements of business leadership and project management teams.

3. Financial Models

Here's how managers, corporate development use financial models:

Constructed detailed financial models for the valuation of potential acquisitions and other internal corporate projects.
Developed complex financial models for subscription based pricing scenarios for new product offerings.

4. PowerPoint

Here's how managers, corporate development use powerpoint:

Created PowerPoint presentations for educating external partners on our seasonal product assortment and merchandising strategy.
Copy writing, PowerPoint, and Word skills.

5. Financial Analysis

Here's how managers, corporate development use financial analysis:

Developed briefing packages to communicate strategic rationale and financial analysis at board meetings and management reviews.
Performed financial analysis, contract negotiations, and due diligence on acquisitions and divestitures.

6. Business Development

Business development is the ideas or initiatives that work to make business work better. Selling, advertising, product development, supply chain management, and vendor management are only a few of the divisions involved with it. There is still a lot of networking, negotiating, forming alliances, and trying to save money. The goals set for business development guide and coordinate with all of these various operations and sectors.

Here's how managers, corporate development use business development:

Closed and completed various acquisition, divestiture and licensing transactions for diagnostic and life science corporate business development deals.
Constructed financial modeling and market pricing - forecasting market demands to execute market-leading business development and industry change.

7. Corporate Strategy

Here's how managers, corporate development use corporate strategy:

Supported cross company business activities, maintained executive level customer contact plans, and created corporate strategy inputs.
Worked closely with Executive team and strategy organizations to develop corporate strategy and direction.

8. Discounted Cash Flow

Discounted cash flow (DCF) is a form of analysis often used in real estate management and development, investment firms, and valuation of a company's finances or patents. This method attempts to predict the amount of funds one would receive after investing a certain amount of money into a project.

Here's how managers, corporate development use discounted cash flow:

Utilize discounted cash flows analysis, comparable trading and transaction multiples, accretion/dilution and scenario/sensitivity analysis.
Designed and managed comparable company, precedent transactions, and discounted cash flow analyses.

9. Market Research

Market research is a collective effort to collect information related to a consumer's needs and wants. It is a systematic approach that involves recording and analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data. Market research helps a business to identify a target market correctly and identify the gaps in potential consumer's expectations.

Here's how managers, corporate development use market research:

Conducted market research and competitive analysis related to business prospects.
Managed forecasting and market research.

10. Due Diligence

Due diligence refers to the process of auditing, investigating, or reviewing done to confirm the authenticity of relevant facts. In addition to this, it also refers to the evaluation of a party's financial records to determine whether one should enter into a transaction with the said party or not.

Here's how managers, corporate development use due diligence:

Leveraged subject matter expertise to contribute to due diligence within 5 acquisitions and managed technology integration of 7 acquisitions.
Advanced all phases of acquisition process from initial identification and due diligence to legal negotiations and operational integration.

11. Mergers

A merger is an agreement by two companies to combine and form a single entity voluntarily. The purpose of a merger is usually to increase the company's market share.

Here's how managers, corporate development use mergers:

Evaluated and recommended market participation and entry strategies, including mergers and acquisitions.
Designed methodology and metrics for determining the financial and operational success of mergers.

12. Strategic Partnerships

Here's how managers, corporate development use strategic partnerships:

Structured and negotiated acquisitions, strategic partnerships, and other business relationships involving traditional and emerging media areas.
Formulated HP's networking strategy and developed and implemented a strategic partnership with a leading PC-LAN supplier.

13. DCF

DCF (discounted cash flow) refers to a valuation technique used to determine an investment's present value based on its projected future cash flows. The foundation of DCF analysis is the concept that a dollar received today is more valuable than a dollar you'll receive in the future because the former can be invested.

Here's how managers, corporate development use dcf:

Developed comprehensive DCF based valuation framework for making divestiture decisions, and obtained consensus from senior executive team.
Led the quarterly valuation of the company's private stock which combined DCF and public comparable approaches.

14. HR

HR stands for human resources and is used to describe the set of people who work for a company or an organization. HR responsibilities revolve around updating employee records and carrying out management processes like planning, recruitment, evaluation, and selection processes. HR is a key contributor to any company or organization's growth as they are in charge of hiring the right employees, processing payrolls, conducting disciplinary actions, etc.

Here's how managers, corporate development use hr:

Consulted executive group on Human Resource training and development and HR project implementation.
Partnered with the President, CFO, Controller, Tax, Accounting, Legal and HR in securing sale.

15. Business Cases

Business cases are documents, verbal agreements, or presentations that explain the purpose of creating a task or project. The idea is to see that whenever any resource such as money or effort is spent, immense value or satisfaction is derived. A typical example is a software upgrade whose business case captures the results of streamlined performance, better value for money, improved customer experience, and time optimization among other benefits.

Here's how managers, corporate development use business cases:

Prepare detailed business cases and valuation models in support of potential acquisitions and other initiatives.
Restructured the Internet Product, which included managing vendors, negotiating commercial terms and presenting the business case to Senior Management.

What skills help Managers, Corporate Development find jobs?

Tell us what job you are looking for, we’ll show you what skills employers want.

What skills stand out on manager, corporate development resumes?

Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs, Coordinator of All-University Honors Program, University of Saint Mary

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 manager, corporate developments possess?

Dr. Mark Harvey Ph.D.

Associate Professor, Director of Graduate and Undergraduate Programs, Coordinator of All-University Honors Program, University of Saint Mary

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.

Do you want to know more?

List of manager, corporate development skills to add to your resume

The most important skills for a manager, corporate development resume and required skills for a manager, corporate development to have include:

Corporate Development
Project Management
Financial Models
PowerPoint
Financial Analysis
Business Development
Corporate Strategy
Discounted Cash Flow
Market Research
Due Diligence
Mergers
Strategic Partnerships
DCF
HR
Business Cases
Valuation Models

Continuous Improvement
Manage Cross
Executive Leadership
Strategy Development
Competitive Landscape
Executive Management
Acquisition Targets
Investment Bankers
Financial Statements
Strategic Direction
Valuation Analysis
Subject Matter Experts
Competitive Analysis
Cash Flow
Business Plan
Macro

Strategic Plan
Product Development
Competitive Intelligence
Joint Venture
Financial Performance
R
Contract Negotiations
Business Strategy
Equity Investments
Emerging Technologies
Pricing Strategy
Origination
Real Estate
Competitor Analysis

Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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