Senior Business Development Manager

About Appodeal Accelerator
Appodeal Accelerator is a fast-growing division of Appodeal, focused on helping mobile game developers launch and scale games with strong market potential.
We’re not a service — we’re a strategic product partner. We provide UA, monetization, funding, analytics, and creative support, tailored to each game's unique needs.
We work across genres (not just hyper-casual), and we’re building a lean, high-impact publishing team in Europe — where product quality, game feel, and creative thinking come first.

Role Overview

As a Senior Business Development Manager, you will drive the entire developer acquisition strategy for the Accelerator.
You won’t just manage inbound and outbound — you’ll architect our BD engine, prioritize the pipeline, refine qualification frameworks, and ensure the Accelerator consistently brings in studios with strong product and market potential.
This is a high-impact, strategic role with significant autonomy.
You’ll collaborate directly with leadership, influence which projects move toward full publishing, and shape how Appodeal selects and grows external game studios analytical rigor are equally important.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the sourcing strategy: define where, how, and which studios we target across regions and genres.
• Build and maintain a consistent, high-quality funnel of studios and games.
• Set up scalable outreach processes: partnerships, channels, events, community presence, and content touchpoints.
• Represent Appodeal at conferences and high-level industry events.

• Oversee inbound funnel: review, filter, and prioritize leads for initial evaluation.
• Conduct high-quality intro/demo calls, assess developer maturity, product vision, and test readiness.
• Collect builds, pitch decks, gameplay videos, and documentation.
• Establish and refine lead scoring frameworks for game potential and developer fit.

• Perform advanced assessments of gameplay potential, early retention signals, genre benchmarks, and creative scalability.
• Judge commercial viability with a strong understanding of CPI dynamics, monetization models, market trends, and scale potential.
• Prepare structured internal opportunity briefs with strategic recommendations.

• Maintain and improve a shared database of leads, statuses, priorities, and evaluation notes.
• Own the Accelerator BD pipeline end-to-end: new → reviewed → qualified → greenlight/decline.
• Lead weekly triage and funnel meetings, ensuring alignment across Publishing/UA/Creative/Leadership.
• Track funnel metrics, diagnose bottlenecks, and refine processes to improve conversion rates.

• Build high-trust relationships with founders, producers, and lead designers.
• Clearly articulate Accelerator expectations, KPIs, test structure, and value proposition.
• Negotiate partnership terms using established commercial frameworks (IO, rev-share, rights, milestones).
• Shape proposals for non-standard or strategic deals.

• Oversee IO preparation and coordinate with Legal on complex or custom cases.
• Ensure developers complete onboarding, integration, and SDK paperwork efficiently.
• Track conversion metrics from first contact → IO → signed/declined.

• Drive alignment with Publishing, UA, Creative, Monetization, Analytics, and Ops.
• Ensure clean and structured handovers with clear expectations and success metrics.
• Maintain transparent communication around risks, timelines, and studio readiness.

• Track and interpret trends in genres, creative strategies, CPI benchmarks, and developer ecosystems.
• Generate insights that shape Accelerator sourcing priorities and greenlight logic.
• Recommend improvements to testing frameworks, product filters, and BD tooling.

Who You Are

• Senior-level experience: 3–6+ years in mobile gaming (publishing, UA, BD, product, partnerships, growth).
• Industry-connected: You have established relationships and know where to find high-quality developer talent.
• Strong product sense: You deeply understand retention, LTV, monetization, and CPI dynamics — and can assess game potential quickly.
• Strategic thinker: You can design scalable BD funnels, qualification frameworks, and sourcing strategies.
• Clear & confident communicator: You lead conversations with founders and senior teams easily.
• Analytical: You make decisions based on structure, data, and long-term value.
• Self-directed: You thrive in lean environments, move fast, and take full ownership.

Why Join Appodeal Accelerator?

• Strategic Impact: Your judgment determines which games we invest in and which studios we partner with.
• High Ownership: You will build and lead the BD motion for a rapidly growing initiative.
• Cross-functional Influence: Work directly with leadership, publishing, UA, creative, analytics, and product.
• Fast-moving environment: Minimal bureaucracy, direct decision-making, and real autonomy.
• Shape the future: Help define Accelerator standards, sourcing strategy, and greenlight logic.