Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager

Hybrid, with 2 fixed mandatory office days at our Head Office in the West Midlands. Regular travel to customer premises across the UK and Ireland is required.

Description of organisation

We are an established leader in training solutions for the transport, warehousing and logistics sector. We develop industry-compliant training materials used by a large network of partner organisations to deliver courses to tens of thousands of learners every year. Our safety-led approach and commitment to collaboration and technology ensure a compliant workforce.

We are ambitious, committed and always looking for better ways to keep people safe at work.

Overview of the role

You will play a key role in growing the business by winning new customers and selling additional services to existing customers. This is a hands-on sales role: you will develop your own opportunities, understand customer needs and manage the sales process through to agreement and handover.

Reporting to the Head of Strategic Partnerships, you will turn commercial priorities into focused sales activity. You will build relationships with decision-makers, explain the value of our services and develop proposals that are commercially sound and practical to deliver. You will also line manage members of the commercial team setting clear expectations, supporting performance and development, and ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery.

You will work closely with all departments within the business, including Customer Success to ensure a smooth customer experience.

You will work 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, on a flexible basis to meet business needs. While this is a hybrid working position, with the option to work at home up to 3 days per week, there will be 2 mandatory office days (Tuesday and Wednesday) fixed for the business. The role includes travel to customer premises across the UK and Ireland, with occasional overnight stays where required. Frequency will depend on customer and business needs, although travel is not expected every week.

You will be required to work such additional hours as are necessary for the proper performance of your duties without extra remuneration.

Responsibilities

• Identify and develop new B2B opportunities through targeted prospecting, referrals, networking and follow-up of relevant enquiries.

• Work with existing customers and their internal relationship owners to identify unmet needs and lead agreed opportunities to introduce additional services.

• Explore customers' safety, training and operational priorities, decision-making processes and budgets, matching suitable services to their needs.

• Manage opportunities from initial discussion through proposals, presentations, negotiation and closing, working within agreed pricing and approval limits.

• Build and maintain a qualified sales pipeline in HubSpot, recording customer requirements, activity, next steps, expected values and realistic close dates.

• Work towards agreed revenue and growth targets, provide accurate forecasts and explain progress, risks and support needed.

• Represent the business at customer meetings and relevant events, developing relationships that support future business.

• Work with technical and operational colleagues to confirm service scope, capacity and timescales before making commitments to customers.

• Provide a clear handover to Customer Enablement, Customer Success and delivery teams, recording agreed outcomes, commitments and next steps.

• Work with Marketing on campaigns and lead follow-up. Share customer and market feedback, and suggest improvements to sales processes and use of business systems.

• Line manage commercial colleagues, setting clear priorities and objectives and holding regular one-to-ones, coaching and performance reviews.

• Review team pipelines and results, support colleagues with opportunities and identify development needs while maintaining your own sales activity.

• Lead by example in customer service, teamwork and professional conduct, reflecting the company's values and behaviours.

Commercial and Continuous Improvement Responsibilities

• You are required to actively contribute to the growth and success of the business by identifying opportunities to increase sales, improve customer retention, and enhance service delivery.

• You should regularly review the systems and processes you use, highlighting where improvements, automation, or the use of AI could make tasks more efficient or accurate and share suggestions through the company's internal improvement process.

Attributes of a Top Performer

Commercially astute | Proactive | Sales leadership | Excellent communicator | Accountable

You will have the following (essential)

• A minimum of 24 months of B2B sales of services, including winning new customers and achieving sales targets. Experience must include service sales, rather than solely physical product sales.

• Confident communication, presentation and negotiation skills, including building relationships with senior decision-makers.

• Commercial judgement, with the ability to understand customer needs, communicate value and work within agreed pricing and approval limits.

• Strong CRM capability, with experience tailoring pipelines, dashboards, reporting and workflows to business needs, identifying opportunities for automation and improving how the sales team uses the system to manage opportunities and drive performance.

• Experience supporting, coaching or managing sales colleagues, with the ability to set clear expectations, give constructive feedback and address performance concerns.

• Ability to learn the company's services and technical context, work collaboratively and balance competing priorities.

• Experience selling safety services or safety consultancy.

• Ability to work effectively without close supervision, make proportionate decisions and escalate material risks promptly.

You might also have the following (desirable)

• Experience in workplace transport, logistics, warehousing, training or accreditation.

• Experience preparing tenders and proposals for service contracts.

Join us and you'll receive

• Salary: £38,000 basic, reviewed every year in line with your progress and performance.

• Commission: A discretionary commission scheme tied to sales targets and results.

• Holiday: 26.5 days plus UK bank holidays, with a few days held back for the Christmas closure.

• Health: Private medical cover, an employee assistance programme with online GP access and counselling, wellbeing sessions and reduced-rate gym membership.

• Pension and Life Cover: Matched 4.5% pension contributions and death-in-service cover at 2x salary.

• Flexible Working: Flexitime and adjustable start and finish times, plus enhanced family leave and enhanced sick pay for serious illness or surgery.

• Equipment and Office: Kit for working from home, and free refreshments in the office.

• Rewards and Recognition: A monthly rewards-platform allowance, recognition for strong performance and long service, and a bonus for ideas that get adopted. Unpaid sabbatical available after five years.

• Learning: Unlimited access to an online learning platform, plus regular external training events.

• Culture: A supportive team where your contribution is noticed and your development is backed.

Why would you want to work with us?

This is a growing business with a UK base and an international footprint, working with major names in retail, logistics and manufacturing such as Tesco, GXO Logistics, and Coca-Cola. The team is friendly and varied, people are given room to develop and progress, and the work itself has a real purpose: helping make workplaces safer.