Business Development Associate

Paragon Bank; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 40,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading UK bank in Southampton is looking for a Business Development Associate to enhance customer relationships and support the SME sales team. You will be responsible for converting proposals into new business and achieving financial targets. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of asset finance products and good interpersonal skills. The role offers a supportive environment with flexible working options.

Benefits

Generous Holiday Allowance

Share Save Scheme

Profit Related Pay

Pension Plan

Family Friendly policies

Employee Discounts

Volunteering Day

Life Assurance and Personal Accident Cover

Qualifications

• Good organizational skills are essential.
• Interpersonal skills are critical for the role.
• Successful communication and relationship-building is a must.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain new and existing relationships with introductory sources.
• Achieve increased performance of the allocated portfolio.
• Develop knowledge of asset-based finance products and services.

Skills

Understanding of Asset Finance products

Experience in a Financial Services or Internal Sales environment

Good organizational skills

Good teamworking and interpersonal skills

Basic fluency with credit analysis

Basic numerical skills and fluency with financial analysis

Basic business analytical skills

Education

Will to attain Paragon Credit Accreditation Level 1

Job description

Overview

A Platinum Investors in People employer and an award-winning UK bank, focused on growth. Our customers include savers and businesses across the UK and, working together, we use our specialist expertise to help them achieve their ambitions and build a sustainable future. If you’re an experienced Business Development Associate looking for an opportunity to grow in a friendly environment, we’re looking for you!

We’re flexible, inclusive, committed to your wellbeing and passionate about you reaching your potential. Let’s grow together …

Purpose of the role

Working with the SME external sales team, to proactively attract, negotiate and convert customer proposals into new business to Paragon. To support the wider SME external sales team, develop and manage specific allocated introducers / prospects / customers. Deliver an accurate, consistent, efficient & knowledgeable service to our SME External Sales channel customers / External sales team. To support and drive change delivery initiatives to achieve improved business performance which maximises business opportunities.

Duties and responsibilities

• Support SME External sales Build and maintain new and existing relationships with introductory sources for example Financial brokers, Accountants, Vendors, Client referral, other lenders or direct
• Support SME External sales to achieve an increase in the performance of the allocated portfolio of Introducer accounts in partnership with the assigned External Sale team
• Complete risk templates for sanction of the facility, chase outstanding enquires and paperwork on deals, maintain CRM system, attend sales team meetings
• Develop knowledge and understanding of the asset-based finance industry including Paragon products and services, competitors, introducers, risks, client industry, market and sectors
• Support for business change initiatives, adapting role as required, relating to delivery of enhance new business performance
• Effective management of the individual proposal pipeline, to deliver defined KPI’s across the customer journey
• Achieve conversion rates and allocated financial target which supports the business growth strategy
• Providing and establishing calculated contact strategies to ensure effective communications are delivered in line with customer feedback
• Proactively support and contribute to the wider performance of the Internal Sales Team
• Ensure all interactions and behaviours are in line with the group competency framework
• Ensure work and quality achieve the Quality Assurance standards underpinned by ‘Right First Time’ delivery

About You

Skills

• Understanding of Asset Finance products
• Experience in a Financial Services or Internal Sales environment
• Good organizational skills
• Good teamworking and interpersonal skills
• Basic fluency with credit analysis
• Basic numerical skills and fluency with financial analysis
• Basic business analytical skills

Qualifications and experience

Will have already attained or be willing to attain Paragon Credit Accreditation Level 1. Interpersonal skills will be every bit as important as formal qualifications and the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate and articulate the benefits of both.

Working hours

40 hours per week – whilst our standard hours are Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5.30pm (one hour for lunch) we encourage flexible working and your preferred options will be considered.

Even if you don’t meet all the criteria, we encourage you to apply. At Paragon, we value diversity and we’re excited to hear from passionate individuals like you! If you’re ready to contribute to the team, please apply.

Further information on the role can be found in the Purpose and Performance Profile (PPP), which is downloadable on this page.

Inclusion

As a Disability Confident Employer, we want to ensure that our vacancies are accessible for everyone. If you have a disability, long term health condition or are neurodiverse and need us to adjust our recruitment process please get in touch with our recruitment team.

About Us

What can we offer you?

• Generous Holiday Allowance: Starting from 25 days and climbing to 30, you also get to enjoy a day off for your birthday, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. You can also buy or sell up to a week’s leave
• Share Save Scheme: Annually, you have the opportunity to buy shares in Paragon at a discounted rate
• Profit Related Pay: We share some of our annual profit with our eligible employees
• Pension Plan: We contribute up to 10% of your annual salary towards your pension
• Family Friendly policies: We offer enhanced parental pay and paid time off for fertility treatment
• Employee Discounts: Enjoy exclusive discounts on entertainment, travel, shopping, motoring and more
• Volunteering Day: Contribute to causes you care about with one volunteering day per year
• Life Assurance and Personal Accident Cover

Be flexible

We promote flexibility around how and where we work so that you can achieve a healthier work-life balance. We operate hybrid working, splitting our week between the office and home.

Be yourself

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome diversity and care about inclusion. That’s why we want you to be your whole self at work. We believe an inclusive workplace is good for each of us, great for our customers and better for our business. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network meets regularly to share challenges, experience, and ideas to build a more equal, diverse, and inclusive business.

Be heard

We listen to your point of view, with our People Forum and regular employee surveys making sure you can use your voice and influence our future.

Be well

We will give you access to a range of tools and resources to support your wellbeing. This will include a digital GP service via our free Employee Assistance Programme, access to our Wellbeing team to connect you with the help you need to get more out of life and our Vitality at Work programme to provide you with discounted gym membership, fitness equipment and another multitude of wellbeing services.

Be better

We want you to reach your potential and, as a Platinum Investors in People employer, we’ll encourage you to learn and develop by building a personalised development plan together with your manager.