Business Development Director - Institutional Sales

Aviva; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading investment management firm in London seeks a Business Development Director to drive growth by managing relationships with institutional investors. The role involves end-to-end business development, strategic sales activity, and representing client perspectives. Candidates should have an Investment Management Certificate, excellent communication skills, and an understanding of regulatory challenges. Join a dynamic environment with competitive benefits, including a pension scheme and flexible working options.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Eligibility for annual performance bonus

Family friendly parental leave

Generous holiday entitlement

Up to 40% discount for Aviva products

Private Medical Benefit

Flexible benefits including electric cars

Aviva Matching Share Plan

21 volunteering hours per year

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in business development within investment management.
• Strong leadership and marketing skills required.
• Ability to drive strategic growth and influence outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage relationships with institutional investors.
• Drive business development from opportunity identification to execution.
• Shape sales strategy and client targeting.

Skills

Investment Management Certificate (IMC)

Private and Public markets distribution experience

Excellent communication skills

Attention to detail

Understanding of regulatory challenges for UK institutional investors

Education

CFA or equivalent (desirable)

Job description

Please note this position is based in London and this will be the contractual location of the successful candidate, other locations cannot be considered.

Business Development Director

We are recruiting for a Business Development Director to join our Institutional Distribution team within Aviva Investors! This role is pivotal in driving growth by developing and managing relationships with institutional investors, including defined contribution (DC) master trusts, defined benefit (DB) /defined contribution (DC) pension schemes, and LGPS, delivering tailored investment solutions that align with client needs and business objectives.

A bit about the role

Aviva Investors is seeking a dynamic Business Development Director to drive strategic growth across our UK Institutional business. You will be accountable for end-to-end business development—from identifying opportunities to executing high‑quality sales activity—contributing directly to increased net revenue and assets under management. As a trusted market voice, you’ll represent client perspectives internally to enhance product development, while externally positioning Aviva Investors as a thought leader through industry engagement, marketing, and events.

Your strategic and commercial decision‑making will shape sales strategy, client targeting, and solution design, while your leadership in pitches, marketing, and regulatory alignment will ensure impactful execution. This high‑complexity role requires navigating investment and regulatory landscapes, collaborating across teams, and influencing outcomes that span customer success, shareholder value, and Aviva’s reputation in the institutional market.

Skills and experience we’re looking for

• Investment Management Certificate (IMC) required; CFA or equivalent desirable
• Ideally Private and Public markets distribution experience.
• Organised, excellent written and verbal communication skills with very strong attention to detail.
• Ability to take responsibility for maintaining a high‑performance culture and ensuring operations and investment activities are conducted and controlled in an appropriate manner.
• Deep understanding of key investor issues including detailed understanding of the investment and regulatory challenges facing UK institutional investors

What you’ll get for this role

• Generous pension scheme - Aviva will contribute up to 14%, depending on what you put in
• Eligibility for annual performance bonus
• Family friendly parental and carer’s leave
• Generous holiday entitlement plus bank holidays with the option to buy/sell up to 5 additional days
• Up to 40% discount for Aviva products
• Aviva-funded Private Medical Benefitto help you get expert support when you need it
• Brilliant flexible benefits including electric cars
• Aviva Matching Share Plan and Save As You Earn scheme
• 21 volunteering hours per year

Aviva is for everyone

We’re inclusive and welcome everyone – we want applications from all backgrounds and experiences. Excited but not sure you tick every box? Even if you don’t, we would still encourage you to apply. We also consider all forms of flexible working, including part time and job shares.

We flex locations, hours and working patterns to suit our customers, business, and you. Most of our people are smart working –spending around 50% of their time in our offices every week - combining the benefits of flexibility, with time together with colleagues.

To find out more about working at Aviva take a look here.

We’d love it if you could submit your application online. If you require an alternative method of applying, send an email to [e-mail].

#LI-HYBRID

#LI-RM1