Business Development Executive

Abingdon and Witney College; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 33,000 - 37,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading educational institution in Abingdon is seeking a Business Development Executive to enhance apprenticeship opportunities and manage employer relationships. The role requires a proactive individual with proven sales experience, strong communication skills, and a passion for education. Travel within Oxfordshire required, with occasional evening and weekend commitments. Excellent benefits and a permanent contract offered.

Benefits

Generous pension scheme

Flexible working options

Corporate gym membership

Continued professional development

Qualifications

• Proven experience in business development, employer engagement, or sales.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple clients and projects.
• Excellent organisational, planning, and IT skills.

Responsibilities

• Identify and engage new employer relationships.
• Manage a portfolio of employer accounts.
• Develop and implement business development strategies.
• Attend networking events and represent the college.

Skills

Business development experience

Sales skills

Communication skills

Organisational skills

Interpersonal skills

Education

Experience in education or training sector

Tools

Microsoft Office

CRM systems

Job description

Job Summary

Employer Services at Abingdon & Witney College are looking for an experienced Business Development Executive to join their award-winning and highly successful team, currently graded Ofsted "Outstanding" for apprenticeship provision.

• Salary: £33,827 - £36,853 per annum
• Hours per week: 37
• Weeks per Annum: 52
• Working pattern: Monday - Friday
• Location: Abingdon Campus
• Contract type: Permanent

The ideal candidate will be determined and proactive, have a track-record of exceeding sales targets, field sales and new business development experience, ideally with some specialism or experience in the education and training sector. A significant amount of the team\'s work relates to apprenticeships so any experience in this field will be a key consideration.

You will be given a portfolio of clients to account manage and will be focused on developing new initiatives and project launches as they occur. To be successful in this role you will need to be a self-starter and a problem solver, comfortable working independently and as part of a team, and committed to delivering high quality outcomes.

This role will include a significant amount of travel within (and occasionally beyond) Oxfordshire so being able to travel between locations will be key. Due to the nature of the role, there will also be some early morning and evening commitments and occasional weekend working at particular times of the year.

Responsibilities

• Identify and engage new employer relationships to expand apprenticeship opportunities across Oxfordshire.
• Manage a portfolio of employer accounts, maintaining strong relationships and maximising repeat business.
• Promote wider college engagement, including T-Level industry placements and work experience.
• Develop and implement effective business development strategies to generate leads and secure contracts.
• Attend and represent the college at networking events, business expos, and other external functions.
• Conduct training needs analyses and provide consultative support to employers.
• Collaborate with marketing to contribute to promotional campaigns and materials.
• Maintain up-to-date records of employer interactions and opportunities using CRM systems.
• Work closely with internal college teams to ensure a responsive and professional service.
• Deliver progress reports and performance data aligned with project milestones and funding requirements.
• Keep abreast of developments in Further Education, especially apprenticeships, green skills, and T-Level qualifications.

Essential Experience

• Proven experience in business development, employer engagement, or sales—ideally within education, training or skills.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build professional relationships with a wide range of stakeholders.
• Ability to manage a caseload of clients and projects simultaneously.
• Excellent organisational, planning, and IT skills (including use of Microsoft Office and CRM systems).
• Willingness to travel across Oxfordshire and work flexibly, including occasional evenings/weekends.
• A proactive and adaptable approach to working in a fast-paced, evolving environment.
• Knowledge of apprenticeships, T-Levels, or other post-16 vocational pathways.

Desirable Experience

• Experience working within an FE college, training provider, or public-sector funded programme.
• Understanding of the Further Education landscape, funding models, and skills development agendas.
• Knowledge of green skills, sustainability, and/or STEM sectors in the context of training and apprenticeships.

Why Work with us

Excellent benefits for our employees including generous pension and holiday schemes (with potential Christmas closure days), continued professional development, flexible working options, corporate gym membership, cycle/tech scheme and much more.

Candidates who have applied previously and were not successful are kindly requested not to re-apply.

*Abingdon and Witney College reserve the right to close all applications before posted closing date

AWC values diversity and encourages applications from all sections of the community. We are committed to safeguarding and expect all our employees and volunteers to share this commitment. We are exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 and all appointments are subject to satisfactory clearances including enhanced DBS checks.

Abingdon and Witney College are committed to safer recruitment practices. In addition to our pre-employment checks, we will conduct an online search. This includes checking Google main results feed as well as the “News” and “Images” tab. We will be checking for any publicly available information that suggests the applicant may not be suitable to work with children or young/vulnerable people or content that could potentially damage Abingdon and Witney College\'s reputation. This may include inappropriate posts, comments or images displaying evidence of offensive or inappropriate behaviour, jokes or language, discriminatory comments, inappropriate photos, drug or alcohol misuse.

We reserve the right to bring forward the closing date of the adverts should we receive a sufficient level of interest!

Please note most roles advertised on AoC Jobs are posted directly by the college or employing organisation and are not being handled by the AoC Recruitment Team. If you would like to hear about interim and/or permanent roles being handled by AoC Recruitment, please send your CV to [e-mail] and one of the team will be in touch.

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