Business Development Executive

City Science; Exeter; Remote; GBP 27,000 - 33,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Buy/Sell annual leave

Group pension

Eye care vouchers

Cycle to work

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

City Science is seeking a tenacious Business Development Executive to drive growth across urban systems, energy, transport and planning. The role offers a £30,000 base with £60,000 on-target earnings in year one, and remote UK locations are considered with monthly travel to Exeter.

You will originate leads, present to clients, draft proposals, and manage the full sales cycle from first contact to close. A technical background and strong communication are essential.

Qualifications

• Experience in business development, sales or account management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and presentation skills.
• Technical or scientific background helps to understand services.
• Willingness to travel to Exeter monthly and around the UK.

Responsibilities

• Develop and create value propositions drawing on market research and customer needs.
• Originate leads via cold and warm outreach campaigns to secure meetings.
• Lead client discovery meetings to understand challenges and buying processes.
• Lead client presentations and demos.
• Draft high-quality proposals and tenders.
• Manage the sales process from first contact to close; track next steps.
• Report progress across the pipeline clearly and accurately.

Skills

Sales/BD experience

Communication skills

Presentation skills

Technical understanding

Geospatial data familiarity

Education

Technical or scientific degree advantageous

Tools

Software platforms familiarity

Job description

Salary

£30,000 basic (dependent on experience) + additional on-target-earnings of up to £30,000 (£60,000 OTE in total)

Location

Preferably Exeter, but remote (all UK locations considered) will be considered. Our flexible office collaboration spaces, for those wishing to use them, are in London, Bristol and Exeter. This role requires travel to Exeter at least once a month, and travel around the UK on an ad-hoc basis.

Term/Hours

Permanent (6-month probation). Full-time (40 hours per week)

Right to Work

Must have own right to work in the UK for more than 2 years

Closing date

Tuesday 10th November 2026

We welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of sex, gender identity, age, disability, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic.

Unfortunately, we cannot consider applications requiring visa sponsorship now, or in the future.

About Us

City Science is an industry-leading sustainability, engineering, research and planning consultancy, committed to supporting regions and organisations to reach Net Zero. We partner with local authorities, developers, and organisations to deliver sustainable change. We work collaboratively across the business to provide integrated solutions for a wide range of clients, from national bodies such as DESNZ and the Climate Change Committee (CCC) to forward-thinking local authorities such as Oxfordshire County Council. Our award-winning research, software and product development team builds innovative digital tools, such as our GIS software, Cadence, that sit at the heart of how we deliver our projects.

About The Role

City Science is seeking a tenacious and highly organised individual to join our central business development team as a Business Development Executive. This is an exceptional opportunity for a focused individual to fast-track their career and apply the key skills of sales and business development across the full sales cycle, from shaping new value propositions and originating leads through to closing sales. The role offers a base salary of £30,000 with on-target earnings of £60,000 in year one.

We are seeking a Business Development Executive for a new position within our central business development team, which supports growth across the whole of City Science. The ideal candidate will combine hunger and tenacity with a logical, structured approach to their work, exceptional written and verbal communication, and a scientific grounding that allows them to understand our technical services and explain them clearly to customers. You will be curious about why customers buy and motivated to master the craft of sales in a business working across urban systems, energy, transport and planning. You will ideally be based close to Exeter, or if you live further afield you will need to travel to Exeter at least once per month for face-to-face reporting and coaching, and travel around the UK will be required as needed.

Role Responsibilities

• Develop and create content for new value propositions, drawing on market research and a clear understanding of customer needs
• Originate leads by designing and running cold and warm outreach campaigns that secure meetings with prospective clients
• Lead client discovery meetings to understand customer challenges, priorities and buying processes
• Lead client presentations and demos
• Draft high-quality proposals and tenders
• Manage the sales process from first contact through to close, continuously tracking and acting on next steps
• Close sales
• Report progress across the pipeline clearly and accurately
• Proven experience in a business development, sales or account management role, with a strong track record of success in software, scientific, or technical sales
• Ability to deliver compelling sales conversations and pitches
• Scientific or technical understanding, ideally with exposure to software, computer science, data science or related disciplines
• Comfortable and confident working with software platforms and interpreting data to support customer discussions and business decisions.
• A strong focus on customer satisfaction
• Strong problem-solving skills
• Exceptional written work, with excellent grammar and attention to detail
• Exceptional communication and presentation skills
• A degree in a technical or scientific field would be advantageous
• Based in Exeter, or able to travel to our Exeter office at least once per month for face-to-face reporting and coaching, with travel around the UK as required

You will also have an interest in

• Market research and the development of value propositions
• Sales processes and how they are managed
• Understanding why customers buy
• Geospatial data
• Urban systems, energy, transport and planning

What we expect

• You will be tenacious and hungry to succeed, with the confidence, belief and vision to pursue ambitious targets.
• You will be professional in every interaction, representing City Science to the highest standard.
• You will show emotional intelligence, listening carefully to customers and colleagues and adapting your approach to them.
• You will take a logical, structured and systematic approach to your work.
• You will be exceptionally well‑organised and a self-starter, taking ownership of your pipeline and priorities.
• You will be honest and self-aware, open about what is and isn't working and keen to learn from feedback.

Rewards & Benefits

• £30,000 base salary, with on-target earnings of £60,000 in year one
• Opportunity to fast-track your career in sales and business development
• Opportunity to work across a diverse range of services and markets
• Ongoing mentoring, training and support from board members from across the wider business
• Flexible working arrangements
• 25 days annual leave entitlement, plus bank holidays
• Buy/Sell annual leave policy
• Membership of our group pension scheme
• Enhanced maternity and paternity policy
• Eye care vouchers
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee assistance programme