Business Development Executive

WTW; Manchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days annual leave

Private healthcare

Life insurance

Income protection

Health assessments

Defined contribution pension (10%)

Hybrid working

Employee assistance programme

Volunteer day

Electric vehicle car scheme

Share scheme

Cycle-to-work programme

Dental cover

Optical cover

Critical illness protection

Job summary

Willis Towers Watson in Manchester is seeking a Business Development Executive to open doors with large corporates, research decision-makers and initiate contact by phone, email and LinkedIn. You will help secure meetings for senior sales colleagues and support the events programme.

You'll bring strong communication, commercial curiosity and energy, with an organised approach to research, follow-up and CRM discipline, building a career in risk advisory and insurance.

Qualifications

• Strong communication skills and confidence to start conversations with senior people.
• Commercial curiosity about large organisations and their priorities.
• Disciplined, organised research, follow-up and accurate record-keeping.
• Ability to learn quickly and turn information into clear, relevant messages.
• Collaborative attitude and ambition to build a career in business development, insurance and risk advisory.

Responsibilities

• Open doors. Generate meetings and opportunities with an established portfolio of large corporate organisations.
• Research. Identify decision-makers and understand each organisation, its sector and priorities.
• Reach out. Initiate contact via email, LinkedIn and outbound calls, nurturing early-stage relationships.
• Build momentum. Turn conversations into meetings and clear next steps with senior colleagues involved.
• Support our events. Help deliver WTW's events programme and maximise attendance.
• Keep our data sharp. Maintain CRM records of contacts, activity, meetings and next steps.
• Share what you learn. Feed insights back to the wider sales team.

Skills

Communication skills

Senior conversations

Commercial curiosity

Energy & persistence

Organisation

Research skills

Message crafting

Team collaboration

Transferable skills

Job description

Description

This is an opportunity for someone with strong communication skills, commercial curiosity and the confidence to start conversations with senior people at some of the most successful and ambitious businesses across the North and Scotland, and to build a career in risk and insurance. As a Business Development Executive, you will be the first point of contact for the organisations we want to work with. You will research who matters, reach out by phone, email and LinkedIn, and secure meetings for our senior sales colleagues and specialists, who then take the relationship forward. You will also help deliver WTW's events programme, driving prospect engagement and maximising attendance at key events, roundtables and seminars. Willis, a WTW business, is one of the world's leading insurance brokers and risk advisers. We provide risk advisory and insurance broking services that help organisations identify, quantify and manage risk. Our ability to combine risk analytics, claims advocacy, multinational capabilities and specialist industry expertise gives us a strong platform for meaningful conversations with these organisations. You don't necessarily need an insurance background. You will be supported by experienced regional sales and specialist industry colleagues, who help shape the insight and messaging you take to market.

The Role

• Open doors. Generate meetings and early-stage opportunities with an established portfolio of large corporate organisations, including businesses we have never worked with and those we haven't spoken to in a while.
• Research. Identify the right decision-makers and influencers, and understand each organisation, its sector and its priorities.
• Reach out. Initiate contact with the organisations in your portfolio through email, LinkedIn and outbound calls, using messaging and insight developed with our industry and specialist teams, and nurture relationships through the early stages of the sales cycle.
• Build momentum. Turn first conversations into confirmed meetings and clear next steps, bringing in senior colleagues and specialists at the right moment.
• Support our events. Help deliver WTW's events programme, inviting the right guests, maximising attendance and following up afterwards.
• Keep our data sharp. Maintain accurate CRM records of contacts, activity, meetings and next steps, and help improve data quality across the portfolio.
• Share what you learn. Feed insight from your conversations back to the wider sales team.

Qualifications

What you'll bring

We care more about potential, aptitude and attitude than a background in insurance. You are likely to have:

• Strong communication skills, with the confidence to start conversations with senior people, by phone and in writing.
• Commercial curiosity about businesses, industries and the challenges facing large organisations.
• Energy, enthusiasm and persistence. You bring genuine energy and enthusiasm to every conversation, and sustain it over time. Not every conversation leads to a meeting, so you stay positive and motivated when engagement takes time.
• A disciplined, organised approach to research, follow-up and accurate record-keeping.
• The ability to learn quickly and turn information into clear, relevant messages.
• Good judgement, including knowing when to ask for guidance or bring in more experienced colleagues.
• A collaborative attitude and the ambition to build a career in business development, insurance and risk advisory.
• Experience in sales, business development or lead generation is helpful but not essential. We welcome applicants with transferable skills from insurance, legal, accountancy, banking and financial services, recruitment, marketing, consulting, technology and other professional services.

What We Offer

Enjoy a benefits package designed to help you thrive, both professionally and personally. You'll receive 25 days of annual leave plus an extra WTW day to relax and recharge. Our comprehensive health and wellbeing offering includes private healthcare, life insurance, group income protection, and regular health assessments, all giving you peace of mind. Secure your future with our defined contribution pension scheme, featuring matched contributions up to 10% from the company.

We support your growth and balance with hybrid working options, access to an employee assistance programme, and a fully paid volunteer day to make a difference in your community. On top of these, you can opt into a variety of additional perks including an electric vehicle car scheme, share scheme, cycle-to-work programme, dental and optical cover, critical illness protection, and much more. Start making the most of your career and wellbeing with a range of benefits tailored for you.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We’re committed to equal employment opportunity and provide application, interview and workplace adjustments and accommodations to all applicants. If you foresee any barriers, from the application process through to joining WTW, please email [e-mail]