Business Development Manager

MMR Research; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading market research firm is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive growth in Europe. The ideal candidate has over 5 years of experience in market research, a proven track record in sales, and excellent communication skills. This hybrid role allows for flexibility in location, with regular travel to London. Competitive commission structure and opportunities for professional growth are offered.

Benefits

Bespoke sales and commercial training

Commission structure

Opportunities for secondments

Dynamic collaborative environment

Qualifications

• 5+ years’ experience in market research/consultancy.
• Proven track record of winning new business ideally in FMCG.
• Strong history of sales growth and lead conversion.

Responsibilities

• Own prospecting – research, outreach & qualify leads.
• Book & lead client meetings, uncovering priorities & opportunities.
• Coordinate global outbound strategy across teams.

Skills

Market research experience

Sales growth

Cold outreach

Client relationship building

Proposal writing

Communication skills

Tools

CRM systems

PowerPoint

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Job description

Overview

Department: Global Growth & Marketing

Employment Type: Permanent - Full Time

Location: MMR Research London

Reporting To: Amirah Ashouri

Description

Are you a commercially driven hunter, that can spot opportunities, open doors, and turn them into high-value wins with some of the world’s biggest FMCG brands?

We’re looking for an ambitious, energetic, and results-driven professional with a strong market research background to join our UK-based Commercial Team as Business Development Manager. This role can be based anywhere in the UK, with regular travel to our London and Wallingford offices and to client meetings across Europe. This is a hybrid role, and you will be expected to spend at least two days a week in the office, we have locations in either Oxford or London.

MMR has achieved rapid global growth—but Europe remains a huge, untapped market. Armed with a portfolio of proprietary research, sensory science capabilities and strategic expertise that span the entire FMCG innovation process, you’ll be at the forefront of unlocking that growth.

The Opportunity

You’ll be a growth engine for MMR in Europe—designing and executing an outbound business development strategy that identifies, engages, and converts high-value prospects into qualified briefs.

You’ll own the hunt: building new relationships, reactivating dormant accounts, and creating commercial momentum across multiple markets. Your role is about winning the first conversation and setting the stage for the deal, working hand-in-hand with our Technical Sales team to close business.

You’ll be expected to bring a sharp commercial mindset, a disciplined outreach cadence, and a relentless focus on KPIs—covering meetings booked, opportunities generated, and revenue won. This is a target-driven role with commission, perfect for someone who thrives on results.

You’ll also be coordinating with global teams to share best-practices for outreach, set up successful outreach cadences and support with the operational drive behind the commercials.

Key Responsibilities

• Own prospecting – research, outreach & qualify leads
• Book & lead client meetings, uncovering priorities & opportunities
• Coordinate global outbound strategy across teams
• Support proposals & pitches
• Drive outbound via calls, email, LinkedIn, events & networking
• Meet clients & position tailored solutions (training provided)
• Reactivate dormant accounts & cross-sell services
• Partner with Marketing on demand-gen campaigns
• Work with leaders to target high-growth & lapsed accounts
• Share best practice, mentor juniors & set up outreach cadences
• Represent MMR at industry events, build profile & pipeline
• Long-term: potential to manage a team

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• 5+ years’ experience in market research/consultancy
• Proven track record of winning new business (ideally FMCG)
• Strong history of sales growth and lead conversion
• Confident in cold outreach and turning leads into clients
• Experience in proposal writing
• Existing client relationships an advantage
• Knowledge of sensory/consumer product testing (nice to have)
• Skilled at building relationships from scratch
• Comfortable owning KPIs across outreach, meetings, and revenue
• Strong listener with ability to match client needs to solutions
• Self-starter, highly organised, target-driven
• Excellent communication, presentation, and writing skills
• Proficient in PowerPoint, CRM systems, and prospecting tools (Cognism, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Salesloft)
• Able to empathise with researchers while staying focused on sales outcome

Job Benefits

MMR is the place where sensory science meets exciting, powerful commercial application, from branding and innovation to product development and retail strategy. We partner with over 50% of the top 100 global food and drink brands.

We were founded on the belief that successful products, those that really deliver on their brand promise, are built from the perfect blend of sensory science and consumer insight. We help clients to achieve this, right across the globe with offices in London New York, Shanghai and everywhere in between.

It’s our people that make all of this possible.

What We Offer

• A dynamic, collaborative environment with no ceiling on commercial growth.
• Bespoke sales and commercial training via the MMR Academy.
• Commission structure to reward performance.
• Opportunities for secondments across our global offices.
• The chance to work with world-leading brands and shape FMCG innovation.

If you’re ready to combine your market research expertise with a hunter’s drive to win, we want to hear from you.