Business Development Manager

Macfarlane Packaging; Lancashire; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car or cash allowance

25 days annual leave plus holidays

Pension scheme

Training and development

Job summary

Macfarlane Packaging is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive profitable growth in the Local Lancashire & North Manchester region. You will own the sales pipeline, win new customers, and manage opportunities from initial contact through to close, while collaborating with internal teams to deliver tailored packaging solutions.

The role focuses on a mix of new business and re-engagement of dormant accounts, with typical annual spend opportunities around £25,000–£40,000 per customer and

Qualifications

• Minimum of two years’ experience in a B2B field sales role focused on targeted new business acquisition.
• Ability to live within ~30 minutes of Heywood site and cover Lancashire/Northern Manchester area.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a structured territory sales plan focused on new business acquisition.
• Identify, target, and win new customers through cold calling, networking, referrals, and marketing leads.
• Build and maintain a strong, active pipeline to consistently achieve and exceed new business targets.
• Conduct customer site visits and packaging audits to identify improvement opportunities.
• Present tailored, solution-led proposals aligned to customer needs and commercial objectives.
• Negotiate pricing and commercial terms to maximise margin and long-term value.
• Work with internal teams to ensure smooth onboarding and delivery.
• Maintain accurate records of activity, opportunities and pipeline via CRM (MS Dynamics).
• Collaborate with regional and national teams to maximise cross-selling opportunities.

Skills

B2B field sales

Territory management

Lead generation

Consultative selling

Negotiation

Communication skills

Driving licence

CRM usage

MS Office

Industry knowledge

Tools

CRM MS Dynamics

MS Office

Job description

Location/Territory: Local Lancashire & North Manchester Region

Salary: Up to £50,000 (dependent on experience) + bonus (OTE up to 100% of salary)

Package: Company car or allowance, flexible benefits, up to 27 days holiday (plus bank holidays & holiday purchase scheme)

Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday-Friday

Sector: Packaging Distribution & Solutions

Protecting what matters, together

We’re dedicated to protecting what matters most - our people, our customers, our communities and the environment. At Macfarlane Packaging, our commitment to customer satisfaction, sustainability and continual improvement creates a highly collaborative, supportive and friendly workplace where you can build a sales career that grows.

With over 75 years of industry expertise, we offer stability alongside a forward-thinking, growth-focused culture. Our fast-paced, results-driven environment will challenge and stretch you, but it also provides genuine opportunities for progression and long-term success.

We reward performance, support development, and empower our people to take ownership of their careers. If you’re motivated by winning new business and building something meaningful, you’ll thrive here.

The Business Development Manager Role

This is a new business, field-based sales role focused on driving profitable growth across your assigned local territory.

You will take ownership of developing a robust sales pipeline, targeting and converting new customers through a consultative, solution-led approach. Working closely with internal teams and regional leadership, you will identify opportunities, conduct packaging audits, present tailored solutions, and secure profitable new business opportunities across a broad range of sectors.

Alongside self-generated opportunities, you will also benefit from access to quality sales lead data and existing prospect information to support your activity. Initially, there will additionally be a focus on re-engaging selected lapsed and dormant customer accounts, identifying opportunities to win back and develop profitable trading relationships.

The role will primarily focus on developing small-to-medium sized customer accounts, typically securing new business opportunities in the region of £25,000-£40,000 annual spend, contributing towards an annual new business target of approximately £400,000.

Supported by an Internal Sales Coordinator, you’ll spend much of your time out in the field - attending customer meetings, engaging prospects, building relationships, and closing deals - whilst maintaining strong pipeline discipline through effective CRM utilisation, structured sales planning, and proactive territory management.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and execute a structured territory sales plan focused on new business acquisition
• Identify, target, and win new customers through cold calling, networking, referrals, and marketing leads
• Build and maintain a strong, active pipeline to consistently achieve and exceed new business targets
• Conduct customer site visits and packaging audits to identify improvement opportunities
• Present tailored, solution-led proposals aligned to customer needs and commercial objectives
• Negotiate pricing and commercial terms to maximise margin and long-term value
• Work closely with internal teams (sales support, procurement, logistics) to ensure smooth onboarding and delivery
• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all activity, opportunities, and pipeline via CRM (MS Dynamics)
• Collaborate with wider regional and national teams to maximise cross-selling opportunities

What You Will Bring

• Minimum of two years’ experience in a B2B field sales role focused on targeted new business acquisition
• To effectively manage this local territory, you should ideally live within approximately 30 minutes’ drive of our Heywood site and be familiar with selling into the proposed Lancashire/Northern Manchester area.
• Proven track record of winning new business and achieving sales targets
• The ability to work in a targeted fashion, utilising leads & data to proactively attack & win back lapsed client accounts
• Strong consultative selling approach with the ability to identify needs and deliver tailored products & solutions.
• Proven experience of developing existing customer accounts whilst effectively managing margins, profitability and commercial growth opportunities.
• Experience generating own leads through cold calling, networking, and proactive prospecting
• Experience of selling high volume consumable products with multi-product catalogue/SKUs (if not packaging, stationary/office products, PPE/workwear/safety products, hygiene/janitorial or industrial consumables could all be a potential fit).
• Commercial awareness with the ability to negotiate effectively and protect margin
• Self-motivated, resilient, and comfortable working autonomously in a field-based role
• Excellent communication and presentation skills
• Valid UK driving licence
• Strong IT skills including Microsoft Office and CRM systems
• Experience within packaging, manufacturing, distribution, or a related technical product environment
• Familiarity with Microsoft Dynamics CRM

What You Will Get

We provide a competitive basic salary alongside a lucrative bonus structure designed to recognise and incentivise success. Our flexible benefits package can include:

• 25 days annual leave (rising to 27 with service) plus all public/bank holidays
• Contributory pension scheme
• Company car or cash allowance (including electric options)
• Employee assistance programme to support wellbeing
• Extensive training and development opportunities
• Simply Health/Dental or BUPA options (role dependent)
• Enhanced HR policies and long service awards
• Charitable giving options
• Financial support with eye tests and glasses (DSE users)

Your Future With Us

At Macfarlane Group, we actively support career progression and internal mobility. This role offers a clear pathway into senior sales or leadership positions, supported by structured development plans and ongoing training.

You’ll have access to both internal expertise and external development programmes, including accredited pathways with organisations such as the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) and the Institute of Sales Professionals (ISP).

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, gender expression, religion or sexual orientation. Should you require any support or adjustments during the recruitment process, please email our recruitment team directly.