Business Development Manager

Leicestershire County Council; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 41,000 - 46,000; Full time

Job summary

A public sector organisation is seeking a Business Development Manager to support growth plans in national and international markets. The role involves outreach into new markets, building partnerships, and managing customer relationships. Ideal candidates will possess sales experience, commercial insight, and excellent communication skills. This fixed-term position offers hybrid working, competitive compensation, and a commitment to diversity and inclusion. Apply soon as the closing date is February 22, 2026.

Benefits

Flexible working opportunities

28 days annual leave plus bank holidays

Local Government Pension Scheme

Learning development opportunities

Qualifications

• Proven sales and/or account management experience in a commercial environment.
• Strong financial acumen with an ROI focus.
• Ability to adapt communication style to different customers.

Responsibilities

• Identify and progress new customer opportunities.
• Develop propositions and engage in commercial conversations.
• Manage proposals and pipeline reporting using CRM tools.

Skills

Sales and account management experience

Strong commercial acumen

Confident communicator

Ability to create market channels

Tools

ERP systems

CRM

Excel

Job description

Job Description

Organisation: ESPO

Work Location: Hybrid - Field Based with travel to ESPO, Barnsdale Way, Grove Park, Enderby

Salary: £41,208 - £45,054 per annum (Pro rata for part time)

Working Hours: Full Time, 37 hours per week

Contract Type: Fixed Term -12 months Maternity Cover

Closing Date: Sunday 22nd February 2026

Interview Date(s): End of February/Early March 2026

Do you thrive on opening new markets and building commercial partnerships?

Can you adapt across brands and sectors, tailoring your approach to different customers?

Do you have experience supplying to UK Holiday Parks or International Schools sector?

About the Role

ESPO is expanding into new commercial markets and we are seeking a Business Development Manager to support both national and international growth plans. The role includes outreach into emerging commercial and third-sector markets, with a particular focus on the leisure and holiday park sector, as well as supporting ESPO International through key distribution partners to grow our presence in new and emerging international markets.

This fixed-term maternity cover position offers the opportunity to develop ESPO Trading Limited's (ETL) sales channels and commercial footprint, open new markets and build partnerships that support the wider growth strategy for our brands; Smart Solutions and ESPO International. You will work across brands and sectors, adapting your approach to suit different customers and markets.

You will identify and progress new customer opportunities, build networks, develop propositions and support commercial conversations that position ESPO as a trusted sourcing and procurement partner. The role combines strategic outreach with practical account development, including managing proposals, engagement plans and pipeline reporting, using CRM and customer insight tools to inform activity and forecast growth.

Success in the role will involve securing new customers, establishing strong sector relationships, supporting distribution partner activity for ESPO International and enabling ESPO's commercial brands and service solutions to deliver measurable outcomes.

About You

To apply for this post, you must have:

• Proven sales and/or account management experience in a commercial environment
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with an ROI focus
• Ability to create new market channels and develop relationships at pace
• Confident communicator with strong influencing and presentation skills
• Ability to interpret datasets and complex information using ERP systems, CRM and Excel to support business development and growth
• We'd also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the interview process
• Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability
• We'd also expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to evidence when you have demonstrated them as part of the interview process

What we offer

• Flexible working opportunities and access to employee benefits portal with salary sacrifice car lease scheme.
• 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, and a scheme to buy additional leave.
• Local Government Pension Scheme with a generous employer contribution.
• Opportunities for learning development
• Great office location next to Fosse Park, with free on-site parking and easy access to M1 and M69.

Interested in Flexible Working?

We are keen to support employees to balance their working life with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual's personal circumstances whilst still meeting the needs of ESPO. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.

For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:

Helen Swann, Head of Business Development

Telephone: [phone]

To contact me via email, please note this page.

How to Apply

ESPO is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services we offer our customers. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ Plus communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the customers we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.

To apply for this job, please click 'Apply Now'. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the 'About You' section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.

If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post, please contact our Employee Service Centre: 2026-02-22

By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.

About Us

About ESPO

We're a unique organisation, owned by the public sector and sharing their values and ethos, but operating with a commercial edge. As a specialist procurement body, we pride ourselves on establishing procurement solutions that save money for the public sector. View our prospectus to find out more.

We have modern, open-plan offices with excellent transport links and a friendly workplace environment. We offer flexible working, a generous holiday entitlement, a contributory pension scheme, training (including professional CIPS qualification) and opportunities to develop your career.

ESPO is supported by wide range of roles across many different disciplines including sales, marketing, IT, procurement, finance, operations (warehouse management and transport planning) and customer services. So whether you are interested in a public-facing role or playing your part behind the scenes, ESPO could be the place for you.

To learn more about working for ESPO please visit www.espo.org.