Business Development Manager

The Candidate Ltd; Manchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary and bonus

Hybrid working

Strategic influence on growth

Professional development

Career progression

Job summary

The Candidate Ltd in Manchester is assisting a leading professional services business to recruit a Business Development Manager who will shape partnerships and drive growth across sectors. You will lead the strategy, build external relationships, and deliver measurable commercial results.

You will own the partnership/referral strategy, collaborate with Marketing and operational teams, and create tailored business plans to capture opportunities and increase brand awareness.

Qualifications

• At least three years' experience within a Business Development, Commercial or Partnership role.
• Track record of developing strategic partnerships that generate measurable commercial value.
• Experience working within a professional services, consultancy or relationship-led B2B environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify growth opportunities.
• Experience producing proposals, tenders or business development presentations.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Previous experience mentoring colleagues would be advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the business development strategy to support the organisation's ambitious growth plans.
• Identify, evaluate and develop strategic partnerships that generate new commercial opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external organisations, referral partners and key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to develop tailored business development plans across multiple service areas.
• Produce compelling proposals, presentations and tender submissions to support new business opportunities.
• Work closely with the Marketing team to maximise partnership activity and strengthen brand awareness.
• Monitor business development performance, analysing pipeline activity and reporting against agreed KPIs.
• Manage commercial budgets and ensure investment delivers measurable return.
• Champion continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to enhance processes, performance and client engagement.
• Stay up to date with market trends, competitor activity and emerging opportunities within the professional services sector.

Skills

Business development

Strategic partnerships

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Presentation skills

Proposal writing

Excel

PowerPoint

Mentoring

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Help Shape the Commercial Growth Strategy for a Leading Professional Services Business

Are you a commercially driven Business Development leader who thrives on building strategic partnerships, identifying new opportunities and driving sustainable growth?

We're recruiting on behalf of a well-established professional services organisation looking to appoint a Business Development Manager to lead and evolve its business development function. This is a fantastic opportunity to join an established organisation, where you'll work closely with senior leadership to develop commercial partnerships, strengthen referral networks and create long-term growth opportunities.

This is a highly visible role, combining thought leadership with hands-on delivery. You'll work across the business, collaborating with senior stakeholders to develop commercial plans, build meaningful external relationships and ensure business development activity delivers measurable results.

The Opportunity

As the Business Development Manager, you'll take ownership of the organisation's partnership and referral strategy, identifying opportunities to generate new business and increase brand awareness across key sectors.

You'll build relationships with a wide range of external organisations, develop targeted business development plans and work collaboratively with Marketing and operational teams to maximise the value of every partnership.

This role would suit someone who is a confident, self-motivated and enjoys influencing at senior level, building relationships, and creating commercially successful partnerships that deliver long-term value.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and implement the business development strategy to support the organisation's ambitious growth plans.
• Identify, evaluate and develop strategic partnerships that generate new commercial opportunities.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with external organisations, referral partners and key stakeholders.
• Collaborate with senior leaders to develop tailored business development plans across multiple service areas.
• Produce compelling proposals, presentations and tender submissions to support new business opportunities.
• Work closely with the Marketing team to maximise partnership activity and strengthen brand awareness.
• Monitor business development performance, analysing pipeline activity and reporting against agreed KPIs.
• Manage commercial budgets and ensure investment delivers measurable return.
• Champion continuous improvement, identifying opportunities to enhance processes, performance and client engagement.
• Stay up to date with market trends, competitor activity and emerging opportunities within the professional services sector.

About You

We're looking for a commercially minded Business Development professional who enjoys building relationships and influencing senior stakeholders.

You’ll ideally have:

• At least three years' experience within a Business Development, Commercial or Partnership role.
• A track record of developing strategic partnerships that generate measurable commercial value.
• Experience working within a professional services, consultancy or relationship-led B2B environment.
• Excellent communication, presentation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to identify growth opportunities.
Experience producing proposals, tenders or business development presentations.
• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
• Previous experience managing or mentoring colleagues would be advantageous.

What's on Offer?

• Competitive salary and bonus.
• Hybrid and flexible working.
• The opportunity to influence business strategy and drive commercial growth.
• A collaborative leadership team that values new ideas and innovation.
• Ongoing professional development and career progression.
• The chance to join a growing professional services organisation with ambitious plans for the future.

Why Apply?

This is a fantastic opportunity for an experienced Business Development professional looking to take ownership of a strategic function within a growing business.

You'll have the opportunity to build influential partnerships, shape commercial strategy and work closely with senior leadership to drive long-term success. If you're looking for a role where you can genuinely make an impact while developing your own career, we'd love to hear from you.

Please note due to high volumes of applications unfortunately we are not always able to respond to all unsuccessful applicants. However we wish everyone who applies the very best with their job search.