Business Development Manager

Grow and Thrive Limited; Southampton; On-site; GBP 58,500 - 71,500; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company Pension

Healthcare

Life Insurance

5 weeks annual leave + birthday day

Job summary

Aspens Services Ltd in Southampton is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive growth in educational catering. You will own the sales pipeline from prospect to mobilisation, build lasting client partnerships, and lead high-value bids.

The role demands a proven sales background in education catering, exceptional negotiation and presentation skills, and the ability to collaborate across internal teams to win tenders.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in sales within the educational catering sector.
• Experience managing the full sales journey from idea to closed deal.
• Strong listening, negotiation and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Own the sales pipeline and drive annual growth targets.
• Lead bid lifecycle from initial lead to contract bids.
• Engage with prospective clients to understand needs and objectives.
• Craft compelling tender responses and presentations with internal teams.
• Build and maintain relationships with clients, consultants and stakeholders.
• Ensure CRM accuracy and provide clear pipeline reporting.

Skills

Sales

Educational catering

Relationship management

Negotiation

Presentation skills

CRM accuracy

Tools

CRM system

Job description

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Southampton

Aspens Services Ltd is a market-leading contract catering company specialising in school food. By combining our understanding of the education sector with our knowledge of what’s on trend in the food world, we encourage creativity and excitement in our kitchens. This allows our teams to do what they do best and provide fantastic food experiences for the children.

By providing excellent care and services to both clients and children, we have ensured the successful growth of the company, and to keep up with the rapid pace of this growth, we are now looking for a Business Development Manager to join the team.

The Role

This role is perfect for a proven sales professional who thrives on seeing projects through from the initial lead to a successful mobilisation. We are looking for someone with a strong background in educational catering who brings a dynamic personality, infectious enthusiasm, and a highly personable approach. Your strong self-awareness and commercial acumen will be key to building lasting partnerships and driving our growth.

What You'll Be Doing

Driving Growth: Take full ownership of the sales pipeline, expanding our customer base and consistently hitting annual growth targets.

Managing the Bid Lifecycle: Guide the entire sales process from initial introduction to closing contract bids ranging from £50k to £2m.

Consultative Selling: Engage with prospective clients to truly understand their unique needs, culture, and operational objectives.

Tenders & Presentations: Craft compelling, high-quality proposals and presentations. Collaborate with industry consultants and internal departments to plan, manage, and deliver winning tender responses.

Relationship Management: Build and maintain strong, long-lasting relationships with clients, consultants, and internal stakeholders.

CRM Accuracy: Update and maintain our CRM system to ensure accurate reporting and pipeline visibility.

What You'll Bring

A proven track record in sales within the educational catering sector, with a deep understanding of client buying behaviours and needs.

Practical experience managing the full sales journey inside and out—from the first spark of an idea to a closed deal.

Exceptional listening, negotiation, and presentation skills. You can easily communicate with and influence stakeholders at all levels, from school business managers to top-tier executives.

The ability to clearly articulate the unique aspects of Aspens' services, positioning our offer perfectly against the competition so we always stand out.

A true team-player mindset, working seamlessly with internal colleagues to maximise bid success and streamline the pipeline.

What you'll get

• £65,000 per annum
• Company Pension, Healthcare, Life Insurance, family-friendly leave, 5 weeks annual leave plus a day off for your birthday!
• Working for a fast-growing, ambitious company. There is no ceiling here in terms of where you can take your career

As one of the UK's fastest-growing independent businesses, you'll be joining a company where people are at our core, and the opportunity to develop your career is endless. We offer fantastic learning and development programmes and the ability to gain qualifications whilst supporting you all the way

Please note, we expect all staff to share our commitment to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children/young people, so an enhanced DBS disclosure will be sought by the company