Business Development Manager - Northern Europe & UK

The Recruitment Company; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading recruitment firm is seeking a Business Development Manager to drive growth across the UK and Northern Europe. This role involves managing tender opportunities, conducting market research, and building relationships with airport authorities. The ideal candidate has 5–8 years of experience in business development or aviation, a relevant degree, and strong skills in financial modelling and stakeholder engagement. A travel-ready and dynamic individual will thrive in this role.

Benefits

Worldwide airport lounge access

Hotel discounts of up to 20%

All business-related travel and expenses covered

Qualifications

• 5–8 years experience in business development or tendering.
• Strong understanding of airport-related services.
• Experience interpreting tender documentation and technical drawings.

Responsibilities

• Drive new business growth across the UK and Northern Europe.
• Own the full lifecycle of tender opportunities.
• Conduct detailed market research and competitor benchmarking.
• Build relationships with airport authorities and service providers.

Skills

Business development

Tendering

Stakeholder engagement

Financial modelling

Site visits

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Architecture, or Hospitality

Tools

Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Business Development Manager - Northern Europe & UK

Job Openings Business Development Manager - Northern Europe & UK

About the job Business Development Manager - Northern Europe & UK

Business Development Manager – UK & Northern Europe

Department: Business Development
Reporting To: Business Development Director – EMEA
Location: United Kingdom

Role Overview

We are seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to drive new business growth across the UK and Northern Europe. This role will take ownership of strategic business development and tender opportunities across multiple markets, acting as the end-to-end opportunity lead from early-stage market intelligence through to submission and post-award support.

The successful candidate will bridge strategy and execution—ensuring commercial accuracy, bid readiness, and full compliance with airport authority and regulatory requirements—while working closely with internal operational, design, and finance teams.

Key Responsibilities

Opportunity Ownership

• Proactively identify, scope, and develop new business opportunities across the UK and Northern Europe .
• Own the full lifecycle of tender opportunities, from early intelligence and qualification through to final submission.
• Conduct detailed market research, competitor benchmarking, airport ecosystem mapping, and passenger flow analysis.
• Evaluate commercial viability, including CAPEX, OPEX, supplier pricing, and revenue potential.
• Provide regular, structured updates to EMEA leadership on progress, risks, dependencies, and timelines.

Lead and coordinate high-quality technical submissions, including:

Operational concepts

Staffing and resource plans

Implementation and mobilisation strategies

• Ensure all tender documentation is fully compliant with authority requirements, including formats, declarations, annexes, and compliance matrices.
• Coordinate with internal design and operations teams to align layouts, general arrangements, and concept proposals.

Commercial & Financial Inputs

Provide accurate local market inputs into financial models, including:

Labour and employment costs

Local tax and regulatory considerations

Supplier and vendor quotations

Utilities, maintenance, and operating cost assumptions

• Validate financial assumptions and challenge inaccuracies to ensure robust and deliverable commercial proposals.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with airport authorities, regulators, partners, and third-party service providers across the region.
• Support negotiation phases by providing market insight, local intelligence, and scenario analysis.

Post-Award Support

• Support mobilisation planning, regulatory approvals, and early-stage operational coordination.
• Track initial performance against the approved business plan and support a structured handover to operational teams.

Requirements

Experience & Knowledge

• 5–8 years experience in business development, tendering, consulting, aviation operations, or airport commercial roles.
• Strong understanding of airport-related services such as hospitality, lounges, F&B, meet & greet, hotel concessions, or airport infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience interpreting tender documentation, concession agreements, and technical drawings.

Education

• Bachelors degree in Business, Finance, Engineering, Architecture, Hospitality, or a related discipline.

Technical Skills

Strong financial modelling and Excel analysis capability.

Advanced PowerPoint and written proposal skills.

• Experience conducting site visits, airport surveys, and technical validations.

Languages

Additional European language skills are advantageous but not essential.

Other Requirements

Willingness to travel regularly across the UK and Northern Europe.

• Ability to manage multiple complex bids and projects under tight deadlines.
• Worldwide airport lounge access for you and your family (including parents)
• Hotel discounts of up to 20%

All business-related travel and expenses fully covered by the company