Head of Business Development

Sumer Group Holdings Limited; United Kingdom; Remote; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading business services collaboration is seeking a Head of Business Development to enhance internal referrals and strengthen relationships within the organization. The role involves aligning services with client needs, ensuring sustainable growth for Sumer Law. Ideal candidates will have a proven track record in business development, particularly in professional services, and possess strong communication and strategic thinking skills. This position is fully remote.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in business development, ideally in professional services.
• Experience in legal or accountancy sectors is highly desirable.
• Strengths in managing referral pipelines and driving performance.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships between Sumer Law and each hub.
• Identify referral opportunities based on key triggers.
• Champion Sumer Law's expertise for collaboration.
• Coach fee-earners on best practices for winning new business.
• Partner with marketing leads to create opportunities.
• Ensure a steady flow of fee-earning work aligned with hub needs.

Skills

Relationship building

Business development

Cross-department collaboration

Commercial acumen

Strategic thinking

Communication skills

Organised and proactive

Job description

Head of Business Development

Department: Business Development

Employment Type: Permanent

Location: Remote

Description

We’re Sumer, a collaboration of the best in business services. We bring together the indispensable value of leading regional practices with the tech, scale and breadth of expertise that only a national organisation can muster. We call this ‘The Power of Collaboration’ – an approach that delivers growth for our entire organisation and all the businesses we serve.

Sitting at the juncture of our central team, our accountancy hubs, and our clients is the rare opportunity to help build Sumer Law - a client-facing private practice within the Sumer Group. We are gaining a significant competitive advantage as we acquire accountancy practices across the UK, addressing the legal needs of our SME clients.

The Role: This is a business development role with a focus on driving internal referrals and fostering relationships within the Sumer Group. You will play a central role in aligning Sumer Law’s services with the needs of the hubs, ensuring seamless collaboration and sustained growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships between Sumer Law and each Sumer hub.
• Identify and understand the “trigger points” for referral opportunities, such as how tax advice often triggers the need for legal support.
• Champion Sumer Law’s expertise, ensuring hubs know how and when to engage our legal services
• Coach fee-earners on best practices for pipeline conversations and winning new business, leveraging commercial insights to drive performance and growth
• Partner with fee-earners and marketing leads to create and manage a pipeline of opportunities, including events, content, and hub-level interactions.
• Ensure a steady flow of fee-earning work by aligning legal services with the needs of the hubs.

This role is about enabling collaboration and creating value across Sumer Group while supporting the long-term growth of Sumer Law.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

You will be a natural relationship builder with a proven track record in business development, ideally within professional services or a multi-disciplinary environment.

Experience in legal or accountancy sectors, or professional services, is highly desirable for this role.

To succeed in this role, you'll bring strengths in building and managing referral pipelines, cross-department collaboration, data-driven insights, project execution, and a strong grasp of professional services solutions.

Alongside with the following:

• Commercial Acumen: Ability to spot opportunities, understand business needs, and convert insights into revenue.
• Collaborative Mindset: Proven ability to build trust and strong working relationships across teams and disciplines.
• Strategic Thinking: Able to see the bigger picture, identify synergies, and drive initiatives forward.
• Communication Skills: Excellent at articulating ideas clearly and persuasively to stakeholders at all levels.
• Organised and Proactive: Comfortable managing multiple projects, priorities, and stakeholders simultaneously.

Belong @ Sumer

At Sumer, we know everyone’s journey is different. That’s why we’re committed to fairness, removing barriers, and giving people the support they need to do their best work. If you need any support during the hiring process, just let us know.

Our values represent what matters most to us and guide how we work every day:

• We Shine Together
• We Do the Right Thing
• We Make It Count

We know diverse teams make us stronger. That’s why we’re creating an inclusive workplace where everyone belongs and differences are valued and celebrated.