International Account & Business Development Manager (French Speaking)

Lightfoot; Exeter; Hybrid; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Lightfoot is seeking an International Account & Business Development Manager to oversee a diverse portfolio of UK and international clients, with a focus on France. The role blends account management and new business development, requires fluent French and English, and involves regular travel.

You will collaborate with Sales, Product, Operations, Marketing and Finance to deliver measurable value, drive renewals and upsell, and lead tenders in French when needed.

Qualifications

• Fluent written and spoken English and French.
• Experience in account management or business development.
• Experience selling in international markets, esp. France.
• Experience with complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
• Comfortable using CRM systems and data to demonstrate value.

Responsibilities

• Manage a portfolio of UK and international accounts, including French-speaking fleets.
• Drive retention, renewals, upsell and cross-sell; expand Lightfoot’s presence in France.
• Identify and close new business opportunities with a consultative approach.
• Collaborate with Sales, Product, Operations, Marketing and Finance to deliver value.
• Lead or contribute to tenders and negotiations, including in French.
• Maintain accurate sales activity in Salesforce and forecast opportunities.

Skills

Fluent English

Fluent French

Account management

New business development

Stakeholder engagement

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

About the role

The International Account & Business Development Manager is a hybrid role, split approximately 60% account management and 40% new business development. You will manage a portfolio of UK and international accounts, including French-speaking fleets, building trusted relationships, driving retention and growth, and ensuring Lightfoot continues to deliver measurable value.

Alongside this, you will identify and close new business opportunities, with a particular focus on expanding Lightfoot’s presence in France and other French-speaking markets.

Reporting to the Account Director, you will be the primary commercial contact for your customers, working closely with Sales, Product, Operations, Marketing and Finance to deliver a consistent, high-quality experience.

This role suits a commercially minded, fluent French speaker who enjoys both developing existing relationships and winning new business, and who is comfortable travelling regularly across the UK and internationally.

Location:

Home-based, with regular travel throughout the UK and internationally.

Hours:

Full-time, Monday to Friday.

Key Responsibilities

Account Management

• Manage and develop a portfolio of UK and international customer accounts, including French-speaking fleets.
• Build strong relationships with stakeholders at all levels and act as the lead point of contact in English and French.
• Drive retention, renewals, upsell and cross-sell, identifying opportunities to expand Lightfoot’s solutions.
• Use customer data and regular business reviews to demonstrate value and provide actionable recommendations.
• Support onboarding, training and ongoing customer engagement to embed Lightfoot within customer operations.
• Promote Lightfoot’s key differentiators, including Driver Rewards and Gamification.
• Support international customers with onboarding, communications and training, adapting materials for French-speaking markets where required.
• Act as the voice of international customers, feeding market-specific insights and requirements back into the business.

Business Development

• Own and deliver agreed new business targets, with a focus on France and other French-speaking markets.
• Build and manage a high-quality pipeline through inbound leads, referrals, partners and self-generated opportunities.
• Prospect, qualify and convert new customers using a consultative, value-led approach.
• Sell the full Lightfoot product and services portfolio and clearly articulate our competitive differentiators.
• Develop relationships with partners, referral networks and key influencers across the UK and Europe.
• Lead or contribute to tenders, proposals and commercial negotiations, including in French.
• Drive opportunities through to close and ensure a smooth handover into the account management lifecycle.

Reporting & Collaboration

• Forecast renewals, upsell and new business opportunities accurately.
• Maintain clear and accurate customer and sales activity in Salesforce.
• Balance account management and business development priorities effectively.
• Work closely with Account Management, Sales, Product, Operations, Marketing and Finance to deliver solutions that meet customer expectations.
• Represent Lightfoot professionally as a brand ambassador with customers and partners.
• Ensure customer-facing activity follows company procedures and relevant compliance, data protection and quality standards, including ISO 9001 and ISO 27001.

Key Skills, Experience & Qualifications

• Essential - fluent written and spoken French and English.
• Proven experience in account management, customer success or business development, ideally within B2B, SaaS or technology.
• Track record of growing existing accounts through renewals and upsell, as well as winning new corporate customers.
• Experience managing customers or selling in international markets, ideally including France or other French-speaking regions.
• Experience in complex, solution-based sales involving multiple stakeholders and longer sales cycles.
• Strong communication, presentation, negotiation and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Commercially astute, organised and able to balance retention and growth priorities.
• Comfortable using CRM systems, preferably Salesforce, and interpreting data to demonstrate value.
• Self-motivated and able to manage competing priorities effectively.
• Willingness to travel regularly across the UK and internationally, including occasional overnight stays.

Desirable: Experience in telematics, fleet or technology sectors, and knowledge of ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 standards.