Associate Director / Director – Business Development

Buckden Partners; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Buckden Partners is seeking an Associate Director or Director to lead origination and expand its Midlands presence. The role is geared towards market-facing activity, relationship-building, and turning opportunities into measurable new business.

The successful candidate will develop new relationships with business owners, management teams, advisers and sponsors, and will own opportunities from initial conversation through to completion in a collaborative firm-wide environment.

Qualifications

• Proven track record of business development and new origination.
• Strong relationship-building with senior stakeholders.
• Confident engaging with CEOs, CFOs, advisers and other senior stakeholders.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to create opportunities rather than wait for them.
• Energetic, resilient and determined to build something successful.

Responsibilities

• Origin new business opportunities across the Midlands.
• Build, develop and leverage a strong network of clients, advisers, sponsors and intermediaries.
• Create and maintain a high-quality pipeline of prospective opportunities.
• Develop relationships with senior decision-makers and turn them into long-term partnerships.
• Take ownership of opportunities from initial conversation through to completion.
• Understand clients’ businesses, ambitions and funding requirements and identify appropriate solutions.
• Work closely with credit, product and wider teams to deliver transactions successfully.
• Negotiate and influence confidently, balancing client needs with commercial objectives.
• Build a strong external profile and become a recognised presence in the Midlands market.
• Generate repeat business, referrals and introductions through your network.
• Contribute to the continued growth and success of the wider business.

Skills

Business development

Relationship building

Market networking

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Entrepreneurial mindset

Job description

We’re looking for an ambitious Associate Director or Director to join a growing business development team and play a key role in expanding our presence across the Midlands.

This is a genuine origination-focused role for someone who enjoys being out in the market, building relationships, identifying opportunities and turning connections into new business.

For an experienced Director, it offers the opportunity to make a significant impact and build on an established network.

For an ambitious Associate Director looking to step up, it offers the chance to take greater ownership, increase your market profile and demonstrate that you’re ready for the next level.

Build your network. Create opportunities. Win new business.

You’ll be responsible for developing new relationships across the Midlands, working with commercial and corporate businesses, PLCs and private equity-backed companies.

You’ll build connections with business owners, senior management teams, professional advisers, sponsors and intermediaries, becoming a trusted partner and a recognised presence in the market.

This is not a role focused on simply managing an existing portfolio. Your success will come from creating opportunities, developing relationships and winning new business.

You’ll have ownership from the initial conversation through to completion, working collaboratively with colleagues across the business to turn opportunities into successful client outcomes.

What you’ll do

• Proactively originate new business opportunities across the Midlands.
• Build, develop and leverage a strong network of clients, advisers, sponsors and intermediaries.
• Create and maintain a high-quality pipeline of prospective opportunities.
• Develop new relationships with senior decision-makers and turn them into long-term partnerships.
• Take ownership of opportunities from initial conversation through to completion.
• Understand clients’ businesses, ambitions and funding requirements and identify appropriate solutions.
• Work closely with credit, product and wider teams to deliver transactions successfully.
• Negotiate and influence confidently, balancing client needs with commercial objectives.
• Build a strong external profile and become a recognised presence in the Midlands market.
• Generate repeat business, referrals and introductions through your network.
• Contribute to the continued growth and success of the wider business.

You’ll bring:

• A proven track record of business development and new business origination.
• Strong relationship-building skills and an established or developing network.
• Confidence engaging with business owners, CEOs, CFOs, advisers and other senior stakeholders.
• A genuine appetite for winning new business rather than simply managing an existing book.
• Strong commercial judgement and an understanding of business lending.
• Excellent influencing, negotiation and communication skills.
• The ability to take opportunities from initial conversation through to successful completion.
• An entrepreneurial mindset and the confidence to create opportunities rather than wait for them.
• Energy, resilience and the determination to build something successful.