Senior Business Development Executive

IRIS; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 64,000; Full time

Job summary

IRIS Software Group is expanding its Inside Sales – New Business team in Manchester and seeks a Senior Sales Development Executive to drive new business. You will identify prospects, engage via outbound channels, and qualify opportunities while building strong relationships with customers.

As a senior team member, you will lead by example, share best practices, and help refine our approach to new business. This is a hybrid, full-time role with a focus on achieving targets and pipeline growth.

Qualifications

• Proven track record in B2B or SaaS sales.
• Strong outbound prospecting and CRM skills.
• Excellent communication and influencing abilities.

Responsibilities

• Generate new business through outbound calls, email, LinkedIn, and other channels.
• Identify and qualify opportunities by understanding customer challenges and priorities.
• Lead consultative conversations explaining how IRIS solutions can help customers.
• Own your pipeline; maintain accurate CRM records and target revenue/pipeline goals.
• Collaborate with Account Executives to advance qualified opportunities.
• Develop market knowledge of IRIS products, customers, and competitors.
• Lead by example, share knowledge, and support team development.
• Continuously test approaches to improve conversion and performance.

Skills

Outbound prospecting

Cold calling

CRM

SaaS sales

Pipeline management

Relationship building

Tools

LinkedIn

Job description

About IRIS

IRIS Software Group is one of the UK’s largest privately held software companies, trusted by 100,000+ businesses, schools and accountancy firms to keep their operations running. Our software pays 1 in 6 UK employees, supports over 12,000 schools, and is relied on by 91 of the top 100 UK accountancy firms.

We’re a Great Place to Work® certified employer, recognised for our commitment to well-being, inclusion and development - and we’re growing fast.

Location: Manchester – Hybrid
Company: IRIS Software Group
Team: Inside Sales – New Business
Contract: Full-time, Permanent

The Opportunity

We’re looking for an experienced and commercially driven Senior Sales Development Executive to join our Inside Sales New Business team at IRIS Software Group.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone who loves winning new business, building relationships and creating opportunities from scratch. You’ll play a key role in driving growth by identifying prospective customers, understanding their challenges and introducing them to the right IRIS solutions.

As a senior member of the team, you’ll be expected to lead from the front — delivering against your own targets while sharing best practice, supporting colleagues and helping us continuously improve how we approach new business.

What You’ll Be Doing

Generate new business – Proactively engage prospective customers through outbound calling, email, LinkedIn and other channels.

Identify & qualify opportunities – Ask the right questions to understand customer challenges, priorities and buying needs, turning conversations into high-quality opportunities.

Have consultative conversations – Build credibility with prospects and clearly communicate how IRIS solutions can support their business.

Own your pipeline – Manage your activity and opportunities effectively, maintaining accurate CRM records and consistently working towards individual revenue and pipeline targets.

Work closely with Sales – Partner with Account Executives and wider commercial teams to ensure qualified opportunities progress effectively through the sales cycle.

Develop your market knowledge – Build a strong understanding of IRIS products, our customers, competitors and the wider software market.

Lead by example – As a senior member of the team, demonstrate excellent sales behaviours, share knowledge and support less experienced colleagues with their development.

Continuously improve – Test different approaches, learn from data and feedback, and contribute ideas that improve conversion and overall team performance.

What We’re Looking For

You’ll ideally have previous experience within Sales Development, Business Development, Inside Sales or another B2B new-business sales environment.

We’d love to see:

• A proven track record of achieving or exceeding sales targets
• Confidence with proactive outbound prospecting and cold calling
• Strong communication, questioning and influencing skills
• A genuinely commercial and target-driven mindset
• The ability to build rapport and credibility quickly
• Strong discovery and qualification skills
• Confidence managing a pipeline and working within a CRM
• Experience within SaaS/software or technology would be advantageous
• A curious mindset and willingness to continuously learn
• The confidence to lead by example and support others within the team

Why You’ll Love Working Here

• Impact: Your work will influence millions globally.

• Growth: Continuous learning and career development opportunities.

• Belonging: A culture that celebrates diversity and empowers every individual.

What to expect from our hiring process

Our process is designed to be fair, transparent and straightforward. Stages vary depending on the role — more senior positions may involve additional steps, and some areas include role-specific assessments such as a technical test or case study — but typically you can expect:

1. Application review — we assess your experience and potential

2. Initial call — a short conversation to learn about you and share more about the role

3. Skills assessment — tailored to the position, e.g. case study, coding challenge or portfolio review

4. Final interview — meet the team and explore how you’ll make an IMPACT at IRIS

We’ll always walk you through the specific stages at the start of the process so you can prepare with confidence.

If you need any adjustments or accommodations during the process, let us know, we’re committed to making this experience accessible for everyone.