Senior Business Development Manager

Co-op Digital; Scunthorpe, Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 72,000 - 88,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car

Private healthcare

Annual bonus

28 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension up to 10% employer

Discount on Co-op products

Job summary

Co-op Wholesale seeks a Senior New Business Manager to drive corporate acquisitions and develop multi-site partnerships across the wholesale sector. This field-based role offers UK-wide opportunities and travel to Scunthorpe and Manchester offices as needed.

You’ll own acquisition strategy, lead complex negotiations, and collaborate with finance and bid teams to secure profitable growth. A proven track record of multi-million-pound deals is essential, with strong relationship-building skills.

Qualifications

• Experience managing multi-million-pound corporate acquisitions.
• Experience leading bids and tender submissions.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen with P&L understanding.
• Excellent negotiation and influencing skills.
• Strategic thinker with strong communication abilities.

Responsibilities

• Create and deliver the corporate acquisition strategy for high-value targets.
• Build a comprehensive list of new business prospects and lead the process from outreach to win.
• Collaborate with finance to build solid business cases for growth.
• With the contract manager, negotiate final contracts that protect the company.
• Develop relationships with senior decision-makers and position Co-op Wholesale as the partner of choice.
• Lead complex negotiations and robust account planning for profitable deals.
• Work with Bid team to source, submit bids, and present market-leading proposals.
• Ensure smooth onboarding of new customers and seamless handover to delivery teams.
• Represent Co-op Wholesale in the market and raise its profile in corporate retail.

Skills

Acquisition strategy

Bid leadership

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Relationship building

Job description

Senior New Business Manager

Up to £80,000 plus excellent benefits, including private healthcare and a company car (Work Level 5)

Location: this is a field-based role, you can be based anywhere in the UK. Please note that occasional travel to our Scunthorpe and Manchester offices will be required, along with client site visits

Co-op Wholesale is growing, and we’re looking for talented people who want to shape what comes next. As our Senior New Business Manager for corporate and key accounts, you’ll be at the heart of winning and developing corporate partnerships that are worth millions. You’ll focus on complex, high value, multi-site opportunities that really make a difference across wholesale.

This isn’t just about meeting targets. It’s about building strong, trusted relationships with new corporate clients and making sure Co-op Wholesale is their first choice for large-scale partnerships. If you’re ready to take on the challenge, we’d love to hear from you.

Why this role matters

Exciting things are happening at Co-op Wholesale. We’re growing fast, strengthening our offer for retailers, key accounts, and corporate partners, and we need great people to be part of that journey.

You’ll join our Business Development and Growth team, which is expanding to take on some of our biggest and boldest corporate acquisition targets. This team is all about collaboration, growth, and driving our business forward. From identifying new markets to shaping trusted partnerships, they’re helping take us to the next level.

This is where you come in.

What you’ll do

• Create and deliver our corporate acquisition strategy, targeting high-value, multi-site groups
• Build a comprehensive list of new business prospects, and lead new business acquisition from initial outreach through to securing the business
• Work closely with finance colleagues on business cases, ensuring your new business wins deliver profitable sales growth
• Along with contract manager, negotiate final contracts that protect Coop Wholesale’s interests
• Build strong relationships with senior decision-makers and position Co-op Wholesale as their go-to partner
• Lead on complex negotiations and account planning, making sure deals are commercially sound and operationally ready
• Collaborate with Bid team to source and submit bid and tender opportunities, submitting market leading proposals
• Work closely with colleagues to make sure new customers are onboarded smoothly
• Represent Co-op Wholesale in the market, raising our profile and credibility in the corporate retail space

What you’ll bring

We’re committed to making our roles as accessible as possible, so we only ask for the minimum criteria. To thrive here, you’ll need to bring:

• Experience managing and delivering multi-million-pound corporate acquisitions
• Experience leading winning bids and tender submissions
• Experience leading complex partner onboarding and integration processes
• Commercial know-how, financial acumen including a strong P&L understanding, and strong negotiating skills
• Strong strategic thinking skills, with the ability to turn insights into action
• Good communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence and challenge inclusively

Why Co-op?

At Co-op, we’re owned by our members. And because we’re owned by you, we can do right by you. So when you join us, you’re not just taking a job, you’re joining a movement. We’re an organisation that puts people and communities first, and we’re powered by purpose. We want this to be a place where you can thrive, so you’ll also receive:

• A company car
• Private healthcare
• An annual bonus (based on personal and business performance)
• 28 days holiday (rising to 32 with service) plus bank holidays
• A pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• 30% discount on Co-op products and 10% off other brands
• Stream – early access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it
• Virtual healthcare including GP appointments, mental health support, nutrition and fitness advice
• 24/7 colleague support service
• Training and support for your development and career progression
• Cycle-to-work scheme

A place you’ll belong

We’re building diverse and inclusive teams that reflect the communities we serve.

We welcome applications from everyone and are committed to creating a workplace where colleagues can feel like they belong, supported by our inclusive policies and the ways we work.

We’re proud to be part of the Disability Confident scheme and offer interviews to disabled candidates who meet the minimum criteria for a job. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, we’ll support you.

Learn more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process and our inclusion commitments at jobs.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion