Senior Client Manager

The Workforce Development Trust; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Generous annual leave

Hybrid/flexible working

Enhanced pension scheme

Job summary

The Workforce Development Trust is seeking a Senior Client Manager to lead strategic partnerships and high-impact accounts across health, care, justice, and wider public sectors in the UK. You will drive revenue growth, shape workforce strategy and deliver sustainable public-sector consultancy outcomes.

Join a mission-driven, not-for-profit organisation with a strong brand heritage and opportunities to influence policy and service delivery, while leading complex client engagements and

Qualifications

• Ability to build long-term partnerships and translate client needs into consultancy solutions.
• Experience in preparing and delivering high-quality bids and proposals.
• Comfortable working with NHS and healthcare leaders to develop trust-based relationships.
• Proven ability to align activity with organisational goals and sector priorities.
• Understanding of financial controls, risk management and ROI in a public sector setting.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement robust, regional and sector-aligned business development plans.
• Identify, qualify, and convert new opportunities into high-value contracts to deliver revenue targets.
• Establish and maintain trust-based relationships with key public/third-sector stakeholders.
• Lead strategic oversight and account planning for complex, high-value client relationships.
• Collaborate with delivery teams to design and deliver bespoke workforce solutions.
• Lead the preparation and submission of bids, tenders and proposals; negotiate and secure commercial agreements.
• Horizon scan to identify workforce trends and policy developments; provide strategic advisory input.

Skills

Consultative Sales & Strategic Account

Proposal Writing & Tendering

Stakeholder Engagement & Negotiation

Strategic Thinking & Business Planning

Commercial Acumen

Job description

Location

Bristol Office with hybrid working available

Contract

Permanent

Hours

Full Time (37.5 hours per week, 7.5 hours per day.)

The Workforce Development Trust

The Workforce Development Trust (WDT) is a not-for-profit organisation that provides services that support employers to develop skilled, sustainable, and efficient workforces in the UK and abroad. We operate via our five brands; Skills for Health, Skills for Justice, SFJ Awards, iCQ Awards and People 1st International, which deliver specialist, targeted skills interventions to support a variety of frontline public services.

Job summary

As part of The WDT, our Consultancy and Research (C&R) division exists to create lasting, measurable impact for the clients and sectors we serve, through our brands Skills for Health, Skills for Justice and The WDT. Guided by the Trust’s overarching vision (to support the development of a competent, resilient and effective workforce that delivers better outcomes for the public) we integrate professionalism with purpose to deliver change that matters.

In C&R, we firmly believe lasting impact comes not just from what we deliver, but how we work with our clients and colleagues - with passion, innovation, respect, and integrity. We commit to combining consultancy subject matter expertise with mission-driven values, to create meaningful change across the UK workforce landscape.

We’re looking for a Senior Client Manager to join The WDT and take the lead on some of our high-impact accounts across multiple sectors, including health and care, justice, emergency services, local government, and wider public and third-sector organisations. This is your opportunity to help drive sustainable workforce transformation across the UK, shaping the future of workforce strategy and service delivery.

As a respected not-for-profit organisation with strong Sector Skills Council heritage, The WDT combines a business-minded approach with a charitable focus, offering you the chance to contribute to meaningful, system-level improvements, while leveraging the strong existing reputation of well-established, trusted national brands.

You’ll be joining a cause-driven business development team working on strategic, high-profile projects that have a direct and lasting impact on patient outcomes and workforce sustainability.

This role provides a unique opportunity to operate at the intersection of consultancy, innovation, and strategic influence, designing bold and future-proof solutions to workforce challenges across multiple sectors.

You will lead and manage strategic client partnerships and engagements, and be seen as a trusted partner, working closely with senior stakeholders to maximise value, demonstrate clear return on investment, and embed meaningful, system-wide change.

What is the impact of the role on the business?

The Senior Client Manager will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of workforce strategy across the UK health and care system. Their work will directly drive:

• Revenue growth through consultative sales and strategic account management.
• Market positioning of Skills for Health and The WDT as leading providers of workforce consultancy services.
• System-wide impact by leading engagements that influence patient outcomes and workforce sustainability at a national level.

Key business skills necessary for the role?

• Consultative Sales & Strategic Account Management- Ability to build long-term partnerships and translate complex client needs into tailored consultancy solutions.
• Proposal Writing & Tendering- Experience in preparing and delivering high-quality, commercially viable tenders and proposals.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Negotiation - Comfortable working with senior NHS and healthcare leaders to develop trust-based relationships.
• Strategic Thinking & Business Planning - Proven ability to align business development activity with wider organisational goals and sector priorities.
• Commercial Acumen - Understanding of financial controls, risk management, and return on investment (ROI) in a consultancy or public sector setting.

What does the daily work look like?

A typical day may include

• Client Engagements: Meeting (in person or virtually) with NHS Trusts, IC S/ ICB leaders, or healthcare commissioners to discuss workforce strategy needs.
• Proposal Development: Leading on the creation of tailored consultancy proposals or contributing to tender documentation.
• Internal Collaboration: Working with subject matter experts, project delivery, and marketing teams to shape impactful solutions.
• Account Management and Planning:Managing pipelines, forecasting revenue, and updating CRM systems.
• Strategic Thinking: Scanning the policy environment, identifying new opportunities, and feeding insights into service delivery / design.
• Travel: Attending client meetings, stakeholder events, or conferences across the UK

Key Responsibilities:

Strategic Business Development

• Develop and implement robust, regionally and sectoral aligned business development plans in line with strategic objectives.
• Identify, qualify, and convert new business opportunities into secure high value contracts, to deliver against pipeline and revenue targets.

Client & Strategic Relationship Management

• Establish and maintain trust-based relationships with key stakeholders across the public and third sectors.
• Leverage your existing professional networks to uncover and expand strategic opportunities, quickly building credibility and rapport.

Strategic Account Leadership

• Lead the strategic oversight and account planning of complex, high-value client relationships with a focus on long-term impact and revenue growth.
• Collaborate with delivery teams to design and deliver custom, high-end consultancy workforce solutions.

Consultative Selling & Tendering

• Lead the preparation and submission of high-quality bids, tenders and business proposals, ensuring alignment with client needs and WDT / C&R strategic goals.
• Support or lead negotiations, secure commercial agreements, and prepare internal business cases.
• Continuously horizon scan to identify emerging workforce trends, strategic challenges and policy developments affecting our clients and sectors.
• Provide clients with insightful, forward-looking advice, helping them make informed decisions about their workforce strategies.

General Requirements

• High degree of autonomy and ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Regular travel across the UK will be required.
• Ability to manage complex workloads and competing priorities, including developing proposals, responding to tenders, and handling client-facing responsibilities.

• Generous annual leave entitlement up to a maximum of 28 days, plus public holidays and a potential Christmas closure
• Flexible working - 50% working from home with a dress for your day approach
• Staggered start and finish time
• We provide enhanced leave, bereavement, carers, maternity, paternity and sickness leave.
• Health and wellbeing benefits, access to our mental health first aiders, a confidential employee assistance programme, free eye tests and payment for an annual flu jab
• Enhanced pension scheme, with a contribution matching up to a combined 12%, and the option to join the Salary Exchange Pension Scheme along with death in service coverage at three times annual salary.
• Flexible employee benefits, portal including a cycle to work scheme
• Buy annual leave scheme
• Organisational development days and departmental training budgets
• Payroll giving, this is a tax‑free way to donate to any charity, good cause or place of worship

The Workforce Development Trust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone

If your experience differs a little from what is outlined in the job description, or you are missing a desired qualification, yet you think you can bring value to this role, please apply, we would like to hear more about you.

We strongly encourage people of all gender, religion, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, and individuals with disabilities to apply.

If you need any reasonable adjustments at any point, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to advise on your preferred pronouns, for example she/her, he/him, they/them etc.