Business Development Manager

Join us as a Business Development Manager, where you’ll bring specialist expertise to our Education and Inclusion team, driving the growth and development of our highly regarded traded services and supporting long-term success. You’ll take a proactive, customer-focused approach to change - using insight and innovation to strengthen existing services while identifying new opportunities and audiences.

Working as part of a small team, closely aligned to Heads of Service, you’ll play a key role across the full project lifecycle, spanning both statutory and commercial services. You’ll help deliver sustainable, high-quality outcomes in a collaborative environment that supports your ideas, values your expertise, and encourages your professional growth.

What you’ll do

• Plan and implement business development and customer engagement plans to drive growth and service uptake
• Lead and coordinate business planning activities, including business case development, reviews, and delivery of key projects
• Manage change and development programmes, ensuring delivery against agreed objectives, milestones, and timelines
• Monitor performance and customer satisfaction, using insight and data to drive continuous improvement
• Conduct market research and stakeholder consultation to identify new opportunities, customer needs, and emerging trends
• Build strong relationships with key partners and contribute to tendering strategies and successful bid development

What we’re looking for

• Strong understanding of service development and improvement, with awareness of the challenges facing local government and public services
• Demonstratable experience of leading projects from design to delivery, including working across teams and managing outcomes in a matrix environment
• Proven background in business development, customer engagement, and commercial activity, including pricing and service growth
• Confident using data and financial insight to support decision-making, improve performance, and demonstrate value
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and co-produce solutions with stakeholders
• Adaptable, professional, and solutions-focused, with a commitment to quality and the confidence to operate in a complex, politically aware environment

Why join us?

• Be part of a supportive and collaborative team that values your expertise and encourages innovation
• Play a key role in shaping and improving vital education and inclusion services with real community impact
• Enjoy a varied role working across both statutory and commercial services, driving meaningful change
• Benefit from opportunities for professional growth and development within a forward-thinking local authority
• A competitive benefits package that includes generous annual leave entitlement, occupational sick pay, and access to the Local Government Pension Scheme.

Applicants can expect to hear from us within two weeks of the advertised closing date.

Please note

We are unable to offer sponsorship for this role and therefore it is essential that you already have the right to work in the UK.

Proud member of the Disability Confident employer scheme

Disability Confident

About Disability Confident

A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that declares they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to Disability Confident.