Business Development Manager

Independent Schools | Transport & Managed Services
đź“Ť Midlands & North of England (Remote / Field-based)
đź“Ś Quarterly travel to the South East

The Opportunity

We’re working on a confidential basis with a specialist, fast-growing provider operating at the intersection of education, transport, and technology. The organisation supports independent schools with tech-enabled, managed transport solutions — removing operational complexity while improving safety, parent experience, sustainability, and financial outcomes.

With growing demand across the UK independent schools sector, they are now looking to appoint a Business Development Manager to take ownership of new business across the Midlands and North of England.

Job description

The Role

This is a consultative, solution-led sales role, responsible for managing the full new business lifecycle — from initial engagement and discovery through to contract signature and onboarding handover.

You’ll work closely with bursars, finance teams, and senior school leaders to understand existing transport arrangements, cost pressures, and operational challenges, and then design tailored, managed solutions that deliver measurable value.

While you’ll receive support from an outsourced BDR function, this role does require hands-on prospecting, strong discovery skills, and the ability to manage longer, more complex sales cycles.

Key Responsibilities

– Own and develop new business across the Midlands, North of England, and Scotland
– Engage independent schools through a mix of inbound leads and proactive prospecting
– Build strong relationships with bursars, finance teams, and senior decision-makers
– Lead consultative discovery conversations around transport operations, costs, and risk
– Shape and present tailored, tech-enabled managed service solutions
– Manage the full sales cycle from first contact to contract signature
– Maintain accurate pipeline management and forecasting
– Coordinate smooth handover into onboarding and delivery teams
– Represent the business at customer meetings and sector events

Requirements

About You

You’ll be a strong fit if you:

– Have proven experience in consultative B2B sales
– Are comfortable managing complex, solution-led sales cycles
– Consistently deliver against sales targets
– Are confident engaging senior stakeholders and running high-quality discovery
– Are highly organised, self-motivated, and comfortable working autonomously
– Are happy travelling regularly across your region
– You’ll also bring at least one of the following:
– Experience selling into independent schools, particularly to bursars or finance teams
– Experience selling logistics, transport, outsourcing, or managed services

What’s on Offer

– Ownership of a clearly defined regional territory
– Attractive salary and performance-based commission structure
– A genuinely consultative, problem-solving sales environment
– Support from experienced sales and subject-matter specialists
– A tech-enabled proposition in a niche, under-served market
– The opportunity to make a meaningful impact in the independent education sector