The Business Development Manager is integral to accelerating growth for LGBT Great and the Allied People Group. This position reports to our Finance Director and will collaborate with another Business Development Manager as well as the CEO to strengthen our efforts in acquiring new business.
This position is pivotal in advancing our mission to foster inclusive workplaces and empower talent communities. The role’s focus is primarily on new business generation.
The role requires a blend of commercial acumen and purpose-driven engagement, focusing on constructing new strategic partnerships with clients that enhance our influence.
Achievement in this role demands a confident communicator, adept at influencing senior stakeholders, managing intricate sales processes, and championing our vision of inclusion and belonging for all.
Key Responsibilities
- New Business Generation and Commercial Growth
- Identify high-value business opportunities through proactive market research, comprehensive sector analysis, and competitor benchmarking.
- Proactively prospect, qualify, and nurture relationships with potential member firms and clients to continually expand the membership and client base for our services.
- Develop and deliver engaging pitches, presentations, and capability statements that effectively communicate our unique value proposition, securing new business opportunities.
- Prepare tailored proposals that align with client inclusion and belonging objectives, strategic priorities, and broader commercial goals.
- Lead negotiations with potential clients, managing objections and finalising partnership agreements to ensure mutually beneficial outcomes.
- Oversee the entire new business lifecycle, encompassing initial outreach, contract closure, and client onboarding (defined as first 30 days post-signature).
- Build and maintain a robust, insight-driven sales pipeline, ensuring clear visibility across all stages, from lead generation through to conversion.
- Support the business development function with forecasting sales performance and provide management with regular reports on the health of the sales pipeline, including market signals, conversion metrics, and growth opportunities.
Community Building, Thought Leadership, and Influencing
- Identify and target high-value prospects for event attendance, prioritising events with highest concentration of target decision-makers (CHROs, CEOs).
- Design and manage strategies for inviting prospects to events, encouraging attendance at events, webinars and roundtables.
- Represent the organisation at industry events, conferences, and networking functions, serving as a credible ambassador for our inclusion and belonging mission.
- Engage in meaningful conversations, product and service demonstrations, and consultative discussions that foster trust and deepen commercial relationships.
- Contribute to ecosystem-building initiatives, supporting the growth of a vibrant community of clients, partners, and advocates.
Skills and Experience
- Strong background in business development, sales, or commercial roles, ideally within B2B, professional services, or inclusion and belonging-focused services.
- Proven ability to navigate end-to-end sales cycles and close deals with senior-level stakeholders.
- Exceptional communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, operate autonomously, and deliver against ambitious growth targets.
- Commercially minded with strong analytical capability and data-driven decision-making skills.
- Relationship-builder with the confidence to engage at pace in dynamic, high-expectation environments.
- Familiarity with CRM systems and digital tools for pipeline management and reporting.
- Experience selling Inclusion & Belonging solutions/ESG consulting services OR professional services to UK financial services/FTSE 250 clients preferred.
- Existing relationships with CHROs, Heads of Inclusion & Belonging, or C-suite decision-makers in UK corporate market are highly desirable.
Success Profile
The ideal candidate will bring:
- A growth mindset and appetite for driving measurable commercial outcomes.
- High emotional intelligence and strong stakeholder-management skills.
- A proactive, opportunity-led approach to market development.
- Passion for inclusion and belonging, with the ability to influence and collaborate in a high-performance culture.
- A strategic mindset combined with hands-on execution capability - able to shape the big picture while delivering results.
- Commitment to supporting the CEO in embedding a strong 'sales and commercial culture' across the organisation.
- Commitment to developing scalable sales processes and best practices that support organizational growth.
