Senior Business Development Manager
| Posting date: | 19 June 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 19 July 2026 |
| Location: | OX11 0SG |
| Remote working: | Hybrid - work remotely up to 1 day per week |
| Company: | Explosive Learning Solutions |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: |
Summary
The Opportunity
This role combines business development, consultative selling, commercial strategy, and solution design within a Business to Business (B2B) environment.
You will work directly with employers, decision-makers, HR professionals, Learning & Development leaders, operational managers, and senior executives to identify workforce capability challenges and develop practical solutions that improve organisational performance.
You will be expected to build demand, not simply respond to it.
You will have the freedom to shape how the commercial function operates while working alongside an experienced delivery team capable of delivering exceptional outcomes for clients.
You will have access to a catalogue of established ELS solutions and services that can be tailored and combined to meet client needs. You will also contribute to the ongoing development of marketing activity, market positioning, and commercial growth initiatives.
This is a hands-on new business role focused on generating and converting commercial opportunities rather than managing a sales team.
What you Will Be Responsible For
1. Business Development & Revenue Growth
• Develop and execute a commercial growth strategy aligned to organisational objectives.
• Generate new business opportunities through networking, outreach, referrals, partnerships, employer engagement, and market intelligence.
• Build and maintain suited relationships with employers and decision-makers.
• Identify opportunities for workforce development across leadership development, compliance training, digital learning, professional development, organisational capability improvement, and related service areas.
• Secure new business opportunities that contribute directly to revenue growth.
2. Consultative Discovery
• Conduct high-quality discovery conversations with employers and stakeholders.
• Diagnose organisational challenges, capability gaps, skills shortages, and workforce development requirements.
• Engage confidently with HR, L&D, operational leaders, directors, and business owners.
• Identify needs that clients may not have fully recognised or articulated themselves.
• Position ELS as a trusted workforce development partner rather than a training supplier.
3. Solution Design & Proposal Development
• Translate client challenges into commercially viable learning and workforce development solutions.
• Develop written proposals, recommendations, business cases, and commercial responses.
• Collaborate with internal subject matter experts and delivery teams to shape solutions.
• Present recommendations confidently to senior stakeholders.
• Create compelling commercial propositions that clearly demonstrate value and return on investment.
• Build a library of proposal templates, case studies, and solution frameworks that support future growth.
4. Opportunity Management & Closing
• Manage opportunities through the full sales cycle from initial engagement through to contract award.
• Maintain accurate pipeline management using AccessPlanit and another ELS managed CRM systems.
• Produce reliable forecasts and commercial reports.
• Lead commercial discussions, negotiations, and contract conversations.
• Convert proposals into signed agreements and long-term client relationships.
• Take ownership of achieving and exceeding agreed revenue targets.
5. Existing Client Growth
• Re-engage dormant clients and historic contacts.
• Identify opportunities for repeat business and account expansion.
• Develop long-term relationships that increase customer lifetime value.
• Create strategic account growth plans where appropriate.
6. Market Engagement & Brand Development
• Represent ELS at Chamber of Commerce events, industry conferences, employer forums, and workforce development networks.
• Develop strategic relationships across regional and national skills ecosystems relevant to ELS services.
• Work closely with marketing colleagues to support lead generation and market awareness activity.
• Share market intelligence and customer insights that inform future product and service development.
• Support and lead commercial engagement activity at trade fairs, exhibitions, and employer events.
What Success Looks Like
Within the first 4 months you will have:
• Developed a comprehensive understanding of ELS services, workforce development solutions, delivery capability, and commercial proposition.
• Become fully conversant with the ELS service catalogue, customer sectors, case studies, and value propositions.
• Built productive working relationships with delivery teams, subject matter experts, and key internal stakeholders.
• Completed a review of existing customers, dormant accounts, strategic opportunities, and current commercial activity.
• Established a structured business development plan aligned to agreed growth objectives.
• Developed and maintained a qualified sales pipeline containing sufficient opportunity value to support agreed annual revenue targets.
• Conducted discovery conversations with employers and decision-makers across agreed target sectors.
• Identified and qualified new opportunities aligned to ELS capabilities and strategic priorities.
• Submitted initial proposals and recommendations to prospective clients.
• Demonstrated effective use of AccessPlanit and another CRM processes.
• Established visibility within relevant employer, Chamber, professional, and workforce development networks.
• Demonstrated sound commercial judgement by identifying opportunities that should be pursued and those that should be declined.
• Demonstrated the ability to conduct discovery meetings, develop solutions, and progress opportunities without routine intervention from the Managing Director.
This role combines business development, consultative selling, commercial strategy, and solution design within a Business to Business (B2B) environment.
You will work directly with employers, decision-makers, HR professionals, Learning & Development leaders, operational managers, and senior executives to identify workforce capability challenges and develop practical solutions that improve organisational performance.
You will be expected to build demand, not simply respond to it.
You will have the freedom to shape how the commercial function operates while working alongside an experienced delivery team capable of delivering exceptional outcomes for clients.
You will have access to a catalogue of established ELS solutions and services that can be tailored and combined to meet client needs. You will also contribute to the ongoing development of marketing activity, market positioning, and commercial growth initiatives.
This is a hands-on new business role focused on generating and converting commercial opportunities rather than managing a sales team.
What you Will Be Responsible For
1. Business Development & Revenue Growth
• Develop and execute a commercial growth strategy aligned to organisational objectives.
• Generate new business opportunities through networking, outreach, referrals, partnerships, employer engagement, and market intelligence.
• Build and maintain suited relationships with employers and decision-makers.
• Identify opportunities for workforce development across leadership development, compliance training, digital learning, professional development, organisational capability improvement, and related service areas.
• Secure new business opportunities that contribute directly to revenue growth.
2. Consultative Discovery
• Conduct high-quality discovery conversations with employers and stakeholders.
• Diagnose organisational challenges, capability gaps, skills shortages, and workforce development requirements.
• Engage confidently with HR, L&D, operational leaders, directors, and business owners.
• Identify needs that clients may not have fully recognised or articulated themselves.
• Position ELS as a trusted workforce development partner rather than a training supplier.
3. Solution Design & Proposal Development
• Translate client challenges into commercially viable learning and workforce development solutions.
• Develop written proposals, recommendations, business cases, and commercial responses.
• Collaborate with internal subject matter experts and delivery teams to shape solutions.
• Present recommendations confidently to senior stakeholders.
• Create compelling commercial propositions that clearly demonstrate value and return on investment.
• Build a library of proposal templates, case studies, and solution frameworks that support future growth.
4. Opportunity Management & Closing
• Manage opportunities through the full sales cycle from initial engagement through to contract award.
• Maintain accurate pipeline management using AccessPlanit and another ELS managed CRM systems.
• Produce reliable forecasts and commercial reports.
• Lead commercial discussions, negotiations, and contract conversations.
• Convert proposals into signed agreements and long-term client relationships.
• Take ownership of achieving and exceeding agreed revenue targets.
5. Existing Client Growth
• Re-engage dormant clients and historic contacts.
• Identify opportunities for repeat business and account expansion.
• Develop long-term relationships that increase customer lifetime value.
• Create strategic account growth plans where appropriate.
6. Market Engagement & Brand Development
• Represent ELS at Chamber of Commerce events, industry conferences, employer forums, and workforce development networks.
• Develop strategic relationships across regional and national skills ecosystems relevant to ELS services.
• Work closely with marketing colleagues to support lead generation and market awareness activity.
• Share market intelligence and customer insights that inform future product and service development.
• Support and lead commercial engagement activity at trade fairs, exhibitions, and employer events.
What Success Looks Like
Within the first 4 months you will have:
• Developed a comprehensive understanding of ELS services, workforce development solutions, delivery capability, and commercial proposition.
• Become fully conversant with the ELS service catalogue, customer sectors, case studies, and value propositions.
• Built productive working relationships with delivery teams, subject matter experts, and key internal stakeholders.
• Completed a review of existing customers, dormant accounts, strategic opportunities, and current commercial activity.
• Established a structured business development plan aligned to agreed growth objectives.
• Developed and maintained a qualified sales pipeline containing sufficient opportunity value to support agreed annual revenue targets.
• Conducted discovery conversations with employers and decision-makers across agreed target sectors.
• Identified and qualified new opportunities aligned to ELS capabilities and strategic priorities.
• Submitted initial proposals and recommendations to prospective clients.
• Demonstrated effective use of AccessPlanit and another CRM processes.
• Established visibility within relevant employer, Chamber, professional, and workforce development networks.
• Demonstrated sound commercial judgement by identifying opportunities that should be pursued and those that should be declined.
• Demonstrated the ability to conduct discovery meetings, develop solutions, and progress opportunities without routine intervention from the Managing Director.
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