Director Of Business Development

Berkshire LEP is seeking a dynamic and results-driven Director of Business Development to spearhead the identification and pursuit of new opportunities in alignment with the organisation's strategic objectives. The successful candidate will be instrumental in fostering a commercial mindset within the organisation while leveraging existing partnerships and engaging with stakeholders to drive growth and sustainability.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the identification of new Business Development opportunities, taking forward the company’s commercial ambitions to drive acquirement of private sector business and build future sustainability of the company with less reliance on public sector funding.
• Identify opportunities to maximise existing contracts and acquire new business opportunities stemming from stakeholder and partnership engagement initiatives.
• Develop and manage a Business Development  pipelines and forecast future revenue targets.
• Work with managers of existing programmes to develop targeted new products and services to grow the business by building and driving a product optimisation strategy.
• Cultivate a heightened commercial focus within Berkshire LEP, balancing public sector interests and ethos with strategic market opportunities.
• Utilise comprehensive knowledge of funding sources from central and local government, as well as wider networks, to identify and secure continued and new funding.
• Develop and nurture robust relationships with external partners to enhance collaboration and maximise impact.
• Identify new opportunities through a collaborative team approach, fostering teamwork and synergy both internally and externally.
• Utilise strong influencing and interpersonal skills to support strategic change initiatives and drive organisational growth.
• Maintain a high level of energy and motivation, coupled with a pragmatic approach to problem-solving and decision-making

Relationships

The post holder will be expected to build positive and effective working relationships with the following staff and stakeholders:

• Board, sub-groups, Senior Management teams and staff
• Stakeholders and Partners: Cultivating strong relationships with current stakeholders, including local businesses, government agencies, educational institutions, and community organisations, to foster collaboration and leverage resources for mutual benefit
• Industry Associations (IoD, FSB, etc.) and Chambers of Commerce: Engaging with these partners to build industry networks, share best practices, and identify collaborative opportunities
• Investors and Funding Bodies: Building relationships with investors and funding bodies to secure investment and funding for key projects and initiatives
• Key Clients and Customers: Developing and maintaining relationships with key clients and customers to understand their needs, address concerns, and explore new business opportunities
• Local and Central Government Establishing strong rapport with local and national government officials and policymakers to stay informed about funding opportunities, and economic development initiatives.

Person Specification

• A “can-do” person who doesn’t mind getting their hands dirty; we are a small organisation there is no big team to take forward the “doing”.
• An entrepreneur who can drive results driven business transformation.
• Evidence of developing new markets, ideally in a SME not a large corporate environment
• Evidence of successful use of knowledge and insight into commercial drivers to identify and secure new market opportunities.
• Resilient and able to cope with a high degree of uncertainty.
• Able to identify, develop and maintain strong and effective relationships with internal and external partners.  We are looking for someone who can use networks to talk to clients , find out what they need and identify how the company can help them.
• Committed to acting corporately and collaboratively – inside and outside the organisation.
• Excellent influencing and interpersonal skills that can be used to engage with a wide range of audiences. High standards of integrity, honesty, and professionalism.
• Energetic and highly motivated with an inquiring mind but strongly pragmatic.
• Exhibit excellent communication skills, engaging effectively with diverse audiences across various platforms.
• Ideally you will share our passion for growing the Berkshire economy.

For more information and details on applying, download the recruitment pack: https://bit.ly/BerkshireLEP-BusinessDevelopment