Business Development & Partnerships Manager

Business Development & Partnerships Manager

Location: Remote   Hours: Full-time, aligned to UK business hours (accounting for UK daylight-saving changes) Reports to: Founder Target start: October 2026 Compensation & contract: To be agreed based on experience and hiring location

About the Company

We are an established UK-based children's activities business with more than 10 years' experience delivering holiday camps, after-school clubs, wraparound childcare and birthday parties. We create positive, inclusive environments where children can be active, build confidence and enjoy themselves.

Relationships sit at the centre of how we operate — with the families who book with us, the schools and venues we partner with, and the team delivering our services every day. We're proud of a culture where staff feel valued, trusted and supported, with clear expectations and real ownership of their work.

We're now growing, and we're looking for a commercially driven partner to help lead that growth.

About the Role

This is our dedicated commercial hire — the person who owns both sides of our growth engine: winning new school and venue partnerships, and keeping the ones we have healthy and expanding.

Today, business development and relationship management sit largely with the founder. As we scale, we need someone who can carry that commercial responsibility end to end: generating opportunities, leading the sales conversation, negotiating sensible terms, and then staying close to the partnership so it grows rather than going quiet after the agreement is signed.

You'll work directly with the founder and the UK operational team, with real influence over commercial priorities and how we build partnerships. This is a hands-on, full-cycle sales and account role — not a research or appointment-setting seat. You bring a proven ability to sell and to keep relationships strong; we'll give you the introduction to our services, standards and ways of working.

Key Responsibilities

New Business & Sales

• Identify and approach schools, venues and organisations that are a strong fit for our services.

• Build a consistent pipeline through targeted research, outbound calls, personalised email, networking, referrals and disciplined follow-up.

• Lead discovery calls and online meetings to understand each prospect's needs, decision process, budget and timeline.

• Prepare tailored proposals, present our services, and drive opportunities through negotiation to a signed agreement.

• Qualify and progress inbound enquiries, and spot opportunities to grow bookings and revenue.

• Negotiate within agreed pricing and approval limits, protecting quality and profitability rather than chasing volume.

Partnership Management & Account Growth

• Act as the consistent commercial point of contact for existing school, venue and organisational partners.

• Run a regular cadence of check-ins and reviews so partners feel supported and relationships stay active.

• Review each partnership's objectives, feedback, participation and commercial performance with the relevant colleagues.

• Identify genuine opportunities to add services, increase participation or extend provision.

• Maintain account plans covering key contacts, actions, renewal dates, risks and growth opportunities.

• Open renewal conversations early and work proactively to retain valued partnerships.

Commercial Planning & Reporting

• Partner with the founder to set priorities, target accounts and realistic growth goals.

• Keep the CRM accurate — opportunities, conversations, proposals, next steps and expected decision dates.

• Report clearly on pipeline, likely revenue, account growth, renewals and any risks needing attention.

• Factor school calendars, planning cycles and operational capacity into forecasts and launch dates.

Working with the UK Team

• Confirm operational feasibility and staffing capacity before committing to a partner.

• Provide clean handovers on new business — expectations, commercial terms, responsibilities and launch details.

• Stay involved in the relationship post-launch while the operational team manages day-to-day delivery.

• Represent us professionally and handle all business, partner and customer information confidentially.

Required Qualifications

• Proven track record in B2B business development or a comparable commercially focused sales role.

• Personal ownership of the full sales cycle: prospecting, presenting, negotiating and closing.

• Demonstrated experience retaining and growing existing accounts — renewals, repeat business or increased account revenue.

• Excellent spoken and written English, with the confidence to communicate professionally with senior decision-makers.

• Sound commercial judgement across pricing, profitability and realistic commitments.

• Strong organisation and follow-through, with accurate records and clear next steps for every opportunity.

• Ability to work independently in a remote role while staying communicative, accountable and responsive during UK hours.

• A reliable internet connection and a quiet, confidential working environment.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in education, childcare, children's activities, leisure or another service-based business.

• Experience selling to or working with UK clients and organisations.

• Familiarity with the education sector's buying and planning cycles.

No specific degree is required. Results, judgement, communication and relationship-building matter most.

Ideal Candidate Profile

You are

• A genuine full-cycle seller who is equally comfortable opening cold and closing warm.

• Relationship-minded — you see a signed agreement as the start of the work, not the finish line.

• Commercially disciplined, protective of margin, and honest about what can realistically be delivered.

• Highly organised, with the follow-through to keep a pipeline and a set of accounts moving at once.

• Self-directed in a remote setting, and reliably present during UK working hours.

• Proactive by instinct — you surface opportunities and improvements rather than waiting to be told.

Safeguarding & Professional Standards

We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children. While this is a commercial rather than a childcare-delivery role, you'll be expected to understand and follow our safeguarding, confidentiality and information-security policies. Appointment is subject to satisfactory references and checks appropriate to the role and hiring location.

Why Join Us

• Own the commercial growth of an established, well-regarded children's activities business.

• Work directly with the founder, with real influence over strategy and how we build partnerships.

• A remote role with clear responsibilities, agreed hours and steady communication with the UK team.

• The opportunity to grow your remit as the business grows and you deliver results.