Business Development Manager - Care & Education

Location: Hybrid, with frequent travel to schools and occasional travel to the organisation's head office
Salary: £55,000 per annum
Bonus: 10% performance-related bonus

We are seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to lead business development activity across a portfolio of regulated education services.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in children's social care and/or education, ideally with experience of independent specialist education provision. You will bring a strong understanding of the regulatory environment, Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCPs), commissioning processes and the wider sector landscape.

This is a key role focused on identifying new opportunities, developing strategic partnerships with local authorities and commissioners, and ensuring services are aligned with both regulatory requirements and the evolving needs of young people.

• Partner closely with regional operational teams to drive service growth, improve occupancy and align business development activity with operational capacity.
• Provide market intelligence and insight into commissioner requirements, regulatory developments and local demand.
• Support operational teams to maximise placement opportunities and ensure service offerings remain competitive and responsive to market needs.

• Lead and manage a placements function, ensuring referrals are handled effectively and responsively.
• Oversee the end-to-end referral and matching process, ensuring the needs of young people are appropriately assessed and placements align with availability, quality and service requirements.
• Monitor referral activity, conversion rates and pipeline opportunities.
• Provide regular analysis and insight to operational teams and senior leadership.

• Identify, develop and secure new business opportunities within the education and children's services sectors.
• Undertake market and competitor analysis to inform strategic decision-making.
• Identify emerging opportunities and support the organisation's positioning within the market.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with local authority commissioners and other key stakeholders.
• Develop partnerships and identify opportunities for collaboration and service growth.
• Represent the organisation at relevant sector events, forums and strategic meetings.

• Maintain strong knowledge of the regulatory framework applicable to regulated education services.
• Provide guidance and updates to internal stakeholders on relevant regulatory developments.
• Ensure business development activity and placement processes reflect appropriate regulatory and quality standards.

• Develop and deliver regular trading reports and dashboards for senior leadership.
• Provide clear insight into:
  • Referral volumes and conversion rates
  • Occupancy levels
  • Placement and business development pipelines
  • Market trends and competitor activity
  • Commissioner engagement
• Analyse data to identify trends, risks and opportunities and provide actionable recommendations.
• Ensure reporting is accurate, timely and aligned with operational KPIs and growth objectives.

You will ideally have:

• At least 3 years' experience in business development, commissioning or strategic leadership within children's social care or education.
• Experience within independent specialist education or a closely related environment.
• Proven experience of partnering with operational teams to align commercial and growth strategies with service delivery.
• Experience leading or managing a placements/referrals function, particularly involving complex or high-volume referrals.
• A strong track record of developing relationships with local authorities, commissioners and other key stakeholders.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to identify and convert business growth opportunities.
• Excellent communication, influencing and relationship-building skills.
• Strong analytical and strategic thinking skills, with the ability to interpret data, market intelligence and regulatory developments.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Experience working closely with operational leadership teams in children's services, social care, education or related support services.
• An understanding of commissioning frameworks, funding pathways and procurement processes within children's services.
• Experience supporting service design or redesign in response to regulatory changes or changing commissioner requirements.

• £55,000 salary
• 10% performance-related bonus
• Hybrid working
• A senior role with significant influence over business growth and service development
• The opportunity to work closely with operational and executive leadership teams
• A role with a direct impact on improving access to appropriate services for young people

If you have the commercial expertise, sector knowledge and relationship-building skills to drive growth within regulated education and children's services, we would be keen to hear from you.