Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager - Education Services

Leeds - Hybrid

Salary - circa £55,000 Per Annum

Monday to Friday

About the Opportunity

An established and growing specialist education provider is seeking an experienced, commercially focused Business Development Manager to support the continued growth of its specialist, Ofsted-regulated education services.

This is a strategic role focused on referrals, placements, occupancy, commissioner relationships and sustainable growth across specialist education and SEND provision.

The successful candidate will have strong experience within specialist education, SEND, commissioning, referral management or children's services, with a proven understanding of Local Authority processes, EHCPs, placement commissioning and education funding pathways.

Working closely with senior operational and education leaders, you will play a key role in increasing referrals, securing appropriate placements, developing commissioner relationships and identifying new opportunities for growth.

Key Responsibilities:

Business Development & Growth

• Lead business development activity across specialist education services.
• Identify new market opportunities, commissioning priorities and regional demand.
• Develop growth plans aligned to capacity, service delivery and organisational objectives.
• Build awareness and engagement with key referral and commissioning stakeholders.

Referrals, Placements & Occupancy

• Oversee the end-to-end referral and placement process.
• Manage and develop referral pipelines to maximise occupancy.
• Build relationships with SEN Teams, SEND Case Officers, Commissioners and Placement Teams.
• Monitor referral volumes, conversion rates, occupancy, waiting lists and placement trends.
• Work closely with operational teams to ensure placements are appropriate and sustainable.

Local Authority & Commissioner Relationships

• Develop strong relationships with Local Authorities, SEND Commissioners and education stakeholders.
• Lead commissioning discussions, placement negotiations and partnership development.
• Represent the organisation at relevant sector events, forums and networking opportunities.
• Support commissioning frameworks, approved provider lists, tenders and procurement opportunities.

Market Development

• Identify new business opportunities across specialist education, SEND and children's services.
• Monitor market trends, competitor activity and regional demand.
• Develop targeted engagement strategies with commissioners and referral partners.
• Support new service development, mobilisation and expansion.

Performance & Reporting

Provide regular reporting to senior leadership on:

• Referral volumes and conversion
• Occupancy and capacity
• Placement pipelines
• Commissioner engagement
• Growth opportunities
• Market and competitor intelligence
• Risks and recommendations

About You:

We are looking for someone who combines commercial awareness with genuine sector knowledge and strong stakeholder relationships.

You will ideally have:

• Experience in Business Development, Commissioning, Placement Management or Strategic Growth within specialist education, SEND or children's services.
• Experience within independent education, specialist education, alternative provision or SEND.
• Strong knowledge of EHCPs, SEND legislation, education funding and placement commissioning.
• Experience managing referrals, placements, occupancy and high-volume pipelines.
• Established relationships across Local Authorities, SEND teams, commissioners and education stakeholders.
• Experience with commissioning frameworks, procurement or contract development.
• A proven track record of driving referrals, occupancy, revenue or service growth.
• Strong commercial, negotiation and influencing skills.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication abilities.
• Strong analytical skills and the ability to turn market data into commercial opportunities.
• The ability to work strategically while remaining hands-on with business development activity.

The Opportunity

This is an opportunity to join an organisation with an established specialist education offering and play a key role in its next phase of growth.

The successful individual will have the opportunity to influence commercial strategy, develop senior commissioner relationships and directly contribute to increasing referrals, placements and occupancy.

For further information, please contact us directly for a confidential discussion.

Search is an equal opportunities recruiter and we welcome applications from all suitably skilled or qualified applicants, regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/beliefs, sexual orientation or age.