Business Development Manager (Strategic Partnerships)

Business Development Manager (Strategic Partnerships)

International professional services | UK, USA and UAE Location: London | Hybrid working

Job type: Full-time, with regular international travel

Salary: £60,000 to £65,000 base salary plus performance-linked commission

Build a global partnerships function

Language Services Direct is looking for a proven B2B business development and partnerships professional to win profitable work across the UK, USA and UAE. You have personally originated and closed B2B professional services business through strategic partners, intermediaries or prime contractors, and can demonstrate the revenue generated. You will originate and close partnerships and strategic accounts, with ownership of a new global function and direct access to senior leadership.

The role offers a clear route to Head of Partnerships as the function grows, with performance-linked commission on the revenue you originate. You will decide where to focus your efforts and be accountable for the commercial results.

About the role

Your focus is revenue: finding the right partners, securing access to buyers and converting relationships into profitable contracts. You will own the partnership strategy, targets and results. We expect a clear plan within your first 90 days and a visible pipeline within six months.

You will work with organisations that hold contracts, budgets and buyer relationships: managed service providers (MSPs), intermediaries, main and prime contractors, consultancies, relocation and mobility agencies, universities, and major government and enterprise buyers. You will build the relationship, develop and qualify the opportunity, and work with our bid team through to contract.

You will take communication training, language training, cross-cultural training, leadership communication and AI-enabled one-to-one learning to market. Our network of specialist trainers delivers these services across many languages to government departments and private-sector organisations.

Language Services Direct is one of the UK's leading communication and language services providers, supported by a large network of trainers and associates across many languages and locations. We hold ourselves to high standards of delivery, integrity and accountability.

Key responsibilities

1. Build partnerships that generate revenue

• Build and manage strategic partnerships across the UK, USA and UAE with MSPs, intermediaries, prime and main contractors, consultancies, relocation agencies and learning platforms.
• Secure supplier-list, preferred-supplier, panel and teaming positions, then turn those positions into live revenue.
• Negotiate pricing, margins and partner terms within the parameters agreed with the senior team.
• Develop partnerships that can generate opportunities in more than one market.

1. Win and grow strategic accounts

• Identify, prioritise and pursue high-value government, regulator and enterprise accounts, including large international employers.
• Build account plans, identify decision-makers and budget owners, and secure senior sponsors.
• Expand existing client relationships into wider communication and language requirements.

1. Create opportunities before tender

• Identify upcoming procurements, framework refreshes, budget cycles and new programmes. Establish relationships and position us before a tender is published.
• Develop pilots and packaged offers, including AI-enabled one-to-one learning, to open new accounts.
• Use evidence to identify which partners, markets and offers can generate repeatable growth. Recommend where to invest time and effort, and report what is working and what is not.
• Represent the business at events, forums and industry bodies where buyers and potential partners are active.

1. Qualify opportunities and protect profitability

• Assess every opportunity for strategic fit, margin, delivery capability and risk. Decline work that does not meet the criteria.
• Give the bid team a full brief on each qualified opportunity and remain accountable for the relationship through to contract.
• The bid team writes the proposals. You are responsible for originating opportunities and for the quality and commercial value of the work you bring to them.

1. Own the pipeline and forecast

• Maintain an accurate pipeline, forecast and CRM. Report weekly to the senior team on activity, opportunities and results.

What you need to bring

You have already originated and closed partnerships or strategic accounts selling professional services. You can show how your relationships led to revenue, explain the commercial decisions you made and distinguish your contribution from the work of the wider team. Experience limited to partner coordination or relationship maintenance will not meet the requirements of this role.

Essential

• At least five years of B2B business development, partnerships or enterprise sales experience, selling professional services rather than products.
• A demonstrable record of originating and closing partnerships or enterprise relationships, with figures showing the revenue generated and your personal contribution.
• Experience at a respected organisation, with the discipline and professional standards that come with it.
• Credibility with senior decision-makers and practical experience negotiating price, margins and commercial terms.
• Sound judgement about opportunity quality, including examples of declining work that was a poor commercial fit.
• Experience working across markets and cultures.
• A rigorous approach to pipeline management, CRM and sales forecasting.
• Willingness to travel internationally and work across time zones.
• The right to work in the UK.

Strongly preferred

• Experience in language services, localisation, training and development, HR or mobility services, outsourcing, consulting or edtech.
• Understanding of public sector procurement, including frameworks, tenders, prime contractors and subcontracting.
• Existing relationships or selling experience in the UK, USA, UAE or wider Gulf region.

How you work

• You are motivated by commercial results and comfortable being measured on them.
• You work independently, set a clear plan and follow it through.
• You persist through long sales cycles and know when an opportunity no longer justifies the effort.
• You communicate clearly in writing and in person, from an initial conversation to a boardroom meeting.
• You act with integrity and follow public procurement rules strictly.

What we offer

• £60,000 to £65,000 base salary plus performance-linked commission on the revenue you originate.
• Ownership of a new global partnerships function, with direct access to senior leadership.
• A clear route to Head of Partnerships as the function grows.
• An established range of services to take to market, from face-to-face language training to AI-enabled learning.
• International scope across the UK, USA and UAE, with London hybrid working and regular international travel.

How to apply

Send your CV and a short note answering the four questions below to hr@languageservicesdirect.co.uk. Focus on what you personally originated, negotiated and closed. Anonymised examples and approximate figures are welcome where confidentiality applies.

• What is the largest partnership or strategic account you personally originated and closed? Give the market, partner or client type, revenue generated and timeframe. Explain your contribution and one commercial decision you made on pricing, margin or terms.
• In your last role, how much revenue and pipeline did you originate through partners or channels, and over what period? Report revenue separately from pipeline, explain how you measure each and state your personal contribution.
• Which of the UK, USA and UAE have you sold into? Give a specific example and result for each relevant market.
• Which type of partner would you approach first for Language Services Direct, and why? Briefly explain the buyer access it could provide, how you would turn the relationship into paid work and what would make you decline the opportunity.

Pay: £60,000.00-£65,000.00 per year

Application question(s):

• What is the largest partnership or strategic account you personally originated and closed? Give the market, partner or client type, revenue generated and timeframe. Explain your contribution and one commercial decision you made on pricing, margin or terms.
• In your last role, how much revenue and pipeline did you originate through partners or channels, and over what period? Report revenue separately from pipeline, explain how you measure each and state your personal contribution.
• Which of the UK, USA and UAE have you sold into? Give a specific example and result for each relevant market.
• Which type of partner would you approach first for Language Services Direct, and why? Briefly explain the buyer access it could provide, how you would turn the relationship into paid work and what would make you decline the opportunity.

Work authorisation:

• United Kingdom (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in London SE1 8QW