Head of Business Development

We are currently looking for a Head of Business Development to join our collaborative and welcoming Clear Voice team on a permanent basis.​

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The Role

Reporting to the Sales and Marketing Director, the Head of Business Development will be responsible for managing and leading the business development activities to drive new business. This senior role will involve overseeing and guiding two Business Development Managers, a sales team, and a client relationship team. The role will also encompass providing strategic leadership, fostering a high-performance culture, and driving the professional development of the business development and sales teams.

The Head of Business Development will be responsible for overseeing and managing the business development, sales, and client relationship Teams pipelines to meet our business objectives and personal KPI targets. The role will be responsible for providing monthly, half-yearly and annual forecasts to the Sales & Marketing Director and for providing month end reports and contributing to quarterly board reports.

This role will be responsible for developing and executing strategic initiatives to identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities. The Head of Business Development will play a pivotal role in driving revenue growth and expanding market share for Clear Voice and will have a direct impact on Clear Voice’s success and growth trajectory.

As the Head of Business Development your duties would include:

• Responsible for the delivery of budgeted revenue and EBITDA target KPIs. 
• Increase sales conversion rates year-on-year.
• Oversee a team of Business Development Managers, a sales team, and a client relationship team.
• Team leadership: provide leadership and guidance to the business development, sales, and client relationship teams, fostering a high-performance culture that encourages collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement. Undertake performance management including annual appraisals. 
• Drive the professional development of the business development and sales teams through coaching, mentoring, and training initiatives.
• Strategic planning: In collaboration with the Sales & Marketing Director, develop and implement strategic business development plans for attracting and building new and long-term client relationships aligned with the company’s objectives and growth targets.
• Support the Sales & Marketing Director in developing a business development plan to achieve monthly, quarterly, and yearly sales targets and KPIs.
• Sales strategy: Collaborate with the sales team to develop effective sales strategies and tactics to achieve revenue targets and penetrate new markets.
• New business development: Lead and manage business development and sales activities to drive new business across all our existing and target markets. Identify new business opportunities and partnerships. 
• Own all aspects of sales activities including client research, mapping of clients, pitching and creating strategic relationships. 
• Map organisations to engage with key stakeholders, decision-makers, and influencers at different levels.
• Develop and maintain pipelines for business expansion while delivering revenue growth.
• Research organisations and key decision makers to identify new leads and potential new markets. 
• Identify and maximise opportunities in companies with high annual revenue potential.
• Identify and prioritise prospective clients and leads; develop new client relationships through market research, networking events, trade shows and prospecting activities.
• Proposal development: oversee the development of compelling proposals, presentations, and pitches within the team to win new business opportunities, effectively communicating the value proposition of Clear Voice’s solutions and services.
• Be innovative in the approach to meet our clients’ needs and objectives, whilst promoting our USPs.
• Pitch to senior stakeholders and corporate executives to negotiate global company contracts. 
• Represent Clear Voice at industry events, conferences, trade shows, serving as a brand ambassador and networking to expand our presence and influence.
• Analyse market trends, competitor activities, and customer feedback to identify new business opportunities and inform strategic decision-making.
• Stay abreast of industry developments, best practices, and emerging trends, continuously seeking opportunities to innovate and differentiate Clear Voice in the marketplace.
• Collaborate with Marketing on lead generation activities.
• Cross-functional collaboration: lead collaboration with internal teams including sales, marketing, product, and operations to drive and develop solutions, new services/products that align with client needs and expectations and support business growth initiatives.
• Monitor customer satisfaction levels to ensure service delivery KPI’s are met. 
• Accurately forecast and plan future sales.
• Oversee the business development, sales, and client relationship team to ensure all opportunities, client interactions, proposals, and meetings are recorded on CRM.
• Manage pricing and contractual issues by developing a thorough understanding of company procedures.
• Performance monitoring: Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and metrics to track the success of business development initiatives and drive continuous improvement.
• Utilise analytics tools to track, measure, and report on the performance of the sales team’s efforts.
• Prepare and present monthly and quarterly reports on business development activities and forecasting to the Sales & Marketing Director. Input to the quarterly Board Report.
• Any other duties as deemed reasonable by the Sales & Marketing Director.

​The experience and skills you need:

• A minimum of 8 years’ experience in a senior business development role within the language services industry.
• Fluency in English.
• Proven track record in selling language services to senior decision makers at all levels including Board level.
• Demonstrable long-term sales experience in acquiring NEW business in the B2B market.
• Proven track record of achieving high-value sales targets.
• Demonstrated ability to develop and execute strategic business plans, drive revenue growth, and achieve business objectives.
• Proven solution selling experience.
• Demonstrable experience with UK and international business development and market expansion.
• Understanding of language technology, tools, systems, and processes.
• Comprehensive knowledge of and experience working with CRM System.
• Extensive knowledge of the language service industry and market trends.
• Extensive experience writing and owning high value bids and proposals.
• Experience in managing sales teams and client relationships. 
• Experience leading and managing a high-performing team, with a focus on fostering a collaborative and results-driven culture.
• Experienced in contract management.
• Demonstrated ability to identify, cultivate, and close new business opportunities, consistently exceeding sales targets, and quotas.
• Ability to drive and deliver sales within diverse market sectors.
• Hunter mentality essential for this role.
• Strong leadership and management skills and extensive experience developing high performing teams. 
• Highly motivated and results oriented.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Strategic thinker with a track record of driving business growth. 
• Excellent communication (written and verbal) skills.
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills.
• Excellent presentation & negotiation skills at a senior level.
• Superb client management skills.
• Solid proficiency in Microsoft Office suite and CRM software.
• Effective prioritising and organisational skills with meticulous attention to detail with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines simultaneously.
• Strong business acumen.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret market data and trends to inform business decisions.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with a proactive approach to identifying and pursuing new business opportunities.
• Ability to work collaboratively with internal teams.

What else to expect:

• You will work 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday.
• This is a home-based role, but a willingness to travel is necessary. The role will require visiting clients and partners across the UK and overseas.

About Clear Voice:

Clear Voice is a growing language service provider and an award-winning social enterprise that delivers telephone interpreting, video interpreting, face-to-face appointments, translation, and transcription services. Clear Voice’s ethical, adaptable, and personal values set us apart in the industry and attract a wide range of clients. These include businesses, local authorities, government, legal, healthcare, and education. We have an especially strong reputation in the charity sector, particularly with asylum and refugee charities. 100% of Clear Voice’s profits are donated to our parent charity Migrant Help. This donation supports their work aiding refugees, asylum seekers, survivors of modern slavery, and the victims of human trafficking.

Migrant Help is a leading charity that has been established for more than 50 years and delivers a range of support and advice services to migrants across the UK. Their vision is for a global society that protects migrants, treats them with respect and enables them to reach their full potential.

These are some of the benefits we offer:

• Competitive salary
• Flexibility and work life balance
• Enhanced family friendly provisions
• Additional holiday entitlements
• Perkbox benefits
• Non-contributory pension scheme