Business Development Manager

We are currently recruiting for a Business Development Manager to join a successful company based in Maidstone, Kent, with a national coverage across the UK. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced sales professional with a background in Cleaning, Facilities Management or Project Management. This is an exciting opportunity for an experienced sales professional with a background in Cleaning, Facilities Management or Project Management, offering a £50,000–£55,000 basic salary, £60,000–£65,000 OTE, plus a £6,000 car allowance.

The successful candidate will be responsible for developing new business, managing client relationships and identifying opportunities with commercial clients across the South East.

This is a field-based role requiring someone who can build strong relationships with senior decision-makers, identify upcoming contract opportunities and successfully manage the sales process from initial contact through to contract mobilisation. The ideal candidate will have a strong understanding of the commercial cleaning and/or facilities management sector and an established network of contacts within the property and facilities management market.

Key Responsibilities

• Identify and generate new business opportunities within the commercial cleaning and facilities management sectors.
• Develop relationships with facilities managers, property managers, estates directors, procurement teams, managing agents and business owners.
• Identify forthcoming cleaning and FM contract opportunities.
• Develop and maintain a strong pipeline of prospective clients.
• Attend client meetings, site visits, networking events and industry functions.
• Manage the complete sales process from initial enquiry through to contract award.
• Prepare and present commercial proposals and tender submissions.
• Work closely with the estimating, operations and mobilisation teams to ensure successful handover of new contracts.
• Develop long-term relationships with clients and identify opportunities to increase service provision.
• Monitor competitor activity and market conditions.
• Maintain accurate CRM records and provide regular pipeline and sales forecasts.
• Achieve agreed sales and gross-profit targets.
• Ensure all opportunities are commercially viable and meet the company's required margin.
• Represent the company professionally and promote its services within the marketplace.

Target Market The successful candidate will target organisations including:

• Commercial property owners and landlords
• Property and managing agents
• Facilities management companies
• Main contractors
• Office and corporate occupiers
• Retail and leisure organisations
• Industrial and logistics businesses
• Healthcare and education organisations
• Property developers
• Public and private sector organisations

The Ideal Candidate

• Proven experience in business development within commercial cleaning, facilities management, soft services or a closely related sector.
• Demonstrable track record of winning new commercial contracts.
• Existing contacts within the facilities management and commercial property sectors.
• Good understanding of cleaning and FM procurement and tender processes.
• Strong commercial awareness, including contract pricing and gross margins.
• Excellent communication, presentation and negotiation skills.
• Confident dealing with senior decision-makers.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously.
• Self-motivated and capable of working independently.
• Strong relationship-building skills.
• Full UK driving licence