Business Development Manager (12 month initial contract)

Job description

The Business Development Manager will be responsible for generating revenue by selling sponsorship across The Spectator and Apollo brands.

The correct candidate must have outstanding sales and negotiation skills and a creative flair. They must be capable of identifying new business opportunities and working with the wider sales team to respond to partnership briefs.

Working with clients directly, a key responsibility will be to ensure that The Spectator and Apollo’s events and supplements are sponsored, by securing new business and maintaining relationships with existing clients.

The Spectator and Apollo’s commercial strategy is built on partnerships, so this is a key role within the team.

Key Responsibilities:

Identify opportunities for securing new business across The Spectator and Apollo, with a particular focus on event and print/digital sponsorships
Grow The Spectator and Apollo’s client base, promoting the benefits of working with both brands
Work closely with the Group Commercial Director to secure sponsorship for all of The Spectator and Apollo’s events and supplements
Work to specific targets
Sell print and digital advertising partnerships; provide suitable cross-platform media solutions based on the needs of our clients
Liaise with the events team to ensure that all event sponsorships run smoothly, from initial agreement to execution
Liaise with the editorial and production teams to ensure that all supplement sponsorships run smoothly, from initial agreement to publication
Identify and develop new clients in allocated business areas
Manage existing clients to the highest standard, to ensure that The Spectator and Apollo secure repeat business from existing sponsors
Produce, prepare, interpret and present creative business pitches and recommendations for clients
Adapt strategies and plans to address issues and exploit opportunities
Attend all Spectator and Apollo events
Pro-actively create new leads, in new markets, seeing this through from initial contact to booking
Prepare presentationsfor both internal and external stakeholders

Skills/Requirements:

A minimum of 4 years’ experience in sales, ideally gained within a similar blue chip organisation
An outstanding flair for sales and negotiation
Excellent client contacts at all levels
Corporate contacts useful but not essential
Previous experience of selling multi-platform solutions and event sponsorships
Excellent business acumen and creative thinking skills – able to problem-solve, develop new ideas and interpret appropriate client briefs
Proven track record of delivering revenue growth
Proven track record of securing sponsorship at the highest level
Self-motivated and organised; comfortable dealing with a varied workload and delivering projects as part of a cross-functional team
A high attention to detail; understands the importance of delivering outstanding work within agreed deadlines and against targets
Outstanding presentational skills, used to presenting to and communicating with premier clients at a senior level
Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
Highly numerate
A thorough understanding of our brand and our readers
Available to attend regular events outside of normal working hours