Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager – Education Catering Leeds, England, United Kingdom We’re looking for an energetic and commercially minded Business Development Manager to help grow our education catering portfolio across the UK. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with passionate teams in operations, bids, and marketing, supporting schools and education settings with high-quality, values‑led food solutions. As Business Development Manager, you’ll lead the full sales process — from identifying opportunities and managing tenders to securing new contracts and building long‑term partnerships with education clients.

What you’ll be doing Represent our values, educational approach, and commitment to quality, nutrition, and social impact Build and manage a strong pipeline of opportunities, including schools, MATs, and local authorities Lead the end‑to‑end tender and sales process, working closely with operations and bid teams on compliant, compelling submissions Oversee the creation of sales materials including PQQs, tenders, presentations, and promotional content Coordinate and attend school site visits, presentations, and stakeholder meetings Build trusted relationships with consultants, headteachers, business managers, and procurement leads Support and host education‑focused events for clients, prospects, and consultants What we’re looking for Proven experience in education catering sales or contract catering sales within schools, MATs, or higher education Alternatively, strong education catering operations experience with exposure to tenders and bid processes Understanding of public sector procurement and education tendering frameworks Existing relationships with education consultants or procurement professionals (advantageous) A genuine passion for children’s food, nutrition, and positive social impact Confident communicator, able to engage effectively with school leaders, governors, and operational teams Resilient, organised, and comfortable working in a target‑driven environment Excellent written skills with strong attention to detail Proficient in Microsoft Office (experience with databases or Adobe Suite is a plus) About you Self‑motivated, proactive, and collaborative Commercially aware with a structured, compliant approach to winning education contracts Comfortable managing multiple tenders and deadlines Seniority level Mid‑Senior level Employment type Full‑time Job function Sales, Project Management, and Product Management Industries Hospitality #J-18808-Ljbffr