Business Development Manager
7 days ago
Loughborough
Location: Loughborough HQ, with regular travel throughout the UK. Category/Function: Sales / Business Development Salary: Starting from £35,000 plus participation in the Company’s bonus scheme If sport is the thing that gets you out of bed in the morning, we want to hear from you. At KitKing, sport isn’t just the industry we work in. It’s what we love. We want people in our team who genuinely care about sport, who understand what it means to be part of a team, a club or a sporting community, and who get excited about the opportunity to help those organisations grow. For more than 30 years, KitKing has been supplying teamwear to clubs, schools, universities and sporting organisations across the UK. What started as a retail store has grown into one of the UK’s leading specialist teamwear providers, working with some of the biggest brands in global sport, including Nike, adidas, Puma, Macron and Joma. We serve our athletes from grassroots to greatness in many sports including football, cricket, rugby, hockey and basketball. Alongside KitKing, we are also growing our family of brands, including KitQueen, our specialist women’s and girls’ brand, created to support one of the fastest growing areas of sport. We may be over 30 years old but we’re only getting started. We’re an ambitious, fast moving business with exciting plans for the future, and we’re looking for a Business Development Manager who shares that ambition. Someone commercially driven, brilliant at building relationships and hungry to find the next opportunity. Most importantly, we want someone who loves sport. Someone who wants to get out there, meet clubs, understand their ambitions, build partnerships and play a genuine part in the next stage of KitKing’s growth. This is an exciting senior commercial role within KitKing and a fantastic opportunity for someone who loves winning new business, building relationships and turning opportunities into long term commercial partnerships. You’ll take responsibility for identifying and developing new business opportunities across the UK, building a strong pipeline of prospective customers and ultimately converting those opportunities into valuable KitKing partnerships. We are looking for someone who is comfortable creating opportunities rather than waiting for them to arrive. You’ll research potential markets, identify organisations where KitKing can add value, find the right decision makers and develop relationships that open doors. One day you might be meeting the leadership team of a major sporting organisation to understand its future teamwear requirements. The next you could be developing a proposal for a national partnership, attending an industry event, presenting to senior stakeholders or working with our brand partners and internal teams to create a compelling commercial proposition. You’ll represent KitKing confidently in the market and develop a strong understanding of the sporting landscape, our competitors and the opportunities available to the business, with a particular focus across sports including football, cricket, basketball and netball. Ultimately, you’ll be responsible for helping create the next generation of major KitKing partnerships and delivering sustainable new revenue into the business. Responsibilities are likely to include: • Identifying and developing significant new business opportunities across UK sport and teamwear., • Building and maintaining a strong, qualified pipeline of prospective customers and partners., • Proactively researching new markets, organisations, sporting bodies, clubs, schools, universities and other potential commercial opportunities., • Identifying key decision makers and developing relationships with senior stakeholders within prospective organisations., • Taking ownership of the complete new business journey, from initial identification and approach through to pitch, negotiation and contract., • Creating strategic business development plans focused on priority sports, sectors and commercial opportunities., • Working with senior stakeholders to understand their organisation, challenges, objectives and long term teamwear requirements., • Negotiating commercial agreements that deliver value for both the customer and KitKing., • Converting prospects into long term commercial partnerships and ensuring a strong transition into the Account Management team., • Developing relationships with relevant industry contacts, governing bodies, sporting organisations and other potential strategic partners., • Representing KitKing at sporting events, exhibitions, conferences, networking opportunities and industry meetings., • Working closely with our major sportswear brand partners to identify and develop joint commercial opportunities., • Collaborating with marketing to develop campaigns, propositions and materials that support business development activity., • Working with Account Management, operations, purchasing, customer service, design and other internal teams to ensure opportunities can be delivered successfully., • Forecasting prospective revenue and providing regular updates on pipeline value, progress and expected conversions., • Monitoring competitor activity, market developments and emerging opportunities within sport and teamwear., • Contributing to wider commercial strategy and identifying new areas in which KitKing can grow. We're looking for someone who gets genuine energy from creating opportunities and winning business. Mandatory skills and experience: • Demonstrable experience in business development, B2B sales, commercial partnerships or a similar revenue-generating role, with sufficient experience to operate confidently at the level required for this position., • Previous experience within sport, teamwear, sporting goods or a related industry., • A demonstrable track record of winning new business and delivering commercial growth., • Experience developing and managing a new business pipeline from initial prospecting through to conversion., • Strong commercial awareness and the ability to identify, assess and prioritise opportunities., • Confidence approaching and building relationships with new prospects., • Excellent relationship building and stakeholder management skills., • Experience presenting and pitching to senior decision makers., • Strong negotiation skills and experience progressing significant commercial opportunities through to agreement., • Experience working towards and achieving stretching revenue or new business targets., • Excellent written and verbal communication skills., • The ability to create compelling proposals, presentations and commercial propositions., • Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple opportunities at different stages of the sales process., • Confidence working independently, taking ownership and making informed commercial decisions., • Strong IT and digital skills, including experience using CRM systems and online business tools., • A proactive, resilient and target driven approach., • Drive and ambition to grow both the company and themselves., • A full UK driving licence is required because the role involves regular travel to customers, prospects, partners and industry events across the UK., • An established network within UK sport, education or the sporting goods industry., • Experience developing partnerships with sporting organisations, clubs, governing bodies, schools or universities., • Experience working alongside major consumer or sportswear brands., • Experience using Brightpearl, Shopify, Trello or Freshdesk. or equivalent CRM, ERP, e-commerce, project management or customer-service systems., • A degree in Business, Marketing, Sports Management or a related discipline., • 28 days / 5.6 weeks annual leave, including bank holidays., • Workplace pension scheme, including employer contributions., • Company funded training and development, with opportunities to build your skills and develop within the business., • Staff clothing discount, giving you access to great prices across our extensive range of sportswear and teamwear., • Annual staff clothing sale, with the opportunity to pick up kit and clothing at heavily discounted prices., • A growing, ambitious working environment, with the opportunity to work closely with the senior team and develop as the business continues to grow. Any offer of employment will be subject to satisfactory right-to-work checks and any other appropriate pre-employment checks. #J-18808-Ljbffr
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