Business Development Manager (Part-Time) – Design/Branding Agency (Leicester)
A well-established, employee-owned design agency is looking for a part-time Business Development Manager to help drive new business growth. This is a hands-on role for someone who enjoys consultative selling, building relationships, and turning commercial challenges into strong creative solutions.
Location: Leicester (with 1–2 days per week in the studio)
Hours: Part-time, approx. 15–20 hours per week (flexible)
Salary: Competitive (dependent on experience)
The Opportunity You’ll be responsible for generating and converting new business opportunities, building relationships with senior stakeholders, and shaping proposals/pitches that showcase the agency’s capabilities. You’ll work closely with the wider team to understand what’s possible, position the right solutions, and help the agency grow with the right kind of clients.
This role suits someone who can confidently sell services (not products), is comfortable opening doors, and can speak credibly about branding/design — whether that’s from direct agency experience or a genuine understanding of how creative work drives business outcomes.
Key Responsibilities
- Identify and pursue new business opportunities across target sectors
- Proactively generate leads through outreach, referrals, networking and industry events
- Build and maintain relationships with decision-makers, marketing teams and brand stakeholders
- Develop tailored pitches and proposals that are clear, commercially focused and outcome-led
- Collaborate with the creative team to translate client needs into compelling solutions
- Manage and maintain a healthy sales pipeline using CRM tools, tracking activity and progress
- Stay up to date on branding, design and creative services trends, including competitor positioning
- Support the wider team with insights on prospects, opportunities and market activity
What We’re Looking For (Must Have)
- Proven B2B sales/new business experience (consultative selling)
- Confidence in generating pipeline (outbound activity, networking, relationship-driven new business)
- Strong communication and presentation skills – able to engage senior stakeholders with credibility
- Commercial mindset and the ability to articulate value, outcomes and ROI
- Highly organised, self-motivated and comfortable working independently
- Experience managing a pipeline using a CRM (and reporting on activity/results)
- Able to commute to Leicester for studio time (typically 1–2 days per week)
Nice to Have
- Experience selling creative/marketing/design/branding services (agency-side preferred)
- Existing network within marketing, brand, or communications decision-makers
- Experience writing proposals, responding to briefs, and shaping pitch narratives
- Familiarity with job-costing platforms or studio workflow tools
What’s On Offer
- Flexible part-time hours to suit the right person
- A warm, down-to-earth culture with high standards and a commercially focused approach
- Autonomy to shape the new business function and make a visible impact
- Opportunity to grow with the business over time
How to Apply Send your CV and a short note covering:
- The types of services you’ve sold and typical deal sizes
- How you generate pipeline (outbound, networking, referrals, etc.)
- A brief example of a pitch/proposal you’ve led (what you sold and how you positioned it)