Business Development Director jobs
Successful businesses don’t run themselves, and clients can never be taken for granted. It is for these reasons that business development is an ongoing speciality in successful companies. While sales teams tend to seek out new leads, and account managers deal with existing clients, a business development team, usually run by a business development director, straddles the two jobs.
The main task of the role is to maximise profitability by keeping abreast of new openings both in terms of finding potential clients and getting more out of existing clients, a task that clearly requires diplomacy and subtlety!
Reporting to senior management, the business development director will be in charge of making sure budgets are kept to and targets met. In larger firms, the position might oversee business development managers who in turn are in charge of specialist marketing, sales and development staff.
The skills required
Successful business development directors will have great interpersonal skills, in particular a highly professional approach to sales. They will need to be able to quickly understand potentially complex business strategies and targets as set by senior management and communicate them to the team under their control.
As companies vary in size, the specific skills required of the business development director will also vary, so whereas he or she might be talking to particular clients daily for one firm, the role might be more of a co-ordination one in another, so skill sets required will be quite diverse for the career business development director.
Business Development Director Jobs in the South West
A region that encompasses Bristol, Gloucester, Devon, Cornwall, Somerset, Dorset and Wiltshire, as well as the Isles of Scilly, the South West is a diverse area that offers a broad range of opportunities for those seeking Business Development Director positions.
As demonstrated by the ancient monuments like Stonehenge and the Roman ruins in Bath, the South West has been settled for thousands of years. In fact, the oldest complete human skeleton ever found in the UK was discovered in Cheddar Gorge and dates back to around 7150 BC.
Prior to the Industrial Revolution, much of the South West relied on fishing and shipping, particularly in Bristol, a city which harboured vessels that traded with Ireland, Iceland and the Americas. Later, it became known for coal mining, as well as heavy industry.
Today, aeronautics is an important part of the South West economy, and a number of companies have facilities in the region - such as Airbus UK, BAE Systems and Rolls-Royce. There's also Defence Equipment and Support - the MoD's procurement and logistics agency.
Cheese, clotted cream and other dairy products are made in the region, with companies including Dairy Crest, which makes Cathedral City and Davidstow. Other food and beverage manufacturers include Ginsters, Ryvita, Kraft Foods UK and Beverage Brands, makers of WKD vodka. Meanwhile GSK manufactures Lucozade and Ribena in Coleford.
In addition, Princess Yachts, Siemens Traffic Controls, Merlin Entertainments, Endsleigh Insurance, Westland Helicopters and Wincanton plc are all based in the region.
Popular locations
Cast UK’s logistics opportunities
Cast UK’s recruitment consultants work with many employers around the UK to ensure positions are filled by the best people, and many of them approach us to create a shortlist rather than advertising jobs nationally or locally. We have specialists for every UK region and all the major cities, so wherever you are, we could have a position for you.
Whether you're moving house, looking to change employer or are simply seeking a change in career, get in touch with Cast UK. Our own staff are all source from within procurement, logistics and supply chain, and these are the backgrounds of our founder members, so we fully understand the needs of the industry.
To find out more about how Cast UK can help you recruit a Business Development Director for your business or find you a job as a Business Development Director then contact one of our consultant team on 0333 121 3345.
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