Location: West Midlands
Salary: £45,000 £53,826 per annum (Pro Rata, if applicable)
Contract: Full Time | Interim
Are you an experienced Business Development Manager with a proven track record of driving apprenticeship growth, employer engagement and commercial training opportunities within the Further Education and Skills sector?
We are recruiting on behalf of a leading Further Education provider seeking an ambitious and commercially focused Business Development Manager to drive Apprenticeship, Adult Education Budget (AEB) and Commercial Training growth through employer engagement, strategic partnerships and business development activity.
This is an exciting leadership opportunity for someone who is passionate about developing long-term employer relationships, identifying new market opportunities and leading high-performing teams to deliver sustainable income growth and outstanding employer experiences.
The Role
Reporting to the Head of Apprenticeships & Business Growth, you will lead Business Development and Recruitment teams, developing new employer partnerships whilst maximising existing relationships to increase apprenticeship starts, AEB delivery and commercial training opportunities.
Working collaboratively with curriculum, marketing and delivery teams, you will ensure employers receive an outstanding service from initial engagement through to programme delivery, helping shape a responsive curriculum aligned to local labour market needs.
Key Responsibilities
• Drive growth across Apprenticeships, Adult Education Budget (AEB) and Commercial Training through targeted employer engagement and strategic partnership development.
• Develop and implement a business development strategy aligned to apprenticeship growth and income targets.
• Build and manage a robust employer pipeline, monitoring leads, conversions and business performance.
• Identify employer workforce development needs and match these with apprenticeship and training solutions.
• Lead and develop Business Development and Recruitment teams, driving performance against ambitious KPIs.
• Monitor apprenticeship starts, employer satisfaction, income generation and conversion rates.
• Produce accurate management reports, forecasts and pipeline analysis for senior leadership.
• Work closely with curriculum and marketing teams to develop new training opportunities and employer engagement initiatives.
• Represent the organisation at employer forums, networking events and stakeholder meetings.
• Utilise Labour Market Intelligence (LMI) to identify emerging sectors and new business opportunities.
The Ideal Candidate
We are looking for someone with:
• Proven experience in Business Development, Employer Engagement or Apprenticeship Sales within the Further Education, Skills or Training sector.
• Strong leadership and people management experience, with the ability to motivate and develop high-performing teams.
• Sound understanding of Apprenticeship funding, Adult Education Budget (AEB), compliance and workforce development.
• Experience driving income growth, developing strategic employer partnerships and delivering against performance targets.
• Excellent commercial awareness, stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Strong presentation, negotiation and communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Ability to analyse performance data and labour market intelligence to support strategic growth.
Why Apply?
• Senior leadership opportunity within a well-established Further Education provider.
• Play a key role in shaping apprenticeship, AEB and commercial training growth.
• Lead an experienced Business Development and Recruitment Team.
• Opportunity to influence employer engagement strategy and workforce development across the region.
• Competitive salary of £53,826 per annum (Pro Rata, if applicable) with excellent professional development opportunities.
If you are an ambitious Business Development Manager with experience in Apprenticeships, Employer Engagement, AEB and Commercial Training, we would love to hear from you.
Apply today for a confidential discussion
Salary description
£45000.00 - £53826.00 per year