Senior Business Development Manager

Buyagift and Red Letter Days are the UK’s leading gift experience provider. We’re all about turning special moments into extra-special memories. With a gifting range of 4000+ experiences from spa days and skydives to gourmet treats and once-in-a-lifetime adventures, we make it easy to give the gift of wow. 🎁   As part of the Moonpig Group, we’re proud to share that our vision is to become the most trusted platform in the UK gift experience market. Our mission is to spread happiness through thoughtful, joy-filled experiences. People are at the heart of everything we do. Since joining the Moonpig Group in 2022, we’ve been powered by strong values, bold ideas and a shared passion for making a real difference. Here, you’ll have the chance to shape the kind of experiences people never forget – and help us build connections that truly matter. Key Responsibilities: Partner Acquisition • Manage a prioritised prospect list from first outreach to signed agreement, keeping CRM stages, forecasts and dated next steps realistic. • Research and approach high-potential experience partners through tailored calls, email, LinkedIn, referrals, events and meetings. • Maintain clear plans for strategic prospects, engage the right decision-makers and follow through consistently. Commercial Pitching and Negotiation • Understand each prospect's business model, goals, capacity and customer fit, then turn those insights into compelling proposals for Buyagift and Red Letter Days. • Pitch to owners, founders, operators and senior decision-makers, navigating complex deals, competing priorities and objections. • Balance customer value, margin and partner ambitions when negotiating sound terms, obtaining required commercial and legal approvals before commitments. Category Growth • Work with Category Managers to agree acquisition priorities based on supply gaps, customer demand and partner value. • Win partners that improve quality, choice, regional coverage and category performance. • Use market insight and prospect feedback to refine how we acquire partners. • Use Excel and commercial reports to assess supply gaps, prioritise prospects and evaluate the potential value of partnerships. Onboarding and Collaboration • Work with Category, Commercial, Legal and Onboarding to agree requirements, owners and deadlines; give concise updates and flag setbacks promptly. • Secure executed agreements and provide receiving teams with clear terms, contacts, expectations, product information and launch risks. • Support successful partner launches and escalate blockers with their impact, actions tried and a specific recommendation or support request. Market Insight and Relationships • Develop trusted relationships across experiences, hospitality, leisure, travel, wellness and entertainment, representing our brands at relevant events. • Monitor competitors, customer trends and partner feedback to identify prospects and improve how we acquire partners. People Leadership Where Applicable • Where line management forms part of the role, set clear priorities and individual targets for two Senior Business Development Managers, taking accountability for their delivery and combined team results alongside your own strategic deals. • Review team pipelines and forecasts, support complex negotiations and resolve delivery risks, while giving each manager clear ownership and autonomy. • Hold regular one-to-ones and performance reviews, provide practical coaching and feedback, and agree individual development plans to support each manager’s growth. About You: • You are a commercially driven, proactive relationship builder who enjoys opening doors and turning prospects into long-term partners. • You are confident pitching, negotiating and influencing senior stakeholders while staying focused on quality, customer value and commercial impact. • You are highly organised, resilient and comfortable managing multiple opportunities at once. • You can work autonomously, use insight to prioritise the right prospects, and collaborate closely with internal teams to turn signed agreements into successful partner launches. Essential Skills and Experience: • Strong experience owning new business, including prospecting, pitching, negotiating and closing new business relationships. • Experience in B2B sales, business development, partnerships or commercial acquisition, including complex deals. • Commercial judgement: using data and customer insight to assess partner fit, prioritise prospects, evaluate terms and consider long-term customer relevance. • Consultative selling skills, including building business cases, influencing senior stakeholders and negotiating sound agreements. • Pipeline discipline, with honest qualification, realistic forecasts and consistent deal progression. • Clear communication, reliable follow-through and good judgement about when to seek support. • Strong stakeholder management, influencing and relationship-building skills. • Self-motivation, target focus and strong organisational skills, with experience managing a multi-stage pipeline. • Confidence using CRM systems and Excel to analyse commercial data, manage a pipeline and make evidence-based recommendations. Desirable Skills and Experience: • Experience line-managing a sales, business development or partnerships team, or readiness to step up demonstrated through coaching, mentoring or leading others towards shared results. Previous formal line management is not required; this experience is relevant where people leadership forms part of the role. • Experience in a marketplace, e-commerce, travel, hospitality, leisure, gifting or experience-led business. • Experience with partner onboarding, catalogue launch, product setup or supplier activation. • Understanding of category management, product curation, customer proposition or supply acquisition. Interview Process:: Stage 1: TA Screen – 30 minutes Stage 2: Hiring Manager Screen – 45–60 minutes Stage 3: Final Interview – 60 minutes with the Hiring Manager / Senior Stakeholder. Task details TBC. Our process may vary depending on role and availability. We keep candidates informed of any changes. What’s in it for you? We believe in empowering our team to do their best work. Enjoy:  💸 Competitive Pay & Bonuses: Plus generous pension plans, staff discounts, and share schemes.  💆🏾‍♀️ Wellbeing First: Private healthcare (UK), dental, life insurance and mental health support  🏖️ Flexible Working & Time Off: Generous holidays, hybrid working (unless specified otherwise, 2 days a week in the office), and opportunities for international working.  📈 Career Growth: Learning allowances, coaching, and development programs. 🤝 Recognition & Giving Back: Regular awards, charity support, length of service awards, and volunteering days.   Want to see more? Check out our Linked In pages below: Buyagift Red Letter Days Moonpig Group   Our Ways of Working: We trust our colleagues to do what’s right and offer flexibility to support a balance between work and life. At the same time, face-to-face office time is an important and expected part of working at Moonpig Group. We believe regular in-person working supports collaboration, alignment, and effective decision-making. Candidates will have regular and ongoing time working from the office as part of their role, which will be discussed during the recruitment process.   Moonpig Group's Commitment to Equality, Diversity, and Inclusivity: At Moonpig Group, we’re all about creating a workplace where everyone feels they truly belong. We celebrate what makes each of us unique, whether that’s our background, how we work best, or what matters most to us.   From working parents who need flexible hours to neurodiverse colleagues with specific working styles, we’re here to support our people in ways that work for them. Because when you feel valued and included, you can thrive, and so can we.   We’re proud to have a number of employee-led groups driving this forward, including our LGBTQ+, Gender Balance, Neurodiversity and EMBRACE (Educating Myself for Better Racial Awareness and Cultural Enrichment) communities, plus our Group-wide EDI committee. These teams help make sure every voice is heard and every idea has a place.   We know that diversity fuels creativity, innovation and connection, and that’s why we’ll keep pushing for progress. Together, we’re building a culture where everyone feels safe, supported, and free to be their brilliant, authentic selves.   If you have a preferred name, please use it to apply and share your pronouns if you are comfortable to do so😊 - If you have any reasonable adjustment requests throughout the interview process please let us know on your application or speak to the Recruiter.