Strategic Sales & Business Development Manager in London

The Strategic Sales Team is a high performing, customer facing, field based sales team prospecting to companies with turnovers between £30M and upwards. Our mission is to deliver sustainable profitable growth for the Corporate UK Card Services organization. This exciting role provides a great opportunity for an experienced Strategic Sales & Business Development Manager to thrive and shine through overperformance in an inclusive, supportive and collaborative team (all with a dash of healthy competition)!

Responsibilities:

• Develop and execute a strategic plan to identify, engage, and acquire new corporate customers with annual turnovers of £30M and above.
• Drive sustainable profitable growth through the sale of American Express Travel & Entertainment (T&E) and Business-to-Business (B2B) payment solutions, including Corporate Card, Business Travel Account, and Corporate Purchasing Card products.
• Build and manage a robust sales pipeline through proactive prospecting, networking, referrals, market intelligence, and data-led self-generation strategies.
• Lead complex sales cycles from initial engagement through to contract negotiation, implementation, and successful handover.
• Engage and influence senior decision-makers, including CFOs, Finance Directors, Procurement Leaders, and other C-suite stakeholders, by delivering compelling value-based propositions.
• Conduct in-depth discovery to understand client objectives, payment processes, working capital requirements, and business challenges, translating these into tailored solutions.
• Navigate complex matrix organisations and build relationships with multiple stakeholders to drive consensus and accelerate decision-making.
• Negotiate commercial agreements, pricing structures, and financial incentives while balancing customer needs with profitability and risk considerations.
• Collaborate closely with internal partners across Marketing, Product, Implementation, Risk, Credit, and Account Development teams to deliver an exceptional customer experience.
• Maintain accurate pipeline management, forecasting, and activity reporting through CRM systems and sales tools.
• Consistently achieve and exceed individual sales targets, key performance indicators, and revenue objectives.
• Act as a brand ambassador for American Express, building strong relationships within the business community and representing the organisation at customer meetings, industry events, and networking opportunities.

Requirements:

• Proven track record of over performance in a corporate sales environment.
• Experience in selling both T&E and B2B payment solutions.
• Face to face commercial sales experience preferable.
• Ability to navigate matrix organizations and to influence multiple stakeholders.
• Experience in data insight led self-generation strategies.
• Proven experience in selling to C suite in corporate companies.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of P&L construct.
• Contract negotiation including financial incentives.
• Excellent presentation skills.
• Strong rapport building and networking capabilities.
• Understanding of risk factors affecting commercial deal negotiation.

Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the UK is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

Conditions:

• Competitive base salaries.
• Bonus incentives.
• Support for financial well-being and retirement.
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location).
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need.
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location).
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location).
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program.
• Career development and training opportunities.