Business Development Manager in Scotland

• 14 contracted working hours per week, excluding unpaid rest breaks
• 24-month fixed-term contract

THE OPPORTUNITY

The purpose of this role is to deliver more for ASVA members by growing the organisation’s memberships and generating recurring income that can be reinvested in member services and impact.

We are looking for a hands‑on Business Development Manager who can evaluate our growth opportunity, establish effective systems and processes, and then personally undertake the outreach, marketing and conversion activity needed to recruit new members.

The primary targets will be new attraction members and new members of the ASVA Quality Scheme.

This is not a role that stops at developing a strategy.

You will identify the organisations ASVA should pursue, build and manage the prospect pipeline, test different approaches and move suitable organisations from initial contact through to paid membership.

The ambition is for the role to become permanent.

To support that decision, it must generate clear evidence of sustainable membership growth and recurring financial contribution during the initial 24‑month period.

ABOUT ASVA

The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions is the representative body for Scotland’s visitor attractions sector.

We inspire, represent and support the sector, helping attractions grow through better visitor experiences and working towards our vision of World Class Scottish Attractions.

ASVA provides membership services, learning, insight, representation and opportunities to connect.

We also operate the ASVA Quality Scheme, helping attractions understand, improve and celebrate the experiences they provide.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

You will

• evaluate the market for attraction membership and ASVA Quality Scheme growth;
• identify, research and prioritise suitable prospective members;
• establish and manage a structured business‑development pipeline in Hub Spot;
• develop clear processes for prospecting, follow‑up, conversion and handover;
• undertake proactive outreach by email, telephone, online meetings, events and appropriate in‑person engagement;
• build relationships with prospective members, understand their needs and communicate a relevant membership proposition;
• follow up warm and self‑generated leads consistently;
• respond to questions and objections and convert suitable prospects into paid members;
• work with the Membership & Engagement Manager to identify and tag suitable contacts captured through enquiries, events and other member‑facing activity;
• hand successful new members to the appropriate colleague for onboarding and ongoing relationship management;
• develop and test direct and paid marketing campaigns, potentially including Google, Linked In, targeted email and relevant sector channels;
• manage an initial £5,000 business‑development budget;
• assess whether campaigns should be delivered directly or through an external specialist or agency;
• measure lead quality, conversion, acquisition cost and forecast recurring contribution;
• use Hub Spot automation and approved AI tools where they can improve research, segmentation, follow‑up, personalisation or performance analysis;
• maintain human judgement, accuracy, data protection and compliance with ASVA policy in the use of technology;
• report progress through a monthly dashboard and regular meetings with the CEO; and
• participate in formal impact reviews after six, 12 and 18 months.

You will work particularly closely with our Membership & Engagement Manager and Quality Improvement Manager, while collaborating with the whole ASVA team.

As part of a small team, you will also provide proportionate support for shared delivery.

This may include helping at selected events, attraction visits or Quality Scheme training where it improves your understanding of the offer, supports colleagues or creates relevant growth opportunities.

Attendance at the annual ASVA Conference in Perth is required.

WHAT SUCCESS WILL LOOK LIKE

Success will include

• a clear understanding of ASVA’s available market and priority prospects;
• an effective and actively managed Hub Spot pipeline;
• consistent proactive outreach and qualified prospect conversations;
• growth in attraction membership;
• growth in ASVA Quality Scheme membership;
• improving conversion rates as evidence and learning are applied;
• effective use of the initial £5,000 growth budget;
• demonstrable return from paid and direct outreach;
• recurring annual income and contribution from new members;
• retention and renewal of members recruited through the role; and
• sufficient evidence to support making the role permanent.

The longer‑term measure is not only the income received in the first year. It is the accumulating annual contribution created when new members continue to renew.

ABOUT YOU

You will have

• proven experience of developing new business, generating sales, growing membership or converting prospects;
• clear evidence of personally delivering measurable growth or income;
• experience of developing and managing a structured sales or business‑development pipeline;
• experience of proactive prospecting, outreach and follow‑up;
• experience of using a CRM to manage activity, conversion and reporting;
• strong knowledge of Scotland’s tourism industry and visitor attraction sector;
• excellent interpersonal, communication and influencing skills;
• confidence in initiating conversations and responding to objections;
• strong commercial judgement and an understanding of recurring income and return on investment;
• the ability to create systems and processes as well as personally deliver the activity;
• digital confidence, including the responsible use of CRM, automation and AI‑assisted tools;
• strong organisational, analytical and reporting skills; and
• the ability to work independently within a small, remote team.

Experience within tourism, visitor attractions or a closely related sector is preferred.

Experience of membership organisations, recurring services, Hub Spot or paid marketing would also be advantageous.

You must be resident in Scotland and able to travel occasionally for meetings, events and attraction visits.

• THE PACKAGE
• 14 contracted working hours per week
• Six‑month probationary period
• 25 days’ annual leave plus nine public holidays, pro rata
• Public holiday entitlement that can be taken flexibly
• Home‑based working
• Hours that may be worked as two days or spread flexibly across the week
• Occasional travel and rare evening work

Working hours will be highly flexible, subject to agreed meetings, team commitments and business needs.

Please submit your CV and cover letter, and answers to the required questions below, totalling no more than 5 pages.

By applying, you are confirming your residence in Scotland, and eligibility to work in the UK, as well as acceptance of occasional travel and the ability to attend ASVA’s Conference in Perth.

Required questions each answer must not exceed 200 words

• Tell us about a time when you personally generated measurable new business, membership or recurring income.

What was the starting position, what did you do and what result did you achieve?

• Describe how you have built or improved a sales or business‑development pipeline. What systems, processes and measures did you use?
• Working two days per week with an initial £5,000 budget, what would your priorities be during your first six months at ASVA?

Submission that do not meet the required questions, CV and cover letter requirements will not be reviewed.

Due to the volume of applicants, only those selected for interview will be informed.

Feedback will be offered only to those interviewed.

Shortlisted candidates will complete a practical business‑development exercise and deliver a 60‑second live pitch explaining why a Scottish visitor attraction should join ASVA.

We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and will make reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process.

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