Deal origination lead - Corporate finance business development. in Leeds

Leeds or Sheffield. £70,000 - £100,000 base, depending on experience and sector knowledge, plus significant uncapped bonus opportunities.

About us

Translink Corporate Finance UK brings together a 25‑strong team of M&A specialists. We advise on a range of private company M&A across technology, business services, industrials, energy and healthcare. As part of BHP and the wider Sumer Group, we offer clients the strength of a national platform with the agility and personal service of a specialist advisory team. We are an award‑winning practice, having been awarded several accolades such as Corporate Finance Advisory Team of the Year and Deal of the Year (£25m+). We are also officially certified as a Great Place to Work, reflecting our commitment to building a high‑performing, collaborative and supportive environment. At Translink, we're ambitious about growth, but focused on growing the right way.

The Opportunity

We're looking for a commercially minded, relationship‑led professional to join our Corporate Finance team in a newly created role focused on generating high‑quality opportunities across the business. This is not a traditional sales role. It's about building trusted relationships, spotting opportunities early and starting conversations that lead to valuable advisory work, while contributing to building the firm's origination engine. You'll work alongside some of the region's most experienced Corporate Finance professionals, connecting ambitious business owners, investors and intermediaries with the expertise they need to achieve their next stage of growth. Blending strategy with hands‑on execution, you'll have the freedom to shape our approach to origination while helping build a scalable platform for future growth. From day one, you'll play a hands‑on role in originating opportunities and, over time, help introduce more structured and scalable ways of working. If you enjoy opening doors, connecting people and influencing outcomes, you'll thrive in this role which also has the potential for leadership and equity participation, impact‑dependent.

What You'll do

• Lead and evolve our Corporate Finance new business origination strategy, identifying opportunities with owner‑managed businesses, investors, management teams and intermediaries, while also creating opportunities across the wider BHP business.
• Actively represent the firm in the market through in‑person networking, industry events and client meetings, staying close to sector trends, deal activity and emerging opportunities.
• Build and execute targeted outreach campaigns, using market insight, sector knowledge and recent deal activity to create meaningful conversations and convert prospects into qualified opportunities.
• Contribute to the build of a sophisticated, technology‑led, repeatable origination engine.
• Develop compelling, personalised approaches that resonate with business owners and senior decision‑makers, managing opportunities from initial contact through to successful handover to our advisory teams.
• Build and nurture a strong network of founders, CEOs, CFOs, private equity investors, banks, lawyers and other key introducers, strengthening both your own market presence and BHP's profile.
• Work closely with Partners, sector teams and Marketing to maximise market visibility, create targeted introductions and support strategic growth initiatives.
• Maintain a high‑quality pipeline of opportunities, tracking activity and performance while providing valuable market intelligence, sector insight and feedback to help shape future growth priorities.

What We're looking for

You may currently be working within Corporate Finance, professional services, accountancy, private equity, banking, business advisory or another consultative B2B environment where trust, credibility and long sales cycles are the norm. You'll need to have experience generating high‑value opportunities in a relationship‑led environment.

• A proven track record of originating new business and creating commercial opportunities.
• Experience engaging senior decision‑makers and owner‑managed businesses.
• Strong relationship‑building and networking skills.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of how advisory businesses create value.
• Confidence communicating with entrepreneurs, investors and senior stakeholders.
• A proactive, self‑starting approach and the ability to work autonomously.
• The curiosity to understand markets, industries and business challenges in depth.

It would be great if you also have:

• An existing network within the UK mid‑market business community.
• Exposure to Corporate Finance, M&A or transaction advisory.
• Experience helping to build or scale a BD or origination function.
• Knowledge of CRM, sales enablement or marketing automation tools.

What success looks like:

• A growing pipeline of high‑quality, new‑to‑firm opportunities.
• Conversion of opportunities into valuable advisory engagements and recurring client relationships.
• Strong relationships across our target sectors and intermediary network.
• Measurable contribution to revenue growth across Corporate Finance and the wider firm.
• The development of a scalable, insight‑led origination model that supports future growth.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to take on a highly visible role with significant influence. You'll work directly with senior leaders, and have scope to impact the future direction and growth of the firm by helping shape our strategy and playing a key role in creating opportunities that make a real commercial impact across the firm. Base salary: £70,000 - £100,000 per annum plus bonus. The salary range for this role is broad to reflect the variety of backgrounds and experience levels we are open to considering. Remuneration will be aligned to the relevance of a candidate’s experience, the expertise they bring, and the likely pace at which they can make an impact in the role. We reward individuals competitively in line with the success they achieve and this role provides the opportunity for significant financial reward and career progression. If you're motivated by creating opportunities, building relationships and helping ambitious businesses achieve their goals, we'd love to hear from you.