New Partner Development Manager

Full time Permanent Hybrid working based in Leeds or London. Direct Line is evolving. Across every part of our business teams are embracing new opportunities and putting customers at the heart of everything they do. Whether you’re already part of Direct Line or thinking about joining us you’ll have the chance not only to be recognised for your skills but also to build on them and be empowered to do your very best.

What you’ll be doing:

• Drive the acquisition of new partnerships across Fleet / Automotive and Financial Services (sector focus assigned based on experience; blended backgrounds welcome).
• Build progress and convert a qualified pipeline while developing commercially robust proposals with the Partnerships Commercial Manager that align to pricing guardrails and deliver profitable growth.
• Lead day‑to‑day on opportunities including deciding whether to pursue or pause mid‑market deals and recommending next steps on larger more complex opportunities.
• Agree commercial terms within established parameters escalating any exceptions through the appropriate approval process.
• Produce clear deal documentation including internal summaries with volumes pricing and key assumptions and term sheets where required ensuring downstream teams have the information needed for onboarding and delivery.
• Support major strategic bids alongside the Head of NPD while managing smaller and mid‑market opportunities independently from first contact to signature.
• Deliver a targeted sector plan: identify and prioritise prospects, build relationships with key stakeholders, define routes to market and maintain a strong sales pipeline by accurately updating the sales pipeline tool with key activity next actions and opportunity progress.
• Lead external engagement with senior contacts at partner organisations, manage relationships and run structured pursuits including bid/no‑bid reviews, deal assessments and governance checkpoints.
• Work with the Partnerships Commercial Manager to shape partner proposals carrying out needs analysis building value cases, agreeing pricing within guardrails, preparing term sheets and supporting negotiation preparation where required.
• Produce high-quality proposals, presentations and executive briefings to support partner conversations and internal decision‑making.
• Complete governance requirements including NDAs, due diligence and background checks, issuing standard documents directly and working with Legal and Compliance teams when needed.
• Keep opportunity records accurate and current, provide forecasts and risk updates and share competitor and market insights to support sector planning.

Our hybrid model offers a best of both worlds approach. When you’ll be in the office depends on your role and team but we are working towards 50% time in the office for 2026.

What you’ll need:

• Proven track record in B2B partnerships or business development within insurance, financial services, automotive/fleet mobility or adjacent sectors.
• Demonstrable experience in winning new partnerships and influencing senior stakeholders; confident and effective negotiator.
• Strong commercial acumen with a clear understanding of unit economics, pricing levers and discount implications and the ability to operate confidently within approval guardrails.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to produce clear, concise and executive-ready documentation.
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously maintaining strong pipeline discipline.
• Collaborative and solutions-focused with experience working closely with Commercial & Strategy Ops Finance Pricing Legal / Compliance Onboarding and Existing Partnerships.

Benefits

We recognise we wouldn’t be where we are today without our colleagues, that’s why we offer excellent benefits designed to suit your lifestyle:

• 9% employer contributed pension
• 50% off home motor and pet insurance plus free Green Flag breakdown cover
• Additional optional Health and Dental insurance
• EV car scheme
• Generous holidays
• Buy as you earn share scheme
• Employee discounts and cashback
• Plus many more.

We want everyone to get the most out of their time at Direct Line. Which is why we’ve looked beyond the financial rewards and created an offer that takes your whole life into account. Supporting our people to work at their best whatever that looks like and offering real choice flexibility and a greater work‑life balance that means our people have time to focus on the things that matter most to them. Our benefits are about more than just the money you earn. They’re about recognising who you are and the life you live.

Be yourself Direct Line is an equal opportunity employer and we think diversity of background and thinking is a big strength in our people. We’re delighted to feature as one of the UK’s Top 50 Inclusive Employers and are committed to making our business an inclusive place to work where everyone can be themselves and succeed in their careers. We know you’re more than a CV and the things that make you you are what bring potential to our business. We recognise and embrace people that work in different ways so if you need any adjustments to our recruitment process please speak to the recruitment team who will be happy to support you.