Business Development Manager in Leeds

Business Development Manager – Education CateringLeeds, England, United Kingdom

We\’re looking for an energetic and commercially minded Business Development Manager to help grow our education catering portfolio across the UK. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with passionate teams in operations, bids, and marketing, supporting schools and education settings with high-quality, values‐led food solutions.

As Business Development Manager, you\’ll lead the full sales process — from identifying opportunities and managing tenders to securing new contracts and building long‐term partnerships with education clients.

What you\’ll be doing

Represent our values, educational approach, and commitment to quality, nutrition, and social impact

Build and manage a strong pipeline of opportunities, including schools, MATs, and local authorities

Lead the end‐to‐end tender and sales process, working closely with operations and bid teams on compliant, compelling submissions

Oversee the creation of sales materials including PQQs, tenders, presentations, and promotional content

Coordinate and attend school site visits, presentations, and stakeholder meetings

Build trusted relationships with consultants, headteachers, business managers, and procurement leads

Support and host education‐focused events for clients, prospects, and consultants

What we\’re looking for

Proven experience in education catering sales or contract catering sales within schools, MATs, or higher education

Alternatively, strong education catering operations experience with exposure to tenders and bid processes

Understanding of public sector procurement and education tendering frameworks

Existing relationships with education consultants or procurement professionals (advantageous)

A genuine passion for children\’s food, nutrition, and positive social impact

Confident communicator, able to engage effectively with school leaders, governors, and operational teams

Resilient, organised, and comfortable working in a target‐driven environment

Excellent written skills with strong attention to detail

Proficient in Microsoft Office (experience with databases or Adobe Suite is a plus)

About you

Self‐motivated, proactive, and collaborative

Commercially aware with a structured, compliant approach to winning education contracts

Comfortable managing multiple tenders and deadlines

Seniority levelMid‐Senior level

Employment typeFull‐time

Job functionSales, Project Management, and Product Management

IndustriesHospitality

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