Business Development Manager in Leeds

Fantastic Media is an established, independent marketing agency with 20 years of experience helping ambitious businesses grow.

We specialise in working with B2B SMEs, partnering with business owners and leadership teams to solve complex marketing challenges and deliver measurable results.

As a growing agency, we offer the best of both worlds: the expertise, stability and reputation that comes from two decades in the industry, combined with the energy, creativity and opportunity of a business that continues to evolve.

You'll have the chance to make a genuine impact, work closely with talented specialists across the agency and play a key role in shaping the next chapter of Fantastic Media's growth.

The Role

As Business Development Manager at Fantastic Media, you'll be responsible for generating new business opportunities and building a healthy pipeline of prospective clients.

You'll represent the agency, build relationships with decision makers and lead opportunities through to proposal and pitch.

Working closely with the Managing Director and senior leadership team, you'll also play a key role in marketing Fantastic Media itself.

You'll help raise our profile, identify opportunities to engage with our target audience and support campaigns that strengthen our reputation and generate inbound enquiries.

This is a hands-on role that combines strategic thinking with proactive business development.

You'll enjoy building relationships, opening doors and spotting opportunities to help ambitious businesses grow through marketing.

What You'll Do

• Develop and deliver Fantastic Media's business development strategy alongside the senior leadership team.
• Build and maintain a strong pipeline of qualified prospects across our target sectors.
• Identify, research and engage prospective clients through a mixture of outbound activity, networking, referrals and inbound enquiries.
• Manage opportunities from first conversation through to proposal, presentation and close.
• Qualify new enquiries, understand client challenges and recommend the right marketing solutions.
• Prepare proposals, tenders and pitch documents, coordinating internal teams where required.
• Represent Fantastic Media at networking events, exhibitions and industry functions.
• Build relationships with business owners, marketing leaders and senior decision makers.
• Work with the marketing team to promote Fantastic Media through campaigns, events, content and thought leadership activity.
• Plan and deliver marketing initiatives that generate awareness, engagement and new business opportunities, such as direct marketing, paid advertising, email marketing and PR.
• Maintain and develop our CRM, ensuring opportunities, activity and reporting remain accurate.
• Monitor pipeline performance, conversion rates and revenue against agreed targets.
• Keep up to date with industry trends, competitor activity and emerging market opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with our client services, creative and digital teams to ensure a seamless handover of new clients.

What We're Looking For

We're looking for someone with significant experience in business development and income generation who enjoys building relationships and creating commercial opportunities.

The ideal candidate will

• Have significant experience in business development and income generation, with a strong understanding of an agency's commercial model and the confidence to make sound commercial decisions.
• Be well versed in our marketing products and services, presenting them confidently to prospective clients and matching solutions to business challenges.
• Be confident assessing client briefs and determining whether there's a genuine fit between the client's objectives and Fantastic Media's capabilities.
• Have the confidence to make informed decisions, including knowing when an opportunity isn't the right fit for the agency.
• Have a strong understanding of the competitive marketing landscape and be aware of competitor activity and positioning.
• Be highly skilled at relationship building, identifying prospects, nurturing opportunities and converting them into long-term clients.
• Be a strategic thinker, capable of developing and implementing business development plans that support agency growth.
• Possess excellent influencing, negotiation and presentation skills, with the gravitas to build trusted relationships with senior decision makers.
• Be collaborative by nature, working effectively across the agency to deliver successful pitches, proposals and client onboarding.

Experience & Background

We're open to candidates from a range of commercial backgrounds. You may have built your career in:

• Business Development
• Account Management
• Marketing
• Commercial Management
• Consultancy

A degree in Business Management, Marketing or a related subject would be advantageous but isn't essential.

You'll have a proven track record of developing client relationships, generating new business and delivering sustainable growth.

Experience within a marketing agency or professional services environment would be beneficial.

As Fantastic Media continues to grow, so will the opportunities within the business.

This role offers the chance to develop into a more senior commercial leadership position, such as Head of Business Development or Chief Growth Officer, while playing a key role in shaping the future growth of the agency.

• Additional benefits available to all full-time, permanent members of staff
• Company Pension Contributions under the Auto-Enrolment Provisions (currently 3% Employer contribution)
• Additional 'holiday day' for birthdays falling on weekdays
• Up to £1,000 bonus for referring new recruits
• Vibrant Leeds City Centre office (that is dog-friendly too!)
• Regular company socials.
• Death In Service: A tax-free lump sum payment equivalent to 3x basic annual earnings should an employee pass away for any reason.
• Income

Protection: Sick pay of 60% of basic annual salary in the event of a medical condition resulting in time off work, for up to 24 months or return to work.

Subject to an initial deferment period.

• Critical Illness: A lump sum of 1x basic annual salary payable upon diagnosis of a defined illness.
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