Senior Business Development Manager in Exeter

Ready to take your career to the next level? We’re one of the UK’s most forward-thinking law firms, built on a foundation of innovation, collaboration, and ambition. Join us, and let’s shape the future together.

Being refreshingly human starts with how we hire. We believe a diverse mix of perspectives makes us stronger - not just as a business, but in creating a culture where we all feel we truly belong and can thrive. That’s why we’re committed to removing barriers and creating fair opportunities for everyone.

The role in 60 seconds:

• Sectors: Private Equity, Islamic Finance, Corporate, Banking and Finance
• Team: Client Development
• Location: Hybrid working from Bristol or Exeter
• Working Pattern: Full-time

Why this role matters: This is more than a business development role. It's an opportunity to influence the direction of some of our most important sectors, build lasting relationships with high-profile clients and collaborate with senior stakeholders to deliver sustainable growth. If you enjoy turning market insight into commercial opportunity and want to see the impact of your work, this role offers exactly that.

What you’ll do:

• Lead and deliver strategic business development plans that support sector and firm-wide growth objectives.
• Work closely with sector leaders to identify, prioritise and pursue new market opportunities.
• Develop and execute targeted client and sector initiatives that strengthen relationships and drive revenue growth.
• Create compelling capability statements, client-facing collateral and value propositions that showcase the firm's expertise and differentiate us in the market.
• Develop, maintain and analyse target lists, using financial and market insight to identify opportunities, trends and gaps.
• Support and lead client planning activity for strategically important accounts, helping deepen relationships and expand service delivery.
• Drive collaboration across practice areas, ensuring clients benefit from the full breadth of Foot Anstey's expertise.
• Work alongside our Communications and Marketing teams to deliver impactful campaigns, thought leadership and sector-focused activity.
• Monitor, analyse and report on sector performance, pipeline activity and return on investment, providing insight to stakeholders and leadership teams.
• Support client feedback initiatives, translating insight into actionable improvements that enhance client experience and support retention.
• Share best practice across the wider BD team, acting as a trusted adviser and mentor to colleagues where appropriate.

This is a highly visible role that combines strategic thinking, relationship building and hands-on delivery, giving you the opportunity to influence business growth at both a sector and firm-wide level.

What we’re looking for: We're looking for a commercially minded business development professional who enjoys building relationships, influencing stakeholders and turning strategic plans into measurable results.

You’ll bring:

• Proven experience in a business development role within professional services or a similarly relationship-driven environment.
• Experience developing and delivering sector-focused or client-led growth initiatives.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen, with the ability to identify opportunities and assess potential return on investment.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills and experience working with senior leaders to drive strategic objectives.
• Excellent account management and client relationship skills.
• Strong analytical capabilities, with the ability to interpret data and translate insight into action.
• Outstanding organisational and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to create compelling client-facing content and presentations.
• A collaborative approach and proven ability to work effectively across teams and disciplines.
• A proactive, resilient and solutions-focused mindset, with the confidence to challenge and influence constructively.
• A track record of delivering against objectives and contributing to measurable business growth.
• Experience within the legal sector would be advantageous, although we're equally interested in hearing from candidates with relevant experience from other professional services environments.

What if I don't tick every box? We're not box tickers. We appreciate the need for everyone to find a role that challenges them and gives them room for growth. If you bring transferable skills and a fresh perspective, we’d love to hear from you. If this role excites you and you have the skills to succeed, we encourage you to apply.

Join a seriously ambitious firm: At Foot Anstey, we’re committed to making a difference for our people, our clients, and society. Here’s what makes us stand out:

• An ambitious growth strategy that opens up opportunities for our people to make their mark.
• A client base that spans household names, thriving startups, and ambitious enterprises.
• A culture built on our values of being refreshingly human, entrepreneurial, inclusive and collaborative.
• A strong focus on being a responsible business with a commitment to sustainability and giving back to our communities.
• Comprehensive professional development and training – whatever your role and level we have training that will support you to achieve your goals.

Progressive benefits tailored to you: We believe our people are our greatest asset. That’s why we offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your professional growth and personal wellbeing, including:

• Competitive salary and performance-linked bonus.
• Enhanced parental leave policies.
• Private healthcare and wellbeing initiatives.

Successful applicants will be required to complete a pre-employment screening process which includes a financial integrity check and a DBS check.

Are you authorised to work in the UK either as a citizen or by holding a valid permit to work in the UK? And are you able to provide evidence of this if requested?

If you hold a work permit, please provide further details including visa type and date of expiry.

If you’d like to discuss any reasonable adjustments to support you through the interview process, please choose 'yes' in the box below – if you progress to the next stage, a member of the Recruitment team will contact you to ensure you’re able to perform at your best during the interview. If you need any reasonable adjustments at the application stage, please email us at recruitment.team@footanstey.com.

Demographic Questions: We are proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer. As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we invite applicants to complete optional demographic questions. Any information you choose to share will be anonymised and not linked to your application.

For applicants in Northern Ireland: To meet our obligations under the Fair Employment & Treatment (NI) Order 1998, we monitor community background and sex to promote equality of opportunity. While you’re not required to answer these questions, we encourage you to do so. Your responses will be used anonymously for reporting to the Equality Commission and will not influence any recruitment or employment decisions.

Community Background: In Northern Ireland, individuals are often perceived as belonging to either the Protestant or Roman Catholic communities, regardless of religious practice. If this section is left blank, we may use the residuary method to determine community background based on the personal information in your application.