Business Development Director (In a leading digital agency) in Leeds

Business Development Director

Location: Leeds | Hybrid
Salary: £65,000–£75,000 basic + bonus
Business: Leading Digital & Performance Marketing Agency

The opportunity

We're working with an ambitious, fast-growing digital and performance marketing agency that's looking for an experienced Business Development Director to play a key role in its next phase of growth.

They've built a strong reputation, work with some fantastic brands and have ambitious plans for the future. Now they're looking for a commercially driven individual who can help accelerate that growth by winning new clients and creating long-term partnerships.

This is a role for someone who knows how to generate their own opportunities, open doors and win net-new business. You'll have an established network, a strong understanding of digital and performance marketing, and the confidence to engage senior decision-makers at leading brands.

You'll work closely with the senior leadership team, taking ownership of new business development from initial prospecting and relationship building through to pitches, negotiations and securing new clients.

There's plenty of autonomy and the opportunity to influence the agency's wider commercial strategy, but the priority is clear: creating opportunities and converting them into profitable new business.

What you'll be doing

• Identifying, developing and winning net-new business opportunities across target sectors and prospective clients.
• Building strong relationships with senior Marketing, Digital, eCommerce and Commercial decision-makers.
• Leveraging your existing network to open doors and create opportunities with ambitious brands.
• Proactively generating your own pipeline through outbound prospecting, networking, industry events, referrals and relationship building.
• Developing strategic target-account plans to identify and convert high-value opportunities.
• Leading new business meetings, pitches, presentations and commercial negotiations.
• Working closely with the agency's performance, media, digital and strategy teams to develop compelling propositions.
• Taking full ownership of opportunities from initial introduction through to securing profitable, long-term client partnerships.
• Working alongside senior leadership to identify new markets, commercial opportunities and ways to strengthen the agency's proposition.
• Managing pipeline activity, forecasting and delivering against ambitious new business revenue targets.

What you'll bring to the table

• Significant experience in agency new business or business development, ideally within digital, performance marketing, paid media or an integrated digital agency.
• A proven track record of personally generating and winning substantial net-new agency business.
• An established network of senior marketing and digital decision-makers, with the ability to build new relationships.
• Strong knowledge of performance marketing, including PPC, paid social, digital media and wider digital strategy.
• Experience selling complex, multi-channel agency services rather than transactional products.
• Confidence engaging with Marketing Directors, CMOs, Digital Directors and other senior stakeholders.
• Excellent relationship-building, networking, pitching and commercial negotiation skills.
• Strong commercial awareness, with an understanding of how agencies win profitable and sustainable work.
• A proactive, self-motivated approach and the ability to create opportunities without relying on inbound enquiries.
• The ability to think strategically while remaining hands-on and personally accountable for delivering new business.

Most importantly, you're someone who genuinely enjoys winning new business. You love opening doors, meeting people, building relationships and turning conversations into commercial opportunities.

You're confident without being overly salesy, commercially sharp without being transactional, and you understand that the best agency relationships are built on trust, credibility and delivering genuine value.

You'll have the experience and gravitas to operate at Director level, but still possess the hunger and energy to get out there and make things happen.

Why it's worth a look

• £65,000–£75,000 basic + bonus. A competitive package with additional earning potential linked to performance.
• An ambitious, growing agency. Join an established digital and performance marketing business with exciting plans for the future.
• Genuine commercial ownership. Take responsibility for generating new business and making a direct impact on agency growth.
• Senior-level influence. Work closely with the leadership team and help shape the agency's new business strategy.
• Autonomy and flexibility. The freedom to develop your own approach, build your network and create opportunities.
• A relationship-led approach. The emphasis is on winning valuable, long-term client partnerships rather than simply hitting activity targets.
• Hybrid working. Flexibility around your diary, networking, events and client commitments.

Sound like your kind of role?

If you're an experienced agency business developer who loves opening doors, winning new clients and helping ambitious businesses grow, we'd love to hear from you.

This is a fantastic opportunity to take real ownership of new business within a growing performance marketing agency and play an influential role in its future success.

#J-18808-Ljbffr