New Business Manager

Here at HCL, we make a difference to thousands of children's lives every day. We cook delicious, nutritious meals so everyone can have at least one meal a day. We run workshops that teach the next generation how to eat well and never settle for less. We are looking for a passionate new business manager who understands this mission - and can turn it into growth.

HCL is a leading school caterer transforming how children experience food. As our New Business Manager, you'll drive our ambitious expansion across London and the South of England, building from our core base in Hertfordshire. This is a high-impact role. You'll be an essential part of our growth strategy, build compelling propositions that win competitive tenders, and represent HCL where it matters - from boardrooms to trade shows. By working with the wider sales team and collaborating across the business, you'll own the new business cycle for your territory: identification and prioritisation of commercial targets, prospecting and lead management, relationship building and networking, tender submission and proposal package design.

Your impact: Positioning HCL as the partner of choice for schools that want the best for their children - and proving we're worth paying more for. This isn't just a sales role. It's a chance to champion nutrition, education, and excellence while building a market-leading business.

Main Areas of Responsibility

• Business Development & Growth
  • Proactively identify and pursue new business opportunities across primary, secondary, and academy schools.
  • Develop and deliver regional sales plans aligned with company growth targets.
  • Manage a robust pipeline through prospecting, networking, lead generation, and consultative selling.
  • Represent the company at trade events, education forums, and local authority partnership meetings.
• Bid Writing & Tender Management
  • Lead the end-to-end management of tender processes, from initial opportunity assessment through to submission and presentation.
  • Prepare compelling, compliant, and commercially sound bids aligned with public sector frameworks.
  • Collaborate with internal teams to ensure mobilisation plans, pricing, and service delivery models are realistic and competitive.
  • Support the creation of high-quality sales and marketing collateral for tender submissions.
• Relationship Management & Consultative Selling
  • Build and maintain trusted relationships with school leaders, local authorities, MATs, and other key stakeholders.
  • Conduct consultative meetings to understand client needs and tailor solutions accordingly.
  • Deliver persuasive presentations and food displays that bring our service offer to life.
• Sector Knowledge & Engagement
  • Stay abreast of key issues including school food standards, nutrition policies, food poverty, and sustainability.
  • Contribute to menu development and pupil engagement initiatives.
  • Act as an ambassador for our values, promoting healthy eating, inclusivity, and community impact.

Key Skills & Experience

• Essential:
  • Proven track record in business development, sales, or account management - ideally within education catering, contract catering, or public sector services.
  • Experience managing complex, long-cycle sales processes and tenders.
  • Excellent bid writing, presentation, and negotiation skills.
  • Strong financial literacy, including cost modelling and spreadsheet analysis.
  • Confident communicator with a consultative, relationship-driven approach.
  • Knowledge of public sector procurement and compliance frameworks.
  • A strong ‘hunter’ mindset, with a demonstrated ability to drive exceptional business performance and results, especially through tender processes.
• Desirable:
  • Experience in operational catering, mobilisation, or service delivery.
  • Understanding of school food standards, nutrition, and food safety compliance.
  • Familiarity with the education sector, especially local authority or academy trust environments.
  • Creative flair for menu development, engagement events, and marketing activation.

Personal Attributes

• Passionate advocate for children’s nutrition and wellbeing.
• Strategic thinker with a commercial mindset.
• Highly organised, self-motivated, and resilient under pressure.
• Strong collaborator with cross-functional teamwork skills.
• Authentic, values-driven, and community-minded.

This role is exclusive to Vertical Advantage. Any 3rd party applications will be sent directly to the hiring team at Vertical Advantage.