Business Development Executive in Bournemouth

Salary: £28,000 - £28,001 per annum

Contract type: Full-time, Permanent

Location: Bournemouth, SouthWest BH2

Through education, people can transform their lives and reach career goals. learndirect Group has been empowering individuals to reach the height of their potential for many years, with a forward-thinking digital approach. As the UK’s leading online learning provider, we have helped millions of learners gain qualifications that have led to exciting careers. Our work is to empower, inspire, and transform lives through flexible education made accessible to all.

We are recruiting for a Business Development Executive to support our Business-to-Business (B2B) entities, ClickHSE & AT&F Solutions. These entities are learndirect Group products where we provide education technology solutions and support services, helping Colleges, Universities, employers and Training Providers make online courses more accessible. This entry-level role is designed for ambitious, driven individuals looking to break into B2B sales. As a B2B Appointment Setter, you will be responsible for engaging with warm and cold business prospects, introducing our services, and booking qualified meetings for the senior sales team.

This position is the first step in our internal training pathway, offering clear progression to Business Development Manager (BDM) and Senior BDM roles for those who demonstrate grit, determination, and consistent results.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:

• Make outbound calls to both warm and cold B2B leads to identify and qualify potential clients.
• Engage decision-makers across multiple communication channels (phone, email, LinkedIn).
• Book qualified appointments for the senior sales team to attend.
• Maintain a high level of daily outreach activity and productivity.
• Accurately record call notes, activity, and lead progress within the CRM system.
• Nurture relationships with prospective businesses until they are ready for further engagement.
• Work closely with the BDM team to ensure high-quality handovers of appointments.
• Attend internal sales and skills training sessions as part of the structured development pathway.
• Meet and exceed weekly and monthly activity and appointment-setting targets.

What we are looking for in you:

• Ability to engage prospects and convey the value of our product/service clearly and confidently.
• Organizational skills to manage multiple leads and opportunities simultaneously.
• Familiarity with CRM systems.
• Previous experience in a sales, telemarketing, or customer service role is a plus but not required.
• Self-motivated with a strong desire to achieve results.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills—comfortable with phone, email, and social selling.

Base salary: £28,000 with progression opportunities.

Our preference is for this position to be based on-site in Bournemouth, Dorset.

Why work with Us?

• Complete a funded course of your choice after your probation period.
• Excellent holiday allowance plus bank holidays – to include one extra day’s holiday for your birthday / appreciation day.
• £50 Amazon thank you Voucher for your birthday.
• Company pension scheme.
• Refer a friend scheme.
• Inclusive culture and positive working environment.
• Staff social events.

We are an equal opportunity employer, always looking for the right talent based on merit for every position. Learndirect Group believes passionately in including all employees equally in the learndirect culture and mission. We actively encourage diversity of thought and champion our talented individuals.

Proposition: Empowering people to reach their potential

Our Mission: Removing barriers (time, tech, cost) to enable a ‘learning lifestyle’.

Our Vision: To create the modern approach to learning.

Working with PACE we strive to be:

• Passionate “We show pride, enthusiasm, and dedication in everything that we do, for our learners, our customers, ourselves, and each other”.
• Agile “We positively embrace and respond quickly to change through a flexible, proactive workforce that seizes opportunities”.
• Courageous “We challenge the norm, creating continuous business improvement and opportunities through entrepreneurial thinking balanced with a sound commercial approach”.
• Empowering “We trust and inspire people to do their best and believe in themselves. We are open to a diversity of ideas, approaches, and points of view”.