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- Tasks: Manage early years customer accounts and drive business growth.
- Company: Join ESPO, a leading public sector supplier focused on innovative resources for early years education.
- Benefits: Enjoy flexible working, wellbeing support, and a generous pension scheme after probation.
- Why this job: Make a real impact in early years education while enjoying a supportive and inclusive culture.
- Qualifications: Experience in account management or business development; knowledge of EYFS is a plus.
- Other info: Flexible working arrangements available to suit your lifestyle.
The predicted salary is between 29000 - 32000 £ per year.
This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK\’s leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board.
Job Description
Organisation: Leicestershire County Council
Work Location: ESPO, Barnsdale Way, Grove Park, Enderby, Leicester, LE19 1ES
Worker Category: Field-based Worker (office attendance as required and regular travel to customers)
Salary: Grade 10, £34,350 to £37,950 per annum (pro-rata for part-time)
Working Hours: Full-time, 37 hours per week
Contract Type: Permanent
Closing Date: Sunday 10th August 2025
Interview Date(s): Between 11th – 22nd August 2025
Are you an experienced sales or account manager with a passion for early years education?
Do you have a strong interest or background in the early years sector and understand the learning areas of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS)?
Do you want to help shape how early years providers access high-quality resources to support young children\’s development?
About the Role
We\’re looking for an Early Years Key Account Manager, to help ESPO grow and support our early years customer base. This is an exciting opportunity to join one of the UK\’s most successful public sector suppliers and contribute to our mission of delivering excellent, innovative resources to nurseries, preschools and childcare providers nationwide.
In this role, you\’ll manage a portfolio of early years customers, helping to retain and grow revenue, while identifying new prospects and strategic opportunities across the sector. You\’ll develop and implement business plans, analyse customer data, gather market insight, and ensure that all customers receive a first-class ESPO experience.
You will enjoy a flexible working arrangement split between home, our ESPO office in Leicester, and customer site visits. Occasional weekend work and overnight stays may be required to attend and exhibit at events. Due to the nature of the role, a full driving licence and access to your own vehicle are essential.
We offer a comprehensive benefits package featuring wellbeing support and opportunities for personal and professional development. Upon successful completion of your probation period, you\’ll also become eligible for our generous pension scheme and optional salary sacrifice car scheme.
About You
To apply for this post, you must:
- Proven experience in business development or account management
- Strong communication skills and the ability to build effective relationships with customers
- Knowledge or experience of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) or the early years education sector
- Confidence in using data to monitor customer engagement and performance
- A formal sales qualification or relevant training (or equivalent practical experience)
- The ability to work independently, manage your time, and prioritise tasks
- Access to your own transport and a willingness to travel to customer sites
You must also have an understanding of, and commitment to, equality, diversity and inclusion.
In addition, we expect you to share our commitment to our values and will ask you to provide evidence when you demonstrate them during the interview process.
Reasonable adjustments will be considered for applicants with a disability.
Interested in Flexible Working?
We are keen to support employees in balancing their working lives with other commitments. Therefore, wherever possible, we will consider working arrangements that suit an individual\’s personal circumstances while still meeting the needs of the Council. If you would like to discuss the possible flexible working options that might be applicable to this role, please contact the person named below. This may include requests for term-time working, part-time hours, compressed hours, flexible start and finish times, home/remote working, etc.
Every role within the Council has a defined working style which determines where they can work. The worker category applicable to this post is detailed in the above advert. You can find out more about our worker categories in the Our Working Styles page on our career site.
For more information or an informal discussion, please contact:
Darren Turford, Business Development Manager
Telephone: 07917 088164
Email: d.turford@espo.org
How to Apply
Leicestershire County Council is an inclusive organisation which is on a journey to embed and celebrate equality, diversity, and inclusion at every level. We warmly welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, as having a diverse workforce with different perspectives and ideas is fundamental to our values and enriches the services, we offer our communities. We particularly welcome applicants from Ethnically Diverse and LGBTQ+ communities and people with disabilities to create a balanced workforce and one that reflects the communities we serve. Applicants with a disability who meet the criteria listed in the \’About You\’ section above will be offered an interview under the Disability Confident Employer Scheme.
To apply for this job, please click on the apply button. You will need to upload a supporting statement as part of your application, which explains how you meet the criteria listed in the \’About You\’ section above. For more information, see the How to Apply section on our career site.
We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive sufficient applications for the role. Therefore, if you are interested, please submit your application as early as possible.
If you have any technical issues when trying to apply for this post or you want to request an application pack in an alternative format, please contact our Employee Service Centre by telephoning 0300 3030222 (select option 2) or raising a ticket via our online portal: https://emss.org.uk/support.
By applying for this post, you agree to our Terms and Conditions.
About Us
About ESPO
We\’re a unique organisation, owned by the public sector and sharing their values and ethos, but operating with a commercial edge. As a specialist procurement body, we pride ourselves on establishing procurement solutions that save money for the public sector. View our prospectus to find out more.
We have modern, open-plan offices with excellent transport links and a friendly workplace environment. We offer flexible working, a generous holiday entitlement, a contributory pension scheme, training (including professional CIPS qualification) and opportunities to develop your career.
ESPO is supported by wide range of roles across many different disciplines including sales, marketing, IT, procurement, finance, operations (warehouse management and transport planning) and customer services. So whether you are interested in a public-facing role or playing your part behind the scenes, ESPO could be the place for you.
To learn more about working for ESPO please visit www.espo.org.
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Key Account Manager- Business Development & Growth employer: Leicestershire County Council
Contact Detail:
Leicestershire County Council Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Key Account Manager- Business Development & Growth
✨Tip Number 1
Familiarise yourself with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) framework. Understanding its key areas will not only help you in discussions with potential clients but also demonstrate your commitment to the sector during interviews.
✨Tip Number 2
Network within the early years education community. Attend relevant events, workshops, or webinars to meet professionals in the field. This can provide valuable insights and connections that may lead to job opportunities.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare to discuss your previous experience in business development or account management. Be ready to share specific examples of how you've successfully built relationships and driven growth in past roles.
✨Tip Number 4
Showcase your data analysis skills. Be prepared to explain how you've used data to monitor customer engagement and performance in previous positions, as this is a crucial aspect of the role.
We think you need these skills to ace Key Account Manager- Business Development & Growth
Some tips for your application 🫡
Understand the Role: Before applying, make sure you fully understand the responsibilities and requirements of the Key Account Manager position. Familiarise yourself with the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and how it relates to the role.
Craft a Strong Supporting Statement: Your supporting statement is crucial. Clearly demonstrate how your experience aligns with the criteria listed in the job description. Use specific examples from your past roles to showcase your skills in business development and account management.
Highlight Relevant Experience: Emphasise any previous experience you have in the early years education sector or similar fields. Mention your ability to build relationships with customers and your confidence in using data to monitor engagement and performance.
Proofread Your Application: Before submitting, carefully proofread your application for any spelling or grammatical errors. A well-presented application reflects your attention to detail and professionalism, which are key traits for this role.
How to prepare for a job interview at Leicestershire County Council
✨Know Your EYFS
Make sure you have a solid understanding of the Early Years Foundation Stage (EYFS) and its learning areas. Be prepared to discuss how your knowledge can help early years providers access high-quality resources.
✨Showcase Your Sales Experience
Highlight your previous experience in business development or account management. Prepare specific examples of how you've successfully retained and grown customer accounts, as well as any new prospects you've identified.
✨Demonstrate Relationship-Building Skills
Effective communication is key for this role. Be ready to share examples of how you've built strong relationships with customers in the past and how you plan to do so in this position.
✨Prepare for Data-Driven Discussions
Since the role involves analysing customer data, be prepared to discuss how you've used data to monitor engagement and performance in previous roles. Bring insights on how you can apply this to improve customer experiences at ESPO.
