Business Development & Relationship Manager - South East in London

About Lifeways

Lifeways is the UK’s largest provider of supported living services, supporting around 4,000 people with complex needs to live their very best lives in their communities. What sets us apart is not just our scale — it’s our ability to flex our pathway model to create sustainable, high-quality placements that genuinely work, supported by specialist expertise across Supported Living, Residential and Mental Health. With strong demand, a national footprint and a growing pipeline, this is a role where you can turn opportunity into meaningful, lasting impact. Our model is designed to offer multiple pathways — and with a strong appetite for growth, the opportunity here is significant.

About the role

We’re looking for a dynamic Business Development & Relationship Manager (BDRM) to lead growth across the South East. Our South East spans Lincoln to London and Kent to Portsmouth. This is a strategic BD role where you’ll identify demand, build trusted partnerships with commissioners, and shape opportunities into services that can be delivered successfully. You’ll own the full journey — from pipeline development through to mobilisation and occupancy — ensuring services are not only won, but set up to succeed.

Why this role stands out

• End-to-end ownership: You own the full lifecycle — from identifying opportunity and shaping solutions through to conversion, mobilisation and long-term success.
• You can win and deliver: With support from Assessment, Operations, Quality, Finance, PBS and Marketing, you have the infrastructure to deliver what you win — not just sell it.
• Real impact, not just growth: This is about developing safe, sustainable services — not chasing volume.
• Scale with influence: With 30+ years’ experience and national reach, Lifeways gives you the platform to operate with credibility and at pace.
• Disciplined growth: We focus on the right opportunities — ensuring what we win is appropriate, deliverable and sustainable.

What you’ll focus on

• Developing and owning a high-quality pipeline of opportunities
• Building strong relationships with commissioners, NHS and local authorities
• Shaping commercially viable, outcome-led service models
• Leading opportunities through conversion, mobilisation and occupancy
• Working cross-functionally with Operations, Assessment, Quality, Finance and HR to ensure services are deliverable and sustainable
• Acting as a credible external partner and internal advocate for the customer

This is a role for someone who enjoys both building opportunity and seeing it through.

What you’ll bring

You’re a proven Business Development professional who:

• Has experience identifying, shaping and converting new business opportunities
• Builds strong relationships with senior stakeholders and commissioners
• Understands the link between commercial success and operational delivery
• Is motivated by impact and credibility — not just numbers
• Thrives in a role with ownership and visibility

Experience in health, social care or a related sector is highly valuable — but what matters most is your ability to turn demand into deliverable services.

Why join Lifeways

At Lifeways, families are partners, not observers. We are investing in our people, systems and services to strengthen quality, improve outcomes and build sustainable models of care. We also recognise our journey — and are committed to continually improving how we align growth, assessment and delivery to ensure what we promise is what we deliver. For Business Development professionals, that means representing an organisation that is not only ambitious — but increasingly credible in the market. This is growth with purpose.