Commercial & Business Development Manager in London

Are you ready to drive the commercial future of a vital public service and deliver excellence at scale? Hackney is seeking an ambitious, results-driven Commercial & Business Development Manager to take the lead in transforming our Environmental Services commercial portfolio. This is a pivotal, high-impact role for a strategist who can balance commercial acumen with the values of a public sector organisation. We aren’t just looking for a manager; we are looking for a business leader to shape our commercial strategy, maximise income, and set a new standard for our waste and environmental services.

The Challenge: Leading Commercial Innovation

You will be accountable for the financial health and strategic growth of our commercial operations, ensuring that our services are not only high-performing but financially robust. This role offers the opportunity to lead a dedicated team and drive meaningful change:

• Strategic business development: Identify and secure new commercial opportunities, expanding our portfolio in waste collection, special events, and ancillary services.
• Commercial leadership: Directly lead and mentor a team of Commercial Sales and Contract Processing Officers, fostering a high-performance, customer-focused culture.
• Financial oversight: Take total accountability for budget preparation, income maximisation, debt recovery, and accurate forecasting, ensuring the service represents the best value for money.
• Digital transformation: Lead the procurement and implementation of innovative IT and mobile working solutions to drive efficiency, data integrity, and informed decision-making.
• Performance & compliance: Benchmark our pricing and performance against private and public sector competitors, ensuring full legislative compliance with the Environmental Protection Act and internal standards.

What You Will Bring:

• Commercial acumen: A proven track record in developing commercial strategies, managing budgets, and identifying growth opportunities, ideally within the waste or environmental sector.
• Leadership excellence: A demonstrable ability to provide vision and direction to a team, managing performance with clarity and driving accountability.
• Strategic thinking: The ability to translate complex data into actionable business plans and lead transformational change programmes.
• Communication & influence: A professional style that generates credibility and respect among senior management, elected members, and external stakeholders.
• Operational readiness: Proficiency in IT management systems and a full UK Driver’s Licence, with the flexibility to work occasional out-of-hours shifts as business needs dictate.

Are you ready to make your mark? We are looking for a dynamic, resilient, and commercially-minded leader who wants to work in a place where your skills directly benefit the residents of Hackney. You will be instrumental in shaping the future of our public realm, ensuring that our commercial services are sustainable, innovative, and market-leading.

If you want to work in an environment where your expertise delivers real-world results and supports the Council’s corporate objectives, we encourage you to apply. Join us to shape a commercially sustainable future for Hackney.

If you want to work in a place where you can represent our values so we achieve the best for our residents, please click on the apply button.

As a Council, our most outstanding asset is our staff, who are highly dedicated to serving our residents and committed to our goals as an organisation.

We operate a fair and open anonymous selection process. Therefore, we do not accept supporting statements or CV’s. To proceed with your application, you will need to create an account and submit your application. As part of the application process, you will need to complete a number of competency based questions. These questions allow you to demonstrate your suitability for the role and provide examples of your skills, knowledge and experience outlined in the job description.

We understand the benefits of using AI in the workplace. However, if you are thinking of using this tool to submit your application, we ask you to think about what value it will add. AI tools tend to lack the personal touch and authenticity we value in candidates. We encourage you to showcase your unique knowledge and skills using your own voice.

Closing date for applications: 17 August 2026 (22:59).

Interview and assessment date: 08 & 11 September 2026.

We are also working towards our vision, which is to be a place for everyone; where residents and staff can be proud. In order to achieve this, we are seeking individuals who embody our "PROUD" values: Purpose and Respect, where we foster belonging through active inclusion, kindness, and open dialogue; Ownership, where we champion proactive collaboration and accountability for our shared success; and Unity and Diversity, where we work as one Council to break down silos and champion anti-racist behavior.

Hackney Council works to eradicate discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, and sexual orientation. We also recognise that people can be disadvantaged by their social and economic circumstances, so we will also work to eliminate discrimination and disadvantage caused by social class. We also welcome those interested in flexible working. We particularly welcome applications from disabled people, as this group is currently under represented in our workforce.

The Council has a dedicated employment support service (Hackney Works), which offers Hackney residents guidance in relation to applying for jobs. If you are thinking about applying for a job, please contact the Hackney Works team to find out what support is available.