At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive growth and support Franchisees to achieve operational excellence.
- Company: Join a leading franchise network in the drainage industry.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development, and a supportive work environment.
- Other info: Collaborative culture with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Make a real impact by helping businesses thrive and succeed.
- Qualifications: Experience in Business Development and strong analytical skills required.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE As Lead Business Development Manager, you will be the primary link between Franchise Business Owners and Head Office. Your role is to drive sustainable growth, profitability, and operational excellence across the franchise network while helping to coach and support the other Business Development Managers, as required. You will partner closely with Franchisees from onboarding through launch and ongoing development, ensuring they operate in line with the business model, achieve financial targets, and continuously improve performance.
KEY OUTCOMES
- Profitable, high‑performing Franchisees aligned to the business model
- Strong, trusted relationships between Franchisees and Head Office
- Early identification and turnaround of underperforming businesses
- Consistent use of data, KPIs, and insight to drive decision‑making
- A capable, engaged Business Development team sharing best practice
Key Responsibilities
Franchise Performance & Growth
- Analyse Franchisee businesses with a strong focus on profit, margin, and efficiency
- Partner with Franchisees to develop and deliver robust business plans
- Monitor KPIs, sales pipelines, and operational performance to drive growth
- Proactively manage underperformance with early intervention and turnaround planning
- Set, review, and support sales, growth, and customer service standards
Financial & Commercial Insight
- Build and review financial models, P&Ls, and performance dashboards
- Identify opportunities to improve profitability and operational efficiency
- Provide meaningful insight and analysis to support Franchisee decision‑making
- Prepare reports for Senior Management highlighting trends, risks, and opportunities
Franchise Development & Onboarding
- Support new Franchisees through training, launch, and early development
- Oversee setup activities including vehicles, uniforms, stationery, and systems
- Support transitions of cluster areas into successful Franchisee operations
- Accompany Franchisees on customer appointments where appropriate
Leadership & Coaching
- Coach, mentor, and motivate Franchise Business Owners to maximise performance
- Provide best practice guidance to Franchisees and the wider BDM team
- Collaborate closely with colleagues across Marketing, Finance, and Operations
- Support and contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the network
Systems, Standards & Governance
- Ensure Franchisees operate in line with company standards and brand expectations
- Deliver training on in‑house systems to improve productivity and efficiency
- Maintain accurate, timely performance data and reporting
- Positively promote company policies and ways of working
Strategic Projects & Brand Partnership
- Partner closely with the Brand Leader to support the development and delivery of strategic initiatives across the franchise network.
- Translate brand and strategic objectives into practical, scalable actions for Franchisees and where appropriate the wider Business Development team.
- Provide operational insight and commercial challenge to strategic projects, identifying risks, opportunities, and implementation considerations.
- Act as a key conduit between strategy and execution, ensuring initiatives are effectively embedded within region and as appropriate across the network.
- Support the rollout of new processes, systems, and ways of working, ensuring consistency with the Brand and Franchise model.
Best Practice & Continuous Improvement
- Champion a continuous improvement mindset across the franchise network and Business Development team.
- Identify, develop, and share best practice to drive performance, efficiency, and customer outcomes.
- Regularly review Franchisee performance to identify trends, capability gaps, and improvement opportunities.
- Lead by example in adopting and promoting data‑led decision making and performance insight.
- Encourage innovation while ensuring alignment with company standards, brand values, and governance requirements.
Experience
Essential
- Proven experience in Business Development, Sales, or Commercial Leadership
- Strong background in business planning, data analysis, and performance management
- Demonstrable P&L and commercial acumen
- Experience working cross‑functionally (Marketing, Finance, Operations)
- Confident using CRM systems, Excel, Teams, and PowerPoint
- Right to work in the UK with full UK driving licence
Desirable
- Experience working within a franchise environment
- Experience within the drainage or related service industry
Skills / Competencies
- Strategic thinker with strong commercial judgement
- Highly analytical with the ability to turn data into action
- Excellent relationship builder and influencer
- Confident negotiator with the ability to close and drive outcomes
- Strong problem‑solver who acts quickly and decisively
- Able to manage multiple priorities in a fast‑paced environment
ATTRIBUTES
- Collaborative, supportive and driven style with the ability to have challenging conversations
- Passionate about coaching, mentoring, and developing others and their businesses
- Self‑motivated and comfortable working with autonomy
- Solutions‑focused, resilient, and adaptable
- Committed to helping Franchisees succeed while protecting the brand
Business Development Manager - Drain Doctor (South East) employer: Neighbourly
At Drain Doctor, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and supportive work culture. As a Business Development Manager in the South East, you will have the opportunity to drive meaningful growth while coaching Franchisees to success, all within a dynamic environment that values continuous improvement and innovation. With a strong focus on employee development and a commitment to operational excellence, we offer a rewarding career path where your contributions directly impact the success of our franchise network.
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We think this is how you could land Business Development Manager - Drain Doctor (South East)
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We think you need these skills to ace Business Development Manager - Drain Doctor (South East)
Some tips for your application 🫡
Highlight Your Analytical Skills:In the business intelligence field, showcasing your analytical skills is a must. Make sure your CV includes relevant experience with data analysis tools, programming languages like SQL or Python, and any projects where you've interpreted complex data sets to drive business decisions.
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Tailor Your Documents for Us:When applying for a full-time role at Neighbourly, tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect our organisational goals and strategies. Mention specific tools and methodologies that align with what we do—this shows you’ve done your homework and are genuinely interested in our mission!
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✨Show off your analytical skills
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✨Portfolio of Projects
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✨Know their business model
Get familiar with Neighbourly’s business model and recent data-driven decisions. Be prepared to discuss how your skills can specifically support their objectives or challenges. Understanding their landscape shows that you’re not just a data buff, but you’re also genuinely interested in how BI can impact their bottom line.
