Business Development Lead - Housing in Coventry

We’re building thriving communities as one of the UK’s largest housing groups and a leading developer of affordable housing. We believe everyone is entitled to a good home they can afford, in a place they are proud to live. More than 100,000 people live in our homes. If you want to experience work that’s truly rewarding, join us. Because when we achieve together, customers and communities thrive.

The role Orbit is delighted to be recruiting for a Business Development Lead to join us in this newly created role. As the Business Development Lead, you will improve the lives of Orbit customers and create thriving communities by leading strategic partnership development, income generation and commissioning activity that delivers social value and measurable outcomes. You will lead the business development of Orbit’s Community Hubs portfolio to diversify and maximise investment and expand hub provision across Orbit’s seven geographical regions, providing end-to-end leadership to support the procurement and delivery of new business opportunities and the evolution of Orbit’s Better Days programme. This role is part of our Customer directorate where you'll help us to lead the way in keeping our promise to more than 100,000 customers.

What you'll achieve

• Strategic Partnerships Leadership: Build and maintain a balanced, high‑value pipeline working with the Fundraising and Partnerships Manager across corporates, trusts/foundations, statutory bodies and delivery partners; lead opportunity qualification, prioritization and resourcing.
• Responsible for Neighborhoods and Communities Directorates investment and business development plan to enable our Better Days support, community hubs and other provision meets the needs of our customers.
• Place and Community Hubs (Better Days Hubs) portfolio, business planning and inward investment: Lead on developing and growing Orbit’s portfolio of Place and Community Hubs (including Better Days Hubs), building proactive national partnerships with statutory, third sector and supply chain partners to enhance the offer to customers and communities.
• Identify and secure external investment and new funding streams (including funding bids, contracts and partner contributions) to deliver new hub‑based partnerships, pilots and programmes, working with internal teams to develop strong cases for support.
• Provide end‑to‑end leadership to support the Better Days partnership and ensure the procurement of new Better Days services is progressed from needs analysis and co‑design through to tender, award, mobilization and in‑life delivery.
• Governance, Performance and Team Leadership: Provide line management and/or functional leadership for partnership/commissioning activity (as applicable), including coaching colleagues, coordinating project resources and ensuring consistent standards.
• Travel across Orbit geography as required to support partner engagement, service mobilisation and assurance activity.

What you'll bring

• Significant experience of proactive partnership working and relationship management, including securing income and external investment that delivers social value and measurable outcomes (including experience developing fundable propositions and business cases).
• Experience leading income generation, business planning and portfolio development for Place and Community Hubs and/or community assets, including securing external investment to expand provision across geographies.
• Demonstrable experience leading commissioning/procurement activity for services (from design/specification through to mobilisation and delivery), including working effectively with procurement and legal colleagues.
• Strong understanding of compliance and assurance requirements relevant to partnership and commissioned services (e.g., due diligence, data protection, safeguarding, brand standards and, where applicable, procurement regulations).
• Ability to travel as required, including occasional evening/weekend working.
• Proven ability to lead complex, cross‑functional work programmes, influencing senior stakeholders and driving delivery through others.
• Knowledge of housing, customer welfare/community investment, and/or statutory/government funding landscapes.
• Experience of commissioning, procurement or contract management within a regulated environment (including experience contributing to procurement documentation and evaluation).

Why Orbit?

Choosing us means being rewarded in every sense. Here’s what you can expect to enjoy with us:

• A rewarding experience that works for you: We strive to create an inclusive experience with benefits and wellbeing programmes designed to help you, and your loved ones, to thrive. For a better work life balance, we offer flexible working opportunities for many roles.
• A place to progress: From training programmes to professional qualifications, we provide opportunities to learn and develop at every stage of your career. Whether you’re a student, graduate or experienced professional we’ll support you to grow.
• A purpose to feel proud of: We’re proud to make a difference to people together. We’re values‑driven with a commercial focus on performance – because the more profit we make, the more we can achieve for people.

We aim to make our hiring process simple and fair: Online application, Interview(s), Decision and offer. We put the safeguarding of our customers, colleagues and contractors at the heart of everything we do and as such, certain roles will be subject to a DBS check.