Business Development Manager - Commercial Finance in Southampton

About The Role

Let’s grow together! A Platinum Investors in People employer and an award‑winning UK bank, focused on growth. Our customers include savers and businesses across the UK and, working together, we use our specialist expertise to help them achieve their ambitions and build a sustainable future. If you're an experienced business development professional who enjoys building relationships, identifying opportunities and helping customers achieve their ambitions, we'd love to hear from you. You'll join a supportive team where your expertise, ideas and development are valued. We’re flexible, inclusive, committed to your wellbeing and passionate about you reaching your potential. Let’s grow together …

Purpose of the role

A field‑based Business Development Manager to pro‑actively manage a database of brokers, vendors, customers and prospects within an agreed vertical or geographical area. The primary focus being new business development within the channels, markets and sectors targeted.

Duties and responsibilities

• Promote the services of Paragon Asset Finance (PAF) to existing customers, new prospects, brokers, manufacturers and dealers within the sectors that PAF operates.
• Act as relationship manager for existing and new PAF broker, vendor and customer relationships as appropriate to the channel.
• Negotiate commercially acceptable transactions with customer key decision makers. Obtain financial and non‑financial information to complete credit applications for sanctioning within the credit process.
• Manage personal activity and pipeline to ensure personal targets are achieved. Ensure timely and accurate reporting of activity and results using CRM and other systems as required and advised from time to time.
• Work as part of a regional team reporting to the Head of Vertical / Regional Sales Director.
• Demonstrate an awareness of competitor activity and market developments and feed these back as required. Contribute to the Regional and wider business development strategy through positive interaction with other members of the PAF team and also the wider SME Lending team.
• Represent PAF at trade exhibitions, events and functions as required from time to time.

About You

Skills

• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to work within a robust team environment.
• Ability to demonstrate ongoing understanding of key performance drivers.
• PC skills to include Excel, Word & PowerPoint.
• Ability to manage self in a constantly changing environment.
• Previous asset finance sales experience within a highly targeted sales led organisation.
• Demonstrate proven success in sales career to date.
• Relevant sector experience for specialist vertical roles.
• Ability to clearly articulate an understanding of the regulatory environment in which an asset finance business operates.

Qualifications and experience

• Will already have attained or be willing to attain Paragon Credit Accreditation Level 2.
• Interpersonal skills will be every bit as important as formal qualifications and the successful candidate will be able to demonstrate and articulate the benefits of both.
• Willingness to travel and overnight away from home when required.

Please note, applicants must have the right to work in the UK. We do not offer visa sponsorship.

Working Hours

Monday to Friday 37.5 hours a week.

Inclusion

As a Disability Confident Employer, we want to ensure that our vacancies are accessible for everyone. If you have a disability, long term health condition or are neurodiverse and need us to adjust our recruitment process please get in touch with our recruitment team.

About Us

What can we offer you?

• Generous Holiday Allowance: Starting from 27 days and climbing to 30, you also get to enjoy a day off for your birthday, Christmas Eve, and New Year’s Eve. You can also buy or sell up to a week’s leave.
• Share Save Scheme: Annually, you have the opportunity to buy shares in Paragon at a discounted rate.
• Profit Related Pay: We share some of our annual profit with our eligible employees.
• Pension Plan: We contribute up to 10% of your annual salary towards your pension.
• Family Friendly policies: We offer enhanced parental pay and paid time off for fertility treatment.
• Employee Discounts: Enjoy exclusive discounts on entertainment, travel, shopping, motoring and more.
• Volunteering Day: Contribute to causes you care about with one volunteering day per year.
• Life Assurance and Personal Accident Cover.

Be flexible

We promote flexibility around how and where we work so that you can achieve a healthier work‑life balance. We operate hybrid working, splitting our week between the office and home.

Be yourself

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome diversity and care about inclusion. That’s why we want you to be your whole self at work. We believe an inclusive workplace is good for each of us, great for our customers and better for our business. Our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Network meets regularly to share challenges, experience, and ideas to build a more equal, diverse, and inclusive business.

Be heard

We listen to your point of view, with our People Forum and regular employee surveys making sure you can use your voice and influence our future.

Be well

We will give you access to a range of tools and resources to support your wellbeing. This will include a digital GP service via our free Employee Assistance Programme, access to our Wellbeing team to connect you with the help you need to get more out of life and our Vitality at Work programme to provide you with discounted gym membership, fitness equipment and another multitude of wellbeing services.

Be better

We want you to reach your potential and, as a Platinum Investors in People employer, we’ll encourage you to learn and develop by building a personalised development plan together with your manager.