Business Development Lead in London

Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

Location: London

Contract type: Fixed Term 12 Months

ScreenSkills is the national skills body for the UK’s screen industries - Film, TV, Animation, VFX and Games. We train the people who make the shows the world loves, and support continued growth and future innovation across the country by investing in the skilled and inclusive workforce critical to the UK screen industries’ global success. We provide insight, career development and other opportunities to help people get into the industry and progress within it.

Role purpose: The Business/Commercial Development Lead is primarily responsible for identifying, developing, and delivering business development opportunities which drive revenue growth. Tasked with developing strategic and commercial partnerships, strengthening the organisation’s income generating opportunities, and contributing to the long-term financial sustainability of the charity by building ScreenSkills’ unrestricted income. This role is suited to a commercially astute person with strong relationship-building and commercial partnership skills. A deep understanding of the media and entertainment landscape is essential: a background which demonstrates transferable business development experience from either professional services, skills development or the third-sector, with a strong interest in the creative industries could be equally relevant.

Key responsibilities:

• Business/commercial development strategy
• Devise and implement a business/commercial development strategy to drive revenue growth, increase market share of existing products/services, and maximise profitability/central contribution.
• Monitor emergent market trends, technological developments, and regulatory changes, using insights to inform strategic positioning and focus opportunity targets.
• Identify, track and develop new business opportunities across the media and entertainment industry, targeting both established and emerging screen-industry sub-sector markets, to appropriately leverage ScreenSkills existing resources, IP and assets.
• Contribute to the development of financing opportunities that arise via public funding grants, trusts and foundations, events and donations, strategic partnerships and corporate sponsorships.

Planning, presenting and reporting:

• Build, Develop and maintain a strong sales pipeline of prospective unrestricted revenue generation opportunities, working under the remit set by the COO, CEO and FD, to progress suitably selected prospects across multiple screen-industry sub-sectors.
• Produce high-quality business cases, pitches, proposals and presentations of our work to prospective commercial and industry partners.
• Lead on the development of both existing and new revenue-generation projects, products, and/or commercial opportunities in line with strategic objectives.
• Develop costed financial models that reflect market opportunities, cost structures and contribution-margin targets.
• Report accurately and informatively on pipeline prospects, projects in development and rolling project deliveries, measuring performance against agreed KPI targets.

Partnerships & Negotiations:

• Build, manage, and nurture relationships with key stakeholders, including broadcasters, production companies, digital platforms, and strategic partners.
• Lead commercial negotiations and secure agreements that deliver mutually beneficial outcomes.
• Oversee contract management in collaboration with legal and finance teams to ensure accuracy, compliance, and commercial value.
• Actively contribute to funding bids, partnership tenders and proposals.

Collaboration & Communication:

• Work closely with internal teams to identify, develop and deliver integrated funding/revenue initiatives.
• Prepare and deliver high-quality presentations, pitches, and proposals to prospective clients and partners.
• Represent the organisation professionally at meetings, industry events, and international engagements as required.

Essential skills and experiences:

This role is suited to an experienced, commercially astute business development professional with strong relationship-building and commercial partnership skills. A deep understanding of the media and entertainment landscape is essential, with a background which demonstrates transferable business development experience from either: professional services, skills development or the third-sector, with a strong interaction within the creative industries could be equally relevant. You will demonstrate proven experience in opportunity identification, pipeline development, sales, and commercial strategy, with the ability to quantify potential value of a range of opportunities, negotiate effectively, and deliver measurable revenue growth. Strong communication skills, commercial awareness, and confidence working with senior stakeholders are essential.

Essential Experience:

• Proven experience in business development, sales, or commercial development within media and entertainment, third-sector or Learning and Development environments, with a strong knowledge of the creative sector landscape.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to identify and capitalise on new opportunities.
• Proven experience which demonstrates good financial literacy in financial forecasting/modelling and budget management.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
• High-level of pitching and presentation skills in a business development context.
• Strategic mindset with strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally, as required.
• High level of organisation, self-motivation, and ability to manage multiple priorities.

Desirable:

• Proven fundraising and income generation experience via partnerships and/or consortia engagement with public funding bodies.
• Advanced qualifications relevant to commercial management or strategy.
• Established industry network.
• Experience working across multiple global markets.

Corporate responsibilities of all ScreenSkills personnel:

• Take ownership of, and contribute to, internal and external communications activity both in their job role and as part of ScreenSkills’ overall strategic objectives.
• Demonstrate a personal commitment to embracing and promoting ScreenSkills’ positive approach to the achievement of acceptance, openness, and equality of opportunity at work for people from under-represented groups (e.g. such as those with disabilities and global majority backgrounds).
• Promote and develop individual and organisational activities which support and enhance environmental sustainability and health and safety objectives.
• Establish good working relationships with both internal and external customers and provide a high-quality service which meets their needs.
• Support yours and your colleagues’ activity through a commitment to effective and correct use of corporate tools and resources, including the ScreenSkills’ intranet for internal communications and authorised systems for contact management.

ScreenSkills is committed to diversity and equality of opportunity in all aspects of our work. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups such as returning parents or carers who are re-entering after a career break, women, people who are LGBTQ+, minority ethnic groups, with a disability, impairment, learning difference or long-term condition, with caring responsibilities, from different nations and regions, from a less advantaged socio-economic background as well as any other under-represented group.

This job description is not intended to be either prescriptive or exhaustive. It is issued as a framework to outline the main areas of responsibility at the time of writing.