Senior Client Manager in Bristol

Job Title: Senior Client Manager

Department: Consultancy and Research

Location: Bristol Office with hybrid working available

Pay Scale: £60,000 - £65,000k depending on experience

Contract: Permanent

Hours: Full Time (37.5 hours per week, 7.5 hours per day.)

The Workforce Development Trust

The Workforce Development Trust (WDT) is a not-for-profit organisation that provides services that support employers to develop skilled, sustainable, and efficient workforces in the UK and abroad. We operate via our five brands; Skills for Health, Skills for Justice, SFJ Awards, iCQ Awards and People 1st International, which deliver specialist, targeted skills interventions to support a variety of frontline public services.

Job summary

As part of The WDT, our Consultancy and Research (C&R) division exists to create lasting, measurable impact for the clients and sectors we serve, through our brands Skills for Health, Skills for Justice and The WDT. Guided by the Trust’s overarching vision (to support the development of a competent, resilient and effective workforce that delivers better outcomes for the public) we integrate professionalism with purpose to deliver change that matters.

In C&R, we firmly believe lasting impact comes not just from what we deliver, but how we work with our clients and colleagues - with passion, innovation, respect, and integrity. We commit to combining consultancy subject matter expertise with mission-driven values, to create meaningful change across the UK workforce landscape.

We’re looking for a Senior Client Manager to join The WDT and take the lead on some of our high-impact accounts across multiple sectors, including health and care, justice, emergency services, local government, and wider public and third-sector organisations. This is your opportunity to help drive sustainable workforce

transformation across the UK, shaping the future of workforce strategy and service delivery.

As a respected not-for-profit organisation with strong Sector Skills Council heritage, The WDT combines a business-minded approach with a charitable focus, offering you the chance to contribute to meaningful, system-level improvements, while leveraging the strong existing reputation of well-established, trusted national brands.

You’ll be joining a cause-driven business development team working on strategic, high-profile projects that have a direct and lasting impact on patient outcomes and workforce sustainability. This role provides a unique opportunity to operate at the intersection of consultancy, innovation, and strategic influence, designing bold and future-proof solutions to workforce challenges across multiple sectors.

You will lead and manage strategic client partnerships and engagements, and be seen as a trusted partner, working closely with senior stakeholders to maximise value, demonstrate clear return on investment, and embed meaningful, system-wide change.

To thrive in this role, you'll bring:

• At least five years’ experience in consultative sales or strategic account management, ideally within complex, high-value environments
• A strong existing network within one or more key public service sectors (such as health, justice, education, or local government) and a deep understanding of how these systems operate.
• A clear vision for how innovative consultancy can enable sustainable workforce improvements and wider system resilience.

In return, we’ll empower you to lead with confidence to deliver high-impact solutions that transform services and create long-term value. You’ll be part of a team that values ambitious thinking, creative problem-solving, and measurable impact, working in a fast-moving, purpose-driven environment where new ideas are encouraged and your contribution truly matters.

What is the impact of the role on the business?

The Senior Client Manager will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of workforce strategy across the UK health and care system. Their work will directly drive:

• Revenue growth through consultative sales and strategic account management.
• Market positioning of Skills for Health and The WDT as leading providers of workforce consultancy services.
• System-wide impact by leading engagements that influence patient outcomes and workforce sustainability at a national level.

Key business skills necessary for the role?

• Consultative Sales & Strategic Account Management - Ability to build long-term partnerships and translate complex client needs into tailored consultancy solutions.
• Proposal Writing & Tendering- Experience in preparing and delivering high-quality, commercially viable tenders and proposals.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Negotiation - Comfortable working with senior NHS and healthcare leaders to develop trust-based relationships.
• Strategic Thinking & Business Planning - Proven ability to align business development activity with wider organisational goals and sector priorities.
• Commercial Acumen - Understanding of financial controls, risk management, and return on investment (ROI) in a consultancy or public sector setting.

What does the daily work look like?

A typical day may include:

• Client Engagements: Meeting (in person or virtually) with NHS Trusts, ICS/ ICB leaders, or healthcare commissioners to discuss workforce strategy needs.
• Proposal Development: Leading on the creation of tailored consultancy proposals or contributing to tender documentation.
• Internal Collaboration: Working with subject matter experts, project delivery, and marketing teams to shape impactful solutions.
• Account Management and Planning:
  Managing pipelines, forecasting revenue, and updating CRM systems.
• Strategic Thinking: Scanning the policy environment, identifying new opportunities, and feeding insights into service delivery / design.
• Travel: Attending client meetings, stakeholder events, or conferences across the UK

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Business Development

• Develop and implement robust, regionally and sectoral aligned business development plans in line with strategic objectives.
• Identify, qualify, and convert new business opportunities into secure high value contracts, to deliver against pipeline and revenue targets.

Client & Strategic Relationship Management

• Establish and maintain trust-based relationships with key stakeholders across the public and third sectors.
• Leverage your existing professional networks to uncover and expand strategic opportunities, quickly building credibility and rapport.

Strategic Account Leadership

• Lead the strategic oversight and account planning of complex, high-value client relationships with a focus on long-term impact and revenue growth.
• Collaborate with delivery teams to design and deliver custom, high-end consultancy workforce solutions.

Consultative Selling & Tendering

• Lead the preparation and submission of high-quality bids, tenders, and business proposals, ensuring alignment with client needs and WDT / C&R strategic goals.
• Support or lead negotiations, secure commercial agreements, and prepare internal business cases.

Innovation, Insight & Influence

• Continuously horizon scan to identify emerging workforce trends, strategic challenges and policy developments affecting our clients and sectors.
• Provide clients with insightful, forward-looking advice, helping them make informed decisions about their workforce strategies.

General Requirements

• High degree of autonomy and ability to work independently with minimal supervision.
• Regular travel across the UK will be required.
• Ability to manage complex workloads and competing priorities, including developing proposals, responding to tenders, and handling client-facing responsibilities.

Please download full JD here and our job pack here.

Please include your CV and cover letter explaining why you would be suitable for this role.

This job requires some days in the office.

Only apply if you currently have a valid right to work in the UK.

Please note only shortlisted candidates will be contacted

We reserve the right to alter the closing date before the one stated.

Benefits:

• Generous annual leave entitlement up to a maximum of 28 days, plus public holidays and a potential Christmas closure
• Flexible working - 50% working from home with a dress for your day approach
• Staggered start and finish time
• Employee referral recruitment scheme
• We provide enhanced leave, bereavement, carers, maternity, paternity and sickness leave.
• Health and wellbeing benefits, access to our mental health first aiders, a confidential employee assistance programme, free eye tests and payment for an annual flu jab
• Enhanced pension scheme, with a contribution matching up to a combined 12%, and the option to join the Salary Exchange Pension Scheme along with death in service coverage at three times annual salary.
• Flexible employee benefits, portal including a cycle to work scheme
• Buy annual leave scheme
• Organisational development days and departmental training budgets
• Payroll giving, this is a tax-free way to donate to any charity, good cause or place of worship

The Workforce Development Trust is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes everyone.

If your experience differs a little from what is outlined in the job description, or you are missing a desired qualification, yet you think you can bring value to this role, please apply, we would like to hear more about you.

We strongly encourage people of all gender, religion, ethnic backgrounds, sexual orientation, and individuals with disabilities to apply.

If you need any reasonable adjustments at any point, please let us know. In your application, please feel free to advise on your preferred pronouns, for example she/her, he/him, they/them etc.

The Workforce Development Trust appreciate any applications that include cover letters explaining why they would be suitable for this role.

Closing date: Sunday 20th September 2026