Business Development- Category Lead (General Building Materials) in Exeter

Business Development Manager – Category Lead (General Building Products)

Location: Exeter

Role Type: Senior commercial/category leadership

Role Summary

This role leads the commercial growth and strategic development of the General Building Products division. This is a broad, high-volume category supporting multiple phases of construction, from structural works through to internal fit-out and finishing.

The ideal candidate combines strong knowledge of general building materials with well-established relationships across merchants, contractors, and manufacturers, and can build a competitive range that delivers both commercial value and reliability of supply.

Required Sector Experience (Essential)

Candidates must have demonstrable experience in at least several of the following product areas:

• Cement, lime, sand, aggregates
• Bricks, blocks, and masonry units
• Mortars, renders, and plaster
• Plasterboard, drywall, and partition systems
• Fixings, fasteners, and building sundries
• Thermal and acoustic insulation materials
• Timber, sheet materials (plywood, MDF, OSB), and structural ancillaries
• Fire protection boards and associated products

Experience working with:

• General builders’ merchants
• Specialist distributors (drylining, insulation, timber)
• Housebuilders, main contractors, or fit-out contractors
• Manufacturers of building materials or structural components

Key Responsibilities

Commercial Growth & New Business

• Identify and win new customer accounts across builders, developers, main contractors, interior fit-out specialists, and general construction firms.
• Develop a robust pipeline across housebuilding, refurbishment, commercial construction, and public-sector projects.

Supplier Ecosystem Development

• Build strong relationships with manufacturers and distributors of cementitious products, masonry materials, plasterboard systems, insulation, timber, and structural products.
• Conduct supplier site visits to review production capability, quality standards, stockholding, and logistics reliability.
• Negotiate pricing structures, rebates, terms, and exclusivity opportunities.

Category Development

• Develop a scalable and commercially competitive product range aligned to demand across structural works, internal partitions, drylining, insulation, timber, and general building essentials.
• Identify missing ranges and recommend new products based on margin potential, compliance gaps, and customer demand.
• Monitor trends such as off-site construction, new insulation technologies, and fire safety regulation changes.

Market Intelligence

• Gather insights on availability issues (e.g., cement shortages, plasterboard supply), competitor pricing, seasonal peaks, and emerging building regulations.
• Provide structured data and feedback to inform purchasing, pricing, and category expansion.

Field Representation

• Represent the General Building Products category at trade shows, supplier open days, merchant events, and contractor visits.
• Engage directly with installers and site managers to understand usage patterns, challenges, and opportunities to simplify procurement.

Attributes & Skills

• Deep credibility in general building materials and construction supply chains.
• Strong hunter mindset with a track record of securing significant new business.
• Able to interpret building product specifications, fire ratings, insulation values, fixings requirements, and installation methods.
• Commercially sharp, negotiation-focused, and margin-aware.
• Comfortable managing a wide product portfolio covering both heavy and light building materials.
• Field-driven, proactive, and confident travelling UK-wide to develop supplier and customer relationships.

Sound interesting? Apply today.