Business Development Manager (12-Month FTC) Central Sales & Marketing · voco Zeal Exeter Scienc[...]

voco Zeal Exeter Science Park isn’t a standard hotel and this isn’t a standard sales role. We’re looking for a target-driven Business Development Manager to focus exclusively on driving and securing group and project business for voco Zeal, one of the UK’s most distinctive and forward-thinking hotels. This is a 12-month fixed-term contract, created to test the impact of dedicated, senior sales resource on one property. For the right person, it’s an opportunity to make a visible, measurable commercial impact with autonomy, trust, and support behind you.

About the role

This role sits within Valor Hospitality’s Central Sales & Marketing team, working in close partnership with the hotel’s General Manager and the on-property Director of Sales & Marketing. After an initial induction and immersion of understanding the product, the story, and what makes voco Zeal different you can be based anywhere in the UK. What matters is results, relationships, and presence when it counts.

Your focus will be on:

• Identifying and securing new business across a mix of business segments: corporate group, sports groups, entertainment groups, and project group business from accounts not managed by the central Sales and Marketing team and IHG.
• Exploring additional incremental revenue opportunities from existing clients.
• Building a strong pipeline through proactive research, outreach, and relationship-led selling.

This is a role for someone who enjoys autonomy, thrives on targets, and knows how to open doors.

What you’ll be doing

You’ll:

• Proactively research and identify group and project opportunities using tools such as Salesforce, LinkedIn, Glenigan, and market intelligence.
• Generate business through a mix of telesales, virtual meetings, face-to-face appointments, attending networking events and presentations.
• Build strong relationships with corporate clients, project teams, and account stakeholders.
• Work closely with the hotel’s Director of Sales and Marketing, Valor and IHG account managers to maximise opportunities from existing relationships.
• Secure site visits and familiarisation visits for the hotel team, while maintaining ownership of follow up and conversion.
• Identify wider opportunities for other Valor-managed hotels that may materialise naturally as a bi-product of your sales activity and outreach.
• Track and deliver against clear KPIs, including room nights, accommodation revenue targets, incremental revenue for M&E and F&B spend.

Your success will be measured on results.

Who this role is for

This role will suit someone who is:

• A self-starter and self‑motivated, who doesn’t need close supervision to perform.
• Confident operating nationally, while building credibility on the property.
• Commercially curious, tenacious, and motivated by targets.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Experience selling to a wide mix of industry specialists and business segments.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to build rapport and trust quickly.
• Familiarity with global hotel brands and structured sales environments and processes.
• A proactive, resilient mindset with a genuine passion for hospitality.

You don’t need to live in Exeter but you do need to be willing to spend time there to truly understand the hotel, the market, and the opportunity.

Why join Valor Hospitality?

Valor Hospitality is an award‑winning international hotel management company with a strong reputation for empowering its people and backing good ideas. You’ll benefit from:

• A national, high‑impact role with real autonomy.
• The chance to shape and prove a new commercial approach.
• Strong collaboration with experienced hotel and central sales leaders.
• Exposure to a unique, sustainability‑led hotel concept.
• A culture built on trust, pace, and doing things properly.

Inclusion & flexibility

We’re proud to be an inclusive employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, or would like to discuss flexible working arrangements, we’re open to that conversation.

Interested?

If you’re a commercially sharp Business Development Manager who enjoys opening new doors, building meaningful client relationships, and delivering tangible results we’d love to hear from you. Apply now and be part of something genuinely different.