Head of Strategic Partnerships

Full time hours (however there can be some flexibility for the right candidate).

Salary: Competitive + OTE + Benefits.

Distinct Cremations, Cannock, Staffordshire – Hybrid work is available; however, depending on your location, this could be remote with ad hoc travel to the office. Initial 6 month FTC with scope for permanent opportunity.

We’re looking for a highly commercial and hands-on business development leader with a proven track record of originating and closing strategic partnerships within Insurance / financial services, specifically across IFA distribution channels. This is a high impact, hands-on role with real ownership — you will be responsible for building a new revenue channel from the ground up, working directly with the Managing Director.

The role Distinct is entering its next phase of growth, with a strategic priority to build scalable third-party distribution. We are seeking an experienced in IFA Business Development to lead this agenda, owning the identification, negotiation, and activation of institutional and intermediary partnerships. This is a senior, hands-on commercial role with a clear mandate to open doors, shape propositions, and close agreements. The initial focus will be on Independent Financial Advisers, with scope to expand into adjacent channels over time.

What success looks like in the first 12 months:

• Material impact on revenue growth and the long-term distribution model of the business.
• A clearly defined and prioritised partner pipeline across IFAs.
• Signed distribution agreements with high quality partners – at least one in each channel.
• Early revenue flowing through partner channels, with clear unit economics and scalability.
• Credibility established with senior external stakeholders and internally across product, marketing, and operations.
• A repeatable partnership model that can be scaled and, over time, supported by additional resource.

This rewarding opportunity involves:

• Identify, target and secure new institutional and intermediary partners across IFAs, banks and building societies.
• Lead end to end partnership discussions, including proposition design, commercial negotiation, governance approval, and contract close.
• Develop partner value propositions aligned to partner needs, customer outcomes, and regulatory context.

Commercial and strategic contribution:

• Work with the Managing Director and executive team to shape Distinct’s partner distribution strategy and channel economics.
• Own revenue targets and commercial performance for partner led distribution.
• Build robust business cases for new partnerships, including volume assumptions, contribution, and operational implications.

Cross functional delivery:

• Collaborate closely with marketing, product, legal, compliance and operations to onboard, launch and activate partners effectively.
• Ensure partnerships are operationally viable, compliant and deliver a high-quality customer experience.
• Track and report pipeline, conversion, and performance metrics to the executive team.

Future build:

• Establish the foundations for a scalable partner model, with the potential to build a small team as volumes grow.

About you:

• Previous experience in a Senior Business Development Management role specifically building and growing strategic partnerships with IFA networks.
• Comfortable working in an FCA regulated sector (for example, Funeral Plans, Insurance plans / Financial Services etc).
• Proven track record of originating and closing complex B2B or B2B2C partnerships.
• Experience working with IFAs, financial institutions, or similarly structured intermediaries.
• Experience working in growth businesses, scale ups or transformation contexts is strongly preferred.
• Strong commercial judgement and commercial negotiation capability.
• End-to-end deal ownership.
• Credible and confident with senior stakeholders.
• Structured, resilient, and persistent, able to manage long sales cycles.
• Hands on, delivery focused mindset with low tolerance for ambiguity.
• Collaborative and pragmatic, able to get things done across functions.

You’ll need to pass a DBS (criminal record) check to be considered for this role.

What We Offer:

• In addition to salary, you will also be eligible for the following benefits:
• 33 days holiday (includes bank holidays).
• Pro rata Life Assurance.
• A choice between 7% employer pension contribution or 5% contribution + private healthcare cover (Bupa).
• Ongoing learning.