Senior Business Development Manager
About Us
Creative Lives in Progress is a social enterprise and inclusive creative careers resource, on a mission to transform the way emerging talent access, understand and connect with the industry. We encourage greater transparency and representation within the creative working world by sharing advice and insight, highlighting entry-level opportunities, as well as hosting events that bring talent and industry together. We were founded 8 years ago by the team behind It’s Nice That; aiming to make a lasting impact on the creative industry.
The Role
This role is the key driver of new leads and commercial opportunities at Creative Lives in Progress. This role works closely with the co-founder to bring in new partners who want to recruit from our community and support emerging creative talent.
We’re at a key moment in the growth of the platform, having launched in the US in 2025 and with ambitious impact goals for the years ahead, and need someone to help us realise those ambitions. You’ll lead the charge in bringing in new commercial partners, help shape our collateral, set-up and organise our sales pipeline and drive growth in the organisation.
Key Responsibilities
Develop and execute sales strategies for bringing on new company partners to the platform – suggesting improvements and builds on our approach when necessary
Strategically identify, source and contact new sales leads - both through proactive outbound outreach and incoming opportunities
Set-up and manage a CRM of potential leads and opportunities day in, day out
Maintaining the prospects and opportunities for CLIP in the relevant databases, and supporting the Co-Founder on company forecasting and reporting
Keep sales collateral up to date and relevant
Report regularly on pipeline value and lead progress
Meet and develop relationships with potential leads
Developing and delivering partnership decks and formal client proposals
Pitching to clients and agencies at a high level
Feeding into development of annual new business strategy, lead by the Managing Director and Co-Founder
What We’re Looking For
Skills:
Brings a proactive and dedicated approach to finding and bringing in new opportunities for the business
Well organised and a good prioritiser; making sure outreach is beneficial and valuable for the organisation
Excellent relationship builder and communicator both orally and in writing
Good negotiator and empathic ear to our clients; understanding their needs, and desires to build suitable offers to benefit them
Adept at data and trend analysis to focus strategies and approach to new business
Good relationship manager; able to be a confident representative of Creative Lives in Progress, as well as empathic to the needs of potential clients
Excellent communicator and presenter
Good collaborator and able to work with different internal departments successfully
Experience Level:
Suitable experience driving B2B sales in a creative led organisation.
Proven track record in selling directly to creative companies / agencies is preferred
Experience managing a pipeline of UK leads, ideally with some US experience too.
Deep understanding of the workings and roles in the creative industry
A black book of existing contacts to open new doors for CLIP partnerships is preferred
Behaviours and Mindsets:
Proactive with the ability to prioritise and progress work without supervision, and manage a pipeline of opportunities.
Good people skills that builds strong relationships with both clients and internal team
Ability to bring ideas forward in a collaborative team setting
Excellent written and verbal communicator
A passion for making social and community impact in the creative industry
Willingness and desire to learn, improve and develop personally and professionally
Benefits
23 days annual leave
Flexi-time hours
Enhanced sick leave
20 days Remote Work from Anywhere
Mental health support via our EAP
Health cash plan
5 week paid sabbatical after 5 years
Christmas shutdown period (5 days off)
Cycle to Work scheme
Learning and Development programmes
Key Details
Salary: £46,000
Contract: Full Time & Permanent
Seniority Level: Senior
Reports to: Co-Founder
Application deadline: 20th February (though we do review applications on a rolling basis and may close this advert early if we receive a high volume of strong candidates. We encourage you to apply as soon as possible)
Interviews from: w/c 23rd February
Start date: ASAP
Hours: 9am to 5.30pm (flexible hours between 8am - 6pm)
Location: Hybrid - 2 days based in our London studio on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the rest of the week at home
Please note that we are unable to provide sponsorship for this position, so candidates must have the right to work in the UK.
Do you want to join our team? Then we'd love to hear about you!
We encourage all candidates to apply. We know that some people - especially women and those from underrepresented backgrounds - may be less likely to apply unless they meet every requirement listed. If you're excited about this role but not sure you tick every box, we'd still love to hear from you. Your unique experiences and perspectives could be just what we're looking for!
- Remote status
- Hybrid