Senior Business Development Manager

£46,000 - £48,000 basic salary + Commission

The Key Group serves school leaders and trusts across the UK providing authoritative guidance and intuitive tools that support school leadership. We work across the full diversity of schools and locations, from small rural and coastal primaries to the largest trusts and local authorities in the country.

We recognise that each school and trust is on a journey and school leaders need to identify their specific context, their own path and the next step in that journey. This process requires more than just shared values in a school, it requires the knowledge, data, context and confidence to bring others with you in effecting change.

That's why we're here. We put the power back in the hands of those leading our schools and trusts, by equipping them with remarkable products & services. The Key Group is home to 5 brands, each the leading provider in its category including Arbor, ScholarPack, Integris, The Key and GovernorHub. Nearly 600 colleagues deliver our award winning services and serve 19,000 schools.

The Senior Business Development Manager drives strategic new business growth across a defined portfolio of approximately five hundred multi academy trust (MAT) accounts. This is a senior, highly proactive enterprise sales role requiring substantial experience of selling into MATs, generating business from scratch, and closing complex, multi stakeholder deals at scale.

The postholder shapes and executes trust specific strategies that cut across safeguarding, governance, leadership, AI, and CPD-building deep relationships with executive leaders, operational stakeholders, and influencers to secure enterprise level adoption of The Key's services. They will navigate complicated service and purchasing arrangements, coordinate cross trust engagement, and lead high value commercial conversations with confidence and precision.

While fully accountable for their own portfolio and revenue performance, the Senior Business Development Manager contributes to a high performing, collaborative sales environment-sharing market intelligence, deal strategies, and insights with colleagues across Sales and Customer Success.

Key responsibilities

• Own and lead a defined MAT portfolio, creating and delivering trust level growth strategies that generate sustainable pipeline and accelerate new revenue.
• Build and manage multi stakeholder relationships including CEOs, COOs, Directors of Education, safeguarding leads, and school level decision makers.
• Independently generate new business through targeted outbound activity, sector networking, trust wide campaigns, and strategic introductions.
• Lead the full sales cycle for complex, enterprise value deals, coordinating stakeholders, sequencing conversations, and managing competing priorities.
• Present compelling value propositions and proposals that connect trust strategy and operational priorities with The Key's services.
• Negotiate high value commercial agreements, exploring creative pricing, phasing, and purchasing models suitable for large, diverse trust environments.
• Maintain disciplined pipeline management in Salesforce, producing accurate revenue forecasts, close plans, and stakeholder maps.
• Provide senior level insight on account risk, opportunity, competitive positioning, and sector trends.
• Work closely with Customer Success to surface impact, activate advocacy, and use success evidence to unlock wider trust adoption.
• Represent The Key at MAT conferences, sector events, and senior networking forums to build profile and create new opportunities.

Experience

• At least five years' experience selling directly to multi academy trusts, with a clear record of winning complex, high value, multi stakeholder deals.
• Strong relationship building skills with senior leaders and operational stakeholders across large, diverse organisations.
• Ability to generate business from scratch through targeted outbound activity, campaigns, and sector engagement.
• Confidence leading full sales cycles that involve sequencing conversations, coordinating multiple decision makers, and navigating intricate purchasing or service arrangements.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills suited to C suite audiences.
• Consistent pipeline discipline with the ability to manage forecasts, close plans, and activity in Salesforce.
• High levels of organisation, commercial judgement, and self motivation, with the ability to make sound decisions and progress opportunities at pace.

Nice to have

• Strong autonomy in managing a MAT portfolio, exercising good judgement while contributing to ongoing team planning, collaboration, and reporting.
• High capability with CRM and operational systems-particularly Salesforce, Zuora, and Tableau-with confidence using data and reporting to inform priorities and shape strategy.
• Experience selling SaaS, subscription, or education support solutions to MATs or similar enterprise style public sector organisations.
• Good understanding of the English education landscape, including trust governance, leadership structures, and procurement rhythms.
• Awareness of competitive dynamics within the MAT market and the ability to position value effectively in that context.

Why work for us

We place huge importance on caring for and developing our people. If you join us you can expect a good work life balance and the training and support you need to succeed in your role and continue to progress. We are a socially conscious company, but one that also likes to have fun. We offer a generous holiday allowance, flexible hours, buying and selling holiday, enhanced maternity pay, free breakfast, fruit, and drinks, regular socials and much more.

How to apply

Please upload your CV and covering letter below. In your cover letter please explain why you think you would be right for this role, how your experience fits, and why you would like to work at The Key

The deadline for applications is 5pm on Friday 19th December.