Head of Business Development

Head of Business Development

Hours; Full time (37 hours each week, all year-round)

Duration; Permanent

Salary; £47,712 a year + benefits

Location; Cross College role (Rotherham College & Dearne Valley College, Rotherham and North Notts College, Worksop)

About the Role

RNN Group is seeking an ambitious, strategic, and results-oriented Head of Business Development to join our Employer Partnerships team. In this pivotal senior commercial leadership role, you will shape regional workforce strategy, drive commercial growth, and secure high-value employer partnerships across South Yorkshire and North Nottinghamshire.

Blending strategic commercial vision with hands-on operational sales delivery, you will lead market intelligence analysis, sector alignment, and strategic account acquisition. You will directly drive sales activity and pipeline conversion with key regional employers and SMEs while managing a high-performing team of Skills Consultants. Your team will ensure robust CRM governance, strategic sales planning, and performance accountability to achieve ambitious revenue targets aligned with the RNN Group Stakeholder Engagement Strategy 2026-2030 and Local Skills Improvement Plans (LSIPs).

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Commercial Planning & Pipeline Management: Lead regional sales strategy and operational market planning, driving end-to-end pipeline governance, account expansion, conversion tracking, and high-value revenue performance across regional employer accounts, SMEs, non-academy levy clients, and inbound commercial leads.
• Team Leadership & Performance Management: Direct, inspire, and performance-manage a team of sector-focused Skills Consultants, establishing strategic sales targets, rigorous KPIs, and coaching frameworks across apprenticeships, commercial short courses, adult skills provision, and work placements.
• Direct Sales Delivery & Employer Engagement: Maintain direct operational sales activity and strategic relationship management with key regional employers, holding personal accountability for securing major apprenticeship accounts and driving high-impact commercial training delivery.
• Market Intelligence & Sector Growth: Analyse macroeconomic trends, regional labour market intelligence, and skills requirements-including DTEC employer engagement-to formulate targeted market penetration strategies across construction, engineering, health, social care, and emerging green/technical industries.
• Cross-Departmental Collaboration: Partner strategically with senior internal stakeholders, including the Head of Future Ready and the Employer Academy Lead, to align strategic workforce planning, rationalize employer intelligence, prevent client duplication, and ensure a seamless employer journey.
• Compliance & Quality Governance: Oversee the operational and compliance output of Recruitment and Enrolment Officers, ensuring all sales documentation, apprenticeship contracts, levy reservations, and onboarding lifecycles adhere strictly to ESFA compliance, funding regulations, and internal quality frameworks.
• CRM Analytics & Executive Reporting: Drive CRM optimization, employer segmentation, and predictive pipeline reporting, providing executive-level dashboards and commercial analytics to the Director of Business Development and Apprenticeships.
• Quality Standards & Regulatory Compliance: Embed Group quality standards, data protection protocols, and safeguarding regulations across all employer engagement, account management, and student placement operations.

What will you need?

Qualifications

• Degree or Higher-Level Qualification: Required in a relevant subject area.
• Literacy & Numeracy: Level 2 Literacy and Numeracy (or equivalent, e.g., GCSE C/4 or above).

Experience

• Commercial Leadership: Proven track record in strategic business development, commercial leadership, and regional workforce planning within Further Education, training providers, or corporate B2B environments.
• Strategic & Operational Balance: Demonstrated ability to balance strategic commercial planning with direct operational sales execution and key employer relationship management.
• Team Management: Proven track record of managing and coaching target-driven sales teams to consistently exceed commercial revenue, levy acquisition, and recruitment KPIs.
• Market Penetration & Compliance: Experience in SME market penetration, strategic account management, commercial pipeline governance, and ESFA/onboarding compliance.

Knowledge, Skills & Attributes

• Funding & Sector Acumen: Deep understanding of FE funding, apprenticeship levy rules, adult funding streams, and commercial training markets.
• Negotiation & Analytics: High-level strategic negotiation, executive stakeholder management, consultative closing skills, CRM analytics, pipeline modelling, and executive performance reporting.
• Cross-College Collaboration: Ability to work flexibly, collaboratively, and constructively across cross-college departments.
• Professional Integrity: Professional, confidential, and highly ethical approach with a high degree of integrity and flexibility.

We understand that not all candidates will perfectly match every qualification or criterion listed. If your experience differs from what we've outlined but you believe you can contribute to this role, we encourage you to apply!

Department Info

As the Head of Business Development, you serve as a senior commercial manager within the Employer Partnerships Team, reporting directly to the Director of Business Development and Apprenticeships.

• Proactive Outbound Sales Leadership: You lead