Business Development Manager - Independence Group South Division

This is a fantastic opportunity within our Independence Group for a Business Development Manager to be accountable for the performance of the Independence Group in our South Region, working directly with the Head of our Independence Group to embed the overall group strategy. 

You will be responsible for building firm relationships with existing Independence Group Members. Identifying business opportunities, developing effective models and strategies to improve business performance, searching for potential clients to generate income and attract partnerships, working effectively with internal key areas of the business to achieve set targets. 

What will be your key responsibilities? 

• Build relationships and carry out business analysis to identify areas of financial growth. 
• Conduct research and obtain feedback to support the overall strategy. 
• Improve and provide ongoing support for existing members of the Independence Group 
• Drive sales of in-house products and services 
• Deliver against set targets and KPI’s. 
• Attend and play a key part in the Independence Group conferences. 
• Grow the Independence Group membership in-line with the recruitment strategy, arrange business meetings with prospective members. 

What competencies we are looking for? 

• Communication & Interpersonal; Highly skilled communicator with solid negotiation skills and a desire to build strong, mutually beneficial business relationships. 
• Collaboration Skills; team player 
• Negotiation & Persuasion skills; tactful, diplomatic, wins hearts, minds and trust. 
• Project Management Skills; goal-focused 
• Research & Strategy; strong research and strategic analysis 
• Computer Skills; proficient Microsoft office 
• Business Intelligence and commercial awareness; competitor analysis, latest economic issues in the industry 
• Creative skills: new ways existing opportunities could be developed or finding completely new routes to market. 
• Analytical skills; business performance metrics 
• Excellent Organisational skills 
• Sales Management 

What experience we are looking for? 

• Experience of working in a similar role or have 5+ years’ experience working in a Leadership role within the travel industry. 
• Be able to demonstrate a strong management track record, showcasing your experience and having the ability to adapt to your audience. 

 About Us 

As the UK’s largest independent travel agency, Hays Travel specialise in providing good value, quality holidays alongside excellent customer service. We work with all leading suppliers and can package holidays that include hotels, flights, cruises, tours, attraction tickets, and more. We have over 470 Branches throughout the UK and our Head Office based in Sunderland, is home to tour operator teams, finance, marketing, people/HR and IT, plus many more. We have been operating for over 40 years and continue to grow each year. 

Our values 

Our SMILE values are embedded into our Company and ensures our teams work strongly together. You and all of our colleagues will ensure that the Hays Travel values are demonstrated at all times. 

• Supportive 
• Motivational 
• Innovative 
• Loyal 
• Excellent 

What it’s like to work for us? 

Whichever location or department you work in, our people are always at the heart of everything we do. We offer a range of training programmes to help you progress personally and professionally, as we know the benefits of promoting and rewarding our hardworking colleagues are extremely important. 

Of course, it's not all about work, we're very sociable and there are always lots of team nights-out and company parties. Plus, there are opportunities to travel abroad on educational trips, and you can also take advantage of our colleague discount when booking your own holidays. 

Hays Travel is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of all colleagues. As an accredited employer provider of apprenticeships, we undertake basic checks through the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) to ensure the safety of our apprentices for relevant roles.