Business Development Manager

Job Title: Business Development Manager

Salary: c£51,000 per annum (negotiable based on experience) + comprehensive benefits package

Jisc grade:CRG3 (internal use only)

Job Type: Permanent

Hours: 35 hours per week

Reports into: Head of Product

Working style: Hybrid - A blend of working from home and your nominated hub office. We have hubs located in London, Bristol, Manchester and Oxford.

About Jisc:

For 30 years Jisc has pioneered digital solutions for UK education and research, transforming how knowledge is created, shared and used.

We are uniquely positioned to protect, promote and lead the sector in digital and data transformation, making a difference to students, communities and society. Together, we are

working to build a better digital future for education and research.

Raise your potential at Jisc through our culture of lifelong learning. At Jisc, we're all about growth, so embrace new challenges, sharpen your skills and shape a career that excites you.

About the team

The Research Management team sits at the heart of Jisc’s mission to support education and research for the public good. We design and deliver trusted data services, platforms and community-led solutions—such as Open Policy Finder, Library Hub and Equipment Data—helping research and library communities to thrive.

Our work enables institutions to make research more open, discoverable and impactful. We support libraries and research offices in navigating complex policy and compliance landscapes, managing scholarly collections responsibly, and using data to inform decision-making across the research lifecycle.

By bringing together sector data, standards and insight, we play a vital role in the wider research ecosystem.

Joining the team means:

• Collaborating with universities, libraries, funders and sector partners
• Solving real-world challenges that matter to the research community
• Contributing to services that deliver value not just to individual institutions, but to society as a whole

The role:

This is a newly created role, offering a unique opportunity to join at a pivotal stage and help shape the future growth and long-term sustainability of Jisc’s research and library services portfolio.

Reporting to the Head of Product, the Business Development Manager will drive sales growth and build strategic partnerships across key international markets, with a particular focus on North America and Europe. You’ll play a critical role in expanding the reach and adoption of Jisc’s services across academic and adjacent sectors.

You’ll take a consultative approach to sales, understanding complex customer needs and positioning solutions that deliver real value. Managing your own pipeline, you’ll be confident working across a diverse product portfolio—leading demonstrations, responding to stakeholder requirements and closing opportunities.

Key aspects of the role include:

• Growing and nurturing strategic partnerships, while identifying new opportunities in emerging markets
• Developing and delivering a targeted sales plan, underpinned by market insight and clear prioritisation
• Achieving commercial targets and supporting the long-term sustainability of the portfolio
• Collaborating closely with product, marketing and international partners to align activity and maximise impact

You’ll also act as a strong voice of the customer—bringing market insight back into the organisation to inform product development and influence future direction.

What you’ll be doing:

In this role, you will:

• Proactively identify and develop new markets while growing existing sales across Jisc’s research and library services portfolio
• Build and strengthen relationships with international sales partners, while identifying and onboarding new partners to support expansion
• Develop a deep understanding of the challenges facing higher education institutions, libraries and research offices—particularly in areas such as collections management, research outputs and institutional knowledge systems

What we are looking for:

Essential experience

• Proven experience in B2B technology sales, covering both new business development and account management
• Strong track record of closing new business and managing opportunities through a structured sales pipeline
• Experience generating leads and developing opportunities from prospect through to conversion
• Demonstrated success working with international stakeholders across different markets and regions

Desirable experience

• Understanding of the research lifecycle, scholarly communications or library systems
• Experience working with data, analytics or research management solutions
• Previous people management or team leadership experience
• Familiarity with Salesforce.com or similar CRM systems

Skills & personal qualities

Essential

• Highly organised, self-motivated and able to manage priorities effectively
• Comfortable working towards and exceeding sales targets
• Confident using and engaging with technology products and solutions
• Proven ability to work effectively within a remote or distributed team

Desirable

• Demonstrable track record of consistently exceeding commercial targets

Qualifications & training

Desirable

• Formal sales training (e.g. Miller Heiman, SPIN, or similar methodologies)

We are constantly changing and evolving at Jisc, so this job description just gives a flavour of what the role involves. It will change as our operations develop

Don’t meet every single requirement?

We know that sometimes people can be put off applying for a job if they think they can’t tick every box, so we encourage you to apply even if you do not meet 100% of the requirements, but if you feel this role is perfect for you. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles!

Hybrid working:

Specific patterns for working in the office are not mandated, and the frequency of time worked in the office is agreed with your manager. Meeting in person is something we value, so you may need to travel on occasion to any of our hub offices.

Why work for us?

At Jisc, every role is meaningful, and every individual is valued. We foster a culture of continuous learning and personal growth, offering opportunities to develop new skills and make a real impact in education and research. With a strong focus on work-life balance, we embrace flexible working that prioritises outcomes over hours, empowering you to create a rhythm that energises both your professional and personal life.

Our Guiding Principles:

Jisc’s culture is powered by our four guiding principles: putting customers first, driving innovation, creating impact, and championing inclusive collaboration to deliver sustainable outcomes and shape a better future.

Discover the amazing benefits we provide! Here’s what you can look forward to:

• Flexible work pattern, which can adapt to suit your schedules and personal commitments
• 31 days annual leave (plus bank holidays) that includes three closure days over Christmas
• Buy up to an additional 5 days leave during the flexible benefits window
• Generous flexible pension schemes
• A range of wellbeing lifestyle benefits including company paid health care cash plan, mental health first aiders and support
• A company culture of continuous learning with access to thousands of LinkedIn Learning courses, and lots of resources and opportunities to support your development
• Allocated allowance of up to £250 to equip your home office
• Financial well-being support including access to preferential loan and savings plans, mortgage advice, will writing tools and support and resources to help you make the most of your money
• A wide range of discounts and cashback from retailers and big-name high-street stores
• Family friendly policies including enhanced parental, maternity and paternity and co-parental leave as well as opportunity for career breaks
• Support your volunteering with up to 3 days volunteer leave

Equity, diversity and inclusion:

Jisc believe our people make all the difference in cultivating an inclusive culture that welcomes ideas, encourages innovation, and values belonging.

We work hard to create an equitable experience for our candidates and workforce which embraces all aspects of their identity including race and ethnicity, religion and belief, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, trans identities, age, class, disability, neurodivergence, or veteran status.

Application process:

Please let us know how we can best accommodate you throughout the recruitment process. We’re committed to making our process accessible and comfortable for everyone - just tell us what works best for you.

Just so you know, we review CVs as soon as we can and aim to provide an update on your application within 4 weeks of receiving it. However, you may hear from us a lot sooner, so please keep an eye out for our emails or calls!

We’re really looking forward to getting to know the real you. While we encourage the use of AI tools to help you get started on your CV or cover letter, we encourage you to review your application before submitting. Make sure it truly reflects your own voice, experiences, and personality.

If you are currently a Jisc employee, please apply through your Dayforce Employee profile.

We have a thorough background screening process that verifies the details you share with us in your CV and your application. Any inaccurate information supplied during the application stages can lead to a job offer being withdrawn.

Sponsorship:

Jisc has an active sponsor licence to recruit on a Skilled worker visa basis. Candidates wishing to apply who require sponsorship should determine the likelihood of obtaining a Certificate of Sponsorship for the role by assessing their circumstances against the relevant Home Office criteria. Jisc does not offer any financial re-imbursement towards the applicant costs, such as re-location, skilled worker visa and dependant costs or the immigration health charge.

No agencies please.