Business Development Manager, The 93% Club
£51-60k
Senior and Expert level
London
Transforming what it means to be state educated in Britain
Posted today
Transforming what it means to be state educated in Britain
201-500 employees
B2C
Posted today
£51-60k
Senior and Expert level
London
201-500 employees
B2C
Company mission
To transform what it means to be state-educated in the UK.
Role
Who you are
- You are likely to be an experienced business development professional with corporate development experience
- You may come from corporate partnerships, business development, sponsorship, membership, philanthropy, fundraising, recruitment, talent, ED&I, CSR, ESG, early careers, professional services, social enterprise or another relationship-led commercial environment
- You will be commercially sharp, strong sales/revenue generating background but values-led. You will understand how to generate income, but also why the income matters
- You may have your own inspiring story connected to social mobility, state education, access, ambition or opportunity. Perhaps you know what it means to enter rooms that were not designed for you. Perhaps you have built a career by opening doors that were not already open. That lived experience is not essential, but it would bring real power and authenticity to the role
- What matters most is that you believe in the mission, can build senior trust quickly, and have the gravitas to represent The 93% Club at the highest levels
- Senior experience in commercial leadership, corporate development, strategic partnerships, business development, income generation, sponsorship, membership or philanthropy
- Proven ability to build relationships with senior stakeholders, including CEOs, boards, HR Directors, People Directors, Talent leaders, ED&I leaders, founders, donors and corporate sponsors
- Experience shaping commercial propositions, pricing models, partnership packages or service offers
- Strong understanding of social mobility, inclusion, early careers, workplace access, ED&I, ESG, CSR or social impact
- Experience building pipelines, converting opportunities and managing income targets
- Ability to lead and support others, providing direction, structure and accountability
- Strong communication, storytelling and influencing skills
- Commercial discipline, including forecasting, reporting, pipeline management and performance tracking
- Confidence operating in fast-moving, evolving environments where not everything is already built
- High emotional intelligence and sensitivity to power, privilege, representation and authenticity
- Passionate about widening access to opportunity
- Proud to amplify the #StateSchoolProud message
- A senior relationship builder with warmth, credibility and presence
- Commercially astute and strategically minded
- Comfortable opening doors and holding conversations at CEO and board level
- Able to build infrastructure from the ground up
- Excited by pace, growth and ownership
- Thoughtful about the difference between meaningful action and performative inclusion
- Low ego, high integrity and extremely driven
- Someone who can carry the CEO’s vision with passion, clarity and conviction
What the job involves
- This is a business development role for someone who wants to build something meaningful with impact
- The Business / Corporate Development role will lead and drive forward the development of strategic relationships with organisations across the UK, from SMEs and scaling businesses to major employers and global corporates
- You will help shape how The 93% Club engages with businesses, how we package and price our services, how we build long-term partnerships, and how we create sustainable income that supports our mission
- You will manage and provide strategic direction on corporate partnerships. You will work closely with the CEO and senior leadership team to align commercial activity with the organisation’s mission, financial plans, impact goals and long-term growth
- This is not a traditional business development role. It requires someone who can build trust, read the room, navigate senior stakeholders, and understand the power dynamics and optics around social mobility with care and intelligence
- The right person will carry the mission with passion and commercial conviction. They will be able to open senior-level doors, represent the organisation externally with gravitas, and stand alongside the CEO in rooms where influence, judgement and credibility matter
- Develop and lead the corporate development strategy for The 93% Club
- Shape the commercial roadmap, identifying priority markets, sectors, partners and routes to income
- Provide strategic input into pricing, productisation, proposition development and the evolution of services
- Develop commercial models that support both sustainable income and meaningful social impact
- Work with the CEO, COO and senior leadership team on budgeting, forecasting, income planning and growth priorities
- Build and develop long-term strategic relationships with organisations across the UK, from SMEs to large corporates and global employers
- Engage senior stakeholders across CEO, board, HR, Talent, ED&I, ESG, CSR, People, Brand, Communications and leadership teams
- Position The 93% Club as a strategic partner for organisations seeking to improve social mobility, access to talent, early careers, inclusion and workforce diversity
- Translate corporate interest into meaningful, commercially sustainable partnerships
- Ensure partnerships are authentic, deliverable and aligned with The 93% Club’s mission and values
- Lead the development and refinement of corporate partnership propositions
- Help productise services into clear, compelling and commercially attractive offers
- Develop pricing models, partnership tiers, sponsorship opportunities and engagement packages
- Ensure the offer is easy for businesses to understand, buy and champion internally
- Use market feedback to continuously refine messaging, value proposition and commercial offer
- Open doors and build trusted relationships with senior decision-makers
- Navigate complex organisations and stakeholder groups with confidence and emotional intelligence
- Understand the priorities, pressures and internal dynamics of different businesses and sectors
- Build relationships that are long-term, values-led and commercially productive
- Represent The 93% Club externally with professionalism, passion and credibility
- Build and maintain a strong pipeline of corporate, membership and philanthropic opportunities
- Create practical systems and processes to track relationships, opportunities, income, pipeline movement and performance
- Support forecasting, reporting and board-level visibility of commercial activity
- Bring commercial rigour without losing the warmth and authenticity of a relationship-led organisation
- Use data, insight and market intelligence to improve performance and decision-making
- Help communicate The 93% Club’s mission in a way that is compelling, human and commercially relevant
- Work with marketing and communications colleagues to ensure partnership messaging is clear, bold and aligned to the brand
- Support the creation of pitch decks, proposals, sponsorship materials and partner communications
- Help businesses understand that social mobility is not just a moral issue. It is a talent issue, a leadership issue, a reputation issue and a future workforce issue
- The successful candidate will help The 93% Club:
- Build a clear, scalable commercial engine
- Develop senior relationships with SMEs, corporates, global organisations and major employers
- Shape the corporate partnership proposition, pricing and service model
- Align corporate partnerships, memberships and philanthropy into a joined-up growth strategy
- Build a strong pipeline of income-generating opportunities
- Convert senior relationships into long-term partnerships
- Strengthen commercial sustainability
- Increase the visibility and credibility of The 93% Club with senior business audiences
- Create partnerships that deliver value for organisations and real impact for state-educated people
Salary benchmarks
Our take
Talent in Britain has never been an issue, but access has, and that's why the 93% club exists. Despite signs of progress, power and influence still largely sit with the 7% who were privately educated, while many state-educated people face exclusion and pressure to change who they are in order to succeed. The organisation was created to challenge this imbalance, recognising that these experiences are structural problems, not personal shortcomings.
The 93% Club is building a nationwide network for state-educated students and graduates, offering mentoring, career support and a sense of belonging. By recreating the advantages of elite alumni networks without the barriers, it gives members access to guidance and opportunities that are often taken for granted elsewhere. And through research like the Big State School Survey, it also brings visibility and credibility to issues around class and culture that are too often ignored.
At a time when the class divide in the UK is widening rather than shrinking, the 93% Club feels more important than ever. Its impact goes beyond individual success, helping to build workplaces and leadership that are more representative and socially aware. As it grows, the real potential lies not just in opening doors, but in changing what happens once people walk through them.
Freddie
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Company
Company benefits
- 28 days holiday + bank holidays
- Birthday off
- Christmas closure
- Private healthcare
- Annual team away day
Company HQ
Lambeth, London, UK
Leadership
Sophie Pender
(Founder & CEO)Previously, Sophie was a Corporate Lawyer for Bates Wells. Prior to that, she was a Trainee Solicitor and Associate at Herbert Smiths Freehills.
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