Business Development Manager, UpSkill
+ Commission + Bonus schemes
Digital skills training
Be an early applicant
Digital skills training
101-200 employees
Be an early applicant
+ Commission + Bonus schemes
101-200 employees
Company mission
To provide world-class learning solutions that equip those in need with the skills, confidence and pathways to success.
Role
Who you are
- This role is ideal for a confident hunter who thrives on building relationships from the ground up and is motivated by opening doors and winning new clients
- Proven experience in business development or sales roles, preferably in a start-up, scale-up, or consultancy environment
- Strong understanding of market research, lead generation, and client relationship management
- Excellent negotiation and communication skills, with a track record of successfully closing deals
- Ability to develop and execute business development strategies that drive revenue growth
- Experience in building and maintaining strategic partnerships
- Demonstrable success in achieving sales targets and driving business growth
Desirable
- Knowledge and expertise in social impact, learning & development, diversity & inclusion, digital upskilling
- Examples of implementing new processes to optimise efficiency or deliver best practice
- Experience with LinkedIn Sales Navigator
- Competent using G-suite, Hubspot and Slack
- Comfortable with adhering to DACI/RACI for role clarity
What the job involves
- We are looking for a driven and entrepreneurial Business Development Manager to lead the growth of Upskill Universe by generating new business through self-sourced opportunities and outbound outreach
- You will play a pivotal role in executing our commercial strategy, with a focus on client diversification and profitable growth
- Using a highly targeted, value-based sales approach, you’ll leverage our Future Skills content and learning solutions to address the evolving needs of decision-makers in high-growth industries, particularly across talent, skills, and inclusion
- Proactively identifying and pursuing new business opportunities, primarily through cold outreach (email, LinkedIn, calls, and events)
- Building a pipeline of qualified prospects and developing relationships from first contact to close
- Understanding the unique challenges of each client and crafting tailored solutions aligned with their learning, upskilling, and inclusion goals
- Engaging stakeholders across HR, L&D, D&I, and leadership teams to demonstrate the value and impact of our offer
- Contributing to the evolution of our BD processes and reporting tools to drive visibility and forecast accuracy
- This is a new business-first role — success will come from your ability to independently generate, nurture, and convert new leads
- You’ll be expected to take ownership of your territory, bring energy and initiative, and help shape the way Upskill Universe reaches and engages future partners
Application process
- Contact: Gori Yahaya
Salary benchmarks
Our take
With the goal to ensure all businesses and individuals feel empowered in the digital age, UpSkill is a digital skills training agency, offering courses on areas from digital marketing and Google Analytics to social strategy and G Suite.
Hundreds of millions of technology jobs will be created in the coming years, yet nearly 40% of the UK's working population lack digital skills. UpSkill is determined to fill this skills gap by working with startups to help develop their digital presence. UpSkill’s consultancy stands out due to its tailored approach, which sees end-to-end, bespoke in-house training courses for teams.
UpSkill notably devotes resources to amplifying and accelerating Black talent due to the glass ceilings they've historically encountered. Some of its initiatives have included The Career Amplification Programme UpSkill hosted with HSBC in order to empower Black professionals at the bank, providing them with increased confidence about their career progression. This focus on empowering black communities has not gone unnoticed, founder Gori Yahaya was awarded the Black Founders Fund grant in 2023 for his work to bridge the digital skills gap.
Kirsty
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
-2% employee growth in 12 months
Company
Company HQ
Temple, London, UK
Leadership
Gori Yahaya
(Founder & CEO)Previously co-founded The Digital Collective and SportStylist, and acted here as CMO. Experience in various roles with Google Juice Bar, Evoke Group, Kreate, MKTG, and Cuckoo: Design.Digital.
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