Role advertised: Business Development Manager, Cornwall Innovation Centres
Employer: University of Plymouth Enterprise Ltd, a wholly owned subsidiary of University of Plymouth
Direct Line Management: 3 x Centre Events Assistants
Salary August 2025: £40,000 p.a.and enhanced benefits.
Workplace location: Treliske, Pool or Tremough, Cornwall with occasional option to Work from Home.
Hours: Permanent full-time role 37.5 hours per week. 08.30 to 17.00 Monday to Friday
Please note use of a car is essential as the role requires travel between Innovation Centre locations in Cornwall. Free parking is offered at each Innovation Centre
Role Summary:
University of Plymouth are seeking to recruit an individual with exceptional sales and client relationship skills to join their successful team who manage the three Cornwall Innovation Centres on behalf of Cornwall Council. These Innovation Centres provide quality flexible office space for high growth early-stage businesses plus meeting and conference facilities. The BDM is responsible for identifying all new business as well as maximising revenue from existing customers.
Reporting to the Head of the Cornwall Innovation Centres, the BDM will be part of the local Management Team and will be the Line Manager for the Event Assistant located in each Innovation Centre responsible for booking and hosting events and conferencing. In total, annual Revenue across all three Innovation Centres amounts to approximately £2million pr annum.
The BDM will need to create and deliver an effective, customer friendly marketing strategy to create a sales pipeline of potential customers for each of the Cornwall Innovation Centres.
The BDM will be responsible for generating and co-ordinating all sales related enquiries, showing prospects our facilities and negotiating with interested parties for the various services offered by the Centre. This includes both new and renewing existing customers. You will be responsible for keeping all sales related material up to date including the website and following an appropriate Sales process.
You will identify potential new markets and develop new sales leads via promotional activity involving social media and attending local business networking events and opportunities.
As well as having excellent communication skills we are seeking an individual who has a collaborative work style and is used to working as part of a team.
Key Accountabilities:
- Create an effective pipeline of client enquiries for each of the three Cornish Innovation Centres
- Ensure the delivery and continuous development of an effective and flexible marketing plan aimed at generating new enquiries.
- Responsible for Line Managing the three Centre Events Assistant’s to ensure all events and conferencing activity is managed and delivered appropriately as part of each Centres operational activities
- Co-ordinate all business development activities across the Centres and part of a collaborative management team responsible for implementing local strategy.
- Ensure that customer contract renewals are dealt with in a timely and effective manner and the commercial terms are adjusted appropriately in support of the Centre’s existing and potential business opportunities.
- Possessing strong sales skills and responsible for negotiating and agreeing customer rental terms.
- Can analyse data to recognise trends and present financial and written reports
- Liaise with new and existing stakeholders to support referral routes, client interaction and engagement and business opportunities
- Provides excellent customer service and a solution provider
- Collaborates with colleagues and peers across the Centres and the wider University to plan and achieve joint projects and objectives
- Ensures all activities undertaken are compliant with the University’s Safety Policy
- Acts in a way that demonstrates the University’s commitment to Equality and Diversity for staff, students and partners
Measures of Success:
- Achieving key priorities and objectives agreed from time to time with UoPEL’s performance such as average occupancy targets
- Ensuring that the Centres have up to date Enquiry pipelines.
- Meeting or exceeding the sales performance targets
Knowledge, Education & Training:
- Numeracy and literacy at secondary education level (or demonstrable equiv exp)
- Educational attainment at further education level (or demonstrable equiv exp)
- Advanced working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications Marketing (or similar)
- Professional qualification – desirable
Experience:
- Experience of working in a commercial sales and marketing role at a similar level
- Developing sales enquiries including the successful conversion to purchase
- A working knowledge of social media as part of a marketing tool kit
- Liaising with customers face to face/by telephone/in writing
- Working both independently and as part of a team
- Working in a dynamic customer service environment
Skills:
- Ability to prioritise and self-manage Ability to work as part of a team
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills Strong social media/ website development skills Sales and marketing
- Ability to build excellent customer relationships
- Ability to think creatively in a business context
University of Plymouth Behaviours:
- Demonstrates Self-Leadership
- Develops self and others to deliver Leads and operates effectively in times of change and ambiguity
- Builds and secures value from relationships
- Drives innovation and action
- Creates and contributes to a shared vision
- Demonstrates sound business judgement
Special conditions:
- It is expected that this role will require flexibility and extended working hours in order to engage fully with the business community and networks to ensure that the centres are successful.
- You will need to be able to regularly and independently travel between sites from time to time.
APPLICATION PROCESS
To apply please click here.
Application deadline 14th September 2025.
For further information on any aspect of this role please call the Centres Manager Matt on 07720 946692 in confidence
Applicants considered to be potentially suitable for this role will be invited to attend an informal interview via Microsoft TEAMS w/c 15th September.
Formal face to face panel interviews will take place w/c 22nd September with a view to appointing w/c 6th October subject to Notice.