Senior Business Development Executive

Are you an experienced education professional with strong commercial instincts, a passion for sales and the confidence to build influential relationships? We're looking for a Senior Business Development Executive who understands the needs of schools, multi-academy trusts and other education organisations, and can turn that insight into meaningful opportunities.

This could be an ideal sideways move for someone already working with schools or trusts who enjoys developing relationships, spotting opportunities and influencing decisions, but may not currently work in a dedicated sales role. You'll use your education-sector knowledge, credibility and commercial drive to help clients get the very best from our CPS products and services, opening doors, nurturing relationships and championing solutions that make a real impact. This is a home‑based role with travel to client sites, mainly across schools and trusts in the Midlands and the central regions. You can expect to visit customers around 2-3 times per month, with occasional trips to other areas as needed to maintain strong relationships and support their needs.

As part of our commitment to building an inclusive and diverse workforce, we would particularly welcome applications from people who are from Black, Asian and other ethnic minority backgrounds.

What you'll be doing

• developing and progressing business development opportunities across the education sector, with a particular focus on schools, multi-academy trusts and other trust‑led education organisations
• using your knowledge of education clients, their priorities and decision‑making structures to identify needs, shape conversations and build credible relationships with key stakeholders
• identifying new opportunities through proactive market scanning, customer insight, referrals and targeted outreach across calls, email, Teams and face‑to‑face engagement
• leading engaging client conversations and showcasing CPS products and services, drawing on prepared collateral and working with subject matter experts to demonstrate clear value
• building and nurturing relationships with existing schools and trusts to uncover opportunities for growth, including upsell and cross‑sell activity
• taking ownership of opportunities from initial qualification through to handover, coordinating internal stakeholders and ensuring clients receive a consistent, professional experience
• maintaining up‑to‑date knowledge of CPS products, propositions and the wider education landscape to position solutions effectively and respond confidently to client needs
• managing and progressing opportunities through Salesforce, maintaining an accurate pipeline, clear forecasts and full adherence to sales governance

What we're looking for

• experience working within, or closely alongside, the education sector, with a strong understanding of schools, multi‑academy trusts or other trust‑led education organisations
• a genuine passion for sales and business development, supported by evidence of building relationships, influencing stakeholders, identifying needs or creating commercial opportunities, whether gained in a dedicated sales role or through a transferable education‑focused position
• the confidence and credibility to engage senior stakeholders across schools and trusts, ask effective questions and present solutions in a clear and compelling way
• excellent communication, relationship‑building and negotiation skills, with the ability to adapt your approach to different education audiences
• a data‑driven approach, ensuring accuracy and attention to detail when managing pipelines, opportunities and forecasts
• a self‑starter mentality with strong time‑management skills and the ability to prioritise, manage your diary and take ownership of workload independently
• resilience, curiosity and a growth mindset, with the ability to learn quickly and adapt in a fast‑paced commercial environment
• a collaborative, relationship‑focused approach and the ability to work effectively with colleagues across Business Development, Client Engagement, Account Management and subject matter expert teams
• due to travel requirements to client sites, you must hold a valid driving licence
• experience using Salesforce or a similar CRM system

About Capita Growth

Our Growth Function is one of Capita's central functions and is redesigning how we do business. We're improving and standardising our sales processes, and creating consistency in training, technology and knowledge sharing. We're also multi‑lingual, multi‑functional and multi‑talented. Join us and discover better as you empower our sales teams to focus on developing our business.

What's in it for you?

• a salary of up to £40,000 aligned to your experience, plus access to the CPS quarterly bonus scheme based on won opportunities and total contract value
• 23 days' holiday (rising to 27) with the opportunity to buy extra leave
• The opportunity to take a paid day out of the office, volunteering for our charity partners or a cause of your choice
• Auto‑enrolment to our company pension, life assurance, a cycle2work scheme, 15 weeks' fully paid maternity, adoption and shared parental leave, paternity pay of two weeks and plenty more
• Voluntary benefits designed to suit your lifestyle - from discounts on retail and socialising, to health & wellbeing, travel and technology
• Access to our Employee Network Groups, which represent every strand of diversity and allow colleagues to connect and learn from each other on an open, inclusive platform
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Unlock Your Potential with Capita

At Capita, your career can take you wherever your ambition leads. You'll become part of a diverse network of talented, forward‑thinking professionals working across a wide range of disciplines and sectors. We're committed to your growth - offering exciting opportunities to expand your skills, explore new paths, and advance your career.

Join us and discover a career with purpose. #CareersWithPurpose Customer first, always Fearless innovation Achieve together Everyone is valued

At Capita, we're committed to providing an inclusive, barrier‑free recruitment process and working environment for everyone. We want everyone to have the best chance of succeeding as they move through their application and start their career with us. We are an equal opportunity and Disability Confident employer; we want to hear from you if you'd like to discuss any adjustments you might need during your recruitment process. Please email or call and we'll get back to you to discuss.

For more information about equal opportunities and the types of adjustments we can offer, please visit the Capita Careers website.

If you have a question that does not relate to adjustments during your recruitment process, please email our Talent Acquisition team - ta.com

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