Business Development Executive - Scientific Services

Benefits: Employee share scheme and 32 days’ holiday plus bank holidays

Working arrangement: UK remote or hybrid, with visits to our Hampshire laboratory and some business travel

Hours: Full-time, 37.5 hours per week

Reporting to: Sales Team Lead

Help us open doors, win business and build lasting customer relationships

Why does a cream separate? What makes one chocolate feel better than another? Why does a material work perfectly in the laboratory but cause problems on a production line?

At the Centre for Industrial Rheology, we help businesses make confident decisions about complex materials. Our customers develop everything from foods and cosmetics to medicines, coatings and advanced engineering materials. They come to us to understand how their products behave, solve problems and make better decisions.

We’re looking for a curious, organised and proactive Business Development Executive to find new customers and turn useful conversations into business.

The role

Proactive outbound business development is the main focus of this role. You’ll research potential customers, pick up the phone, initiate contact through email and LinkedIn, and follow up consistently to uncover projects where our expertise can help.

You’ll take ownership of suitable opportunities from first contact through qualification, quotation follow-up and securing an order. Our scientific colleagues will help define the technical scope, and you’ll work with our Account Executives on larger or more complex opportunities.

You’ll also reconnect with previous customers, develop relationships across existing accounts and follow up interest from training, events and conferences.

We’ll train you to understand our services, recognise the problems we can help solve and ask useful questions. You’ll have access to experienced colleagues while taking responsibility for keeping your opportunities moving.

What you’ll do

• Research target companies and identify relevant contacts in R&D, formulation, quality and manufacturing.
• Generate new business through regular, targeted outbound calls, emails and LinkedIn outreach.
• Understand customers’ challenges, priorities, decision-making processes and timescales.
• Qualify opportunities and agree clear next steps with prospective customers.
• Work with scientific colleagues to develop appropriately scoped proposals and quotations.
• Follow up quotations, address commercial questions within agreed guidelines and secure orders for opportunities you own.
• Work with Account Executives on larger or more complex projects, maintaining a clear handover and agreed responsibilities.
• Reactivate dormant accounts and identify additional teams, sites and departments within existing customers.
• Attend relevant events, exhibitions and conferences, and turn new connections into productive follow-up conversations.
• Maintain accurate CRM records, an up-to-date pipeline and clear next actions.

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who enjoys initiating conversations, developing relationships and achieving commercial results.

You’ll have:

• Experience in B2B sales, business development or inside sales, including proactive outbound prospecting.
• Evidence of turning outreach into qualified opportunities and contributing to, or personally securing, new business.
• Confidence on the phone and the persistence to follow up professionally.
• Curiosity about how products, materials and businesses work.
• Strong listening skills and the judgement to ask useful questions.
• Clear, concise written communication.
• Good organisation and ownership of your pipeline and commitments.
• The ability to work independently while staying closely connected with colleagues.
• A constructive approach to coaching and feedback.

Experience with scientific services, laboratory supplies, ingredients, manufacturing, engineering or other technical markets would be useful. We also welcome applicants from other sectors who can demonstrate the relevant skills.

You do not need a science degree or previous knowledge of rheology. You do need the ability and enthusiasm to learn enough about our work to have credible, useful customer conversations.

What success looks like

You’ll create a consistent flow of qualified opportunities and convert the opportunities you own into orders. You’ll also contribute to larger wins through effective collaboration with our Account Executives and scientists.

We’ll agree clear targets for outbound activity, qualified pipeline and revenue, reflecting your responsibilities and initial training period. Regular coaching and pipeline reviews will help you improve your approach and results.

What we offer

• £40,000–£44,000 on-target earnings, including a performance-related incentive.
• Participation in our employee share scheme, subject to scheme terms and eligibility, offering the opportunity to share in the company’s future success.
• 32 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays.
• Remote or hybrid working, with agreed visits to our laboratory in Warnford, Hampshire, for training, collaboration and team activities.
• Some business travel to industry events, exhibitions and conferences, with occasional overnight stays.
• Training in our services, customer applications and approach to business development.
• Direct access to experienced scientists and commercial colleagues.
• A small team where your ideas and contribution are visible.
• Opportunities to build deeper expertise and increasing commercial responsibility as the company grows.

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