Business Development Manager

Business Development Manager

Location:  hybrid / Peterborough or Huddersfield

Department:  Commercial

Contract type:  Permanent

About the role

We’re looking for a  Business Development Manager to join our team and be the primary driver of new customer acquisition for FleetScout, responsible for identifying, engaging, and converting prospective customers across the fleet, transport and logistics sector.

The Business Development Manager will be the primary driver of new customer acquisition for FleetScout and AutoPad AVI, responsible for identifying, engaging, and converting prospective customers across the car dealership and fleet rental sector.

Working in close partnership with the Solutions Engineer, the Business Development Manager will lead the commercial relationship from initial outreach through to signed contract — owning the full sales cycle. The Solutions Engineer will provide analytical and technical support, building the business case and ROI model, while the Business Development Manager leads the customer relationship, manages the opportunity, and closes the deal.

This is a hunter-led role for someone who thrives on winning new business, building relationships at all levels of a customer organisation, and is motivated by the commercial opportunity to sell a product with a clear, data-backed return on investment. The FleetScout/ AutoPad AVI proposition sells itself to the right customer — the role is to find those customers, open doors, and guide them through a structured, value-led sales process.

Activate Group is a growing UK business with 1,000+ team members nationwide. This is an exciting opportunity to build a long-term career with a company that values its people and offers genuine development and progression opportunities.

Key responsibilities

New Business Development

• Proactively identify, target, and engage prospective customers within defined market sectors including fleet operators, transport and logistics businesses, vehicle rental companies, dealership groups, and related industries.
• Build and maintain a healthy, well-qualified pipeline of new business opportunities using a combination of outbound prospecting, networking, referrals, and inbound lead follow-up.
• Develop a deep understanding of each prospect's operational challenges, fleet profile, damage costs, and business objectives to qualify the opportunity effectively.
• Own the full sales cycle from first contact through to contract signature, with the Solutions Engineer engaged at the right stages to support with business case development and commercial justification.

Customer Engagement & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key decision-makers and influencers across fleet, operations, finance, and procurement functions.
• Lead customer meetings, discovery sessions, and site visits to understand requirements and build credibility as a trusted advisor.
• Present FleetScouts/AutoPad AVI proposition clearly and compellingly at all levels, from operational managers to board-level stakeholders.
• Manage the customer engagement process professionally, ensuring timely follow-up, accurate records, and a positive experience at every touchpoint.

Collaboration with the Solutions Engineer

• Work hand-in-glove with the Solutions Engineer to translate customer operational data into compelling business cases and ROI models.
• Brief the Solutions Engineer clearly on customer requirements, data gathered, and the commercial context needed to build an effective value proposition.
• Jointly present business cases and proposals to customer stakeholders, with the Business Development Manager leading the commercial discussion and the Solution Engineer supporting the analytical narrative.
• Provide feedback from customer interactions to continuously improve the quality and relevance of business case outputs.

Proposal, Tender & Commercial Management

• Lead the development and submission of proposals, quotations, and tender responses, drawing on support from the Solutions Engineer and internal teams.
• Negotiate commercial terms, pricing, and contractual arrangements within agreed parameters, escalating where appropriate.
• Ensure that all proposals are professionally presented, commercially sound, and clearly articulate the value FleetScout/AutoPad AVI will deliver.
• Manage pilot project scoping and agreement in collaboration with the Solutions Engineer and Customer Success teams.

Pipeline & CRM Management

• Maintain accurate and up-to-date records of all opportunities, activities, and customer interactions within the CRM system.
• Provide regular pipeline forecasts and opportunity updates to the Business Development Director.
• Manage your own time and territory effectively to maximise the number of qualified opportunities in play at any one time
• Proactively manage deal progression, removing blockers and maintaining momentum throughout the sales cycle.

Handover to Customer Success

• Ensure a clean, well-documented handover of newly won customers to the Customer Success team, including all agreed scope, success criteria, and customer context.
• Maintain involvement during the early stages of customer onboarding to support a smooth transition and protect the relationship.
• Act as an advocate for the customer internally, ensuring that commitments made during the sales process are delivered upon.

Market & Sector Intelligence

• Maintain current knowledge of fleet management, transport, logistics, dealerships, vehicle rental, and damage management markets.
• Monitor competitor activity, market trends, and emerging opportunities that could expand FleetScout's/ AutoPAD AVI addressable market.
• Share market intelligence with the product, marketing, and leadership teams to inform strategy and proposition development.

Skills and experience

• Proven track record of achieving and exceeding new business sales targets in a B2B environment.
• Experience of managing a full sales cycle from prospecting through to contract signature, ideally involving multiple stakeholders.
• Ability to sell solutions based on business outcomes and demonstrable ROI rather than product features.
• Strong commercial acumen with the ability to structure deals, negotiate terms, and manage complex buying processes.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the confidence to present at all levels of an organisation.
• Self-motivated, disciplined, and able to manage a pipeline and territory independently.
• Proficiency in CRM systems, Microsoft Office, and standard sales tools.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel extensively across the UK.

Desirable (but not essential):

• Experience selling into fleet management, transport, logistics, Car dealership, vehicle rental, automotive, or related sectors.
• Familiarity with SaaS, technology, or data-driven solutions and their commercial positioning.
• Experience working alongside a pre-sales or solutions engineering function.
• Understanding of damage management, vehicle inspection or fleet compliance.
• Experience of consultative or value-based selling methodologies.

Benefits

We believe in rewarding our people for the great work they do. When you join Activate Group, you can expect:

• 33 days holiday, including bank holidays

• Personal health cash plan – claim back the cost of everyday healthcare such as dental and optical check-ups

• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay

• Life assurance at three times your basic salary

• Free breakfasts and fresh fruit

• A birthday surprise for everyone

What you can expect from us

At Activate Group, we want everyone to have the tools and support they need to do their best work. We’re an innovative business that continuously reviews and improves our systems, processes and ways of working, making sure they support our teams to do their jobs effectively.

Every role at Activate Group is aligned to our wider business vision and purpose – making someone’s bad day better. You’ll understand how your role contributes to the bigger picture and how your work helps deliver excellent outcomes for customer and partners.

We believe work should be enjoyable. We make time to celebrate success, recognise achievements and bring people together at team events and company-wide celebrations. We’ll also support your ongoing development through regular feedback and career planning.

Whether you’re based in one of our contact centres in Halifax, Peterborough or Huddersfield, working at an Activate Accident Repair (AAR) site, or working from home, you’ll be part of a supportive culture where people are encouraged to succeed.

A bit about us

Activate Group is a fast-growing business approaching 1,000 team members nationwide.

We work with some of the UK’s largest fleets and insurance companies, supporting drivers that have been involved in road incidents through our contact centres in Halifax, Peterborough and Huddersfield.

We manage every step of the repair journey - repairing vehicles at our own Activate Accident Repair (AAR) body shops, as well as through a UK-wide network of trusted independent repair partners.

We also work with the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturers, supporting their approved repair programmes, and deliver innovative technology solutions to fleets, vehicle repair centres and dealerships.

Our purpose & values

Our purpose underpins everything we do: Make someone’s bad day better

Our values define how we work with our team members, customers and suppliers:

• Make it happen – Be accountable. Take the initiative, work fast, and do a great job.

• Strive for better – Be bold. Challenge the norm - make small improvements often.

• Win together – Be a team player. Win together, learn together, respect each other.