Business Development Lead

Posted 7 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
London, Greater London, England, GBR
Hybrid
40K-65K Annually
Junior
Food • Hospitality
The Role
Player-coach Sales Manager responsible for personal sales targets, pipeline management, prospecting, pitching, negotiation, and closing Host Partner deals. Leads and develops a pod of 2–5 BDMs through coaching, performance management, pipeline reviews, field shadowing, onboarding, and target accountability. Reports insights, manages pod output, and partners with leadership and the Sales Academy.
Summary Generated by Built In

SALES MANAGER - 'Pod Lead'
DEPARTMENT: UK & Ireland
💷 £65k OTE (£40k Base + Uncapped Monthly Commission + Share Options)
🚆HYBRID - London Based (Victoria Station) & Remote 1 or 2 days per week with travel based duties.

WHO ARE WE?
#14 - Fastest Growing UK Tech Company (Sunday Times)
#65 - Fastest Growing UK&I Company
(Sifted)
#77 - Fastest Growing Europe Company (Sifted)

Sessions is building the operating model for the future of restaurants, giving consumers instant access to the brands they love, wherever they live.

The Sessions distribution engine runs through 450+ delivery kitchens and 16 high street restaurants across the UK.

Founded in 2020 and led by ex-Deliveroo MD Dan Warne, Sessions has grown 7x in three years. Our platform has processed over 5 million orders and reaches 60% of the UK population. Our team brings experience from Deliveroo, Amazon, BrewDog, and Gousto.

We scale brands at a pace that redefines what's possible in food. Examples include Miko's Gyros, which went from launch to 100+ live sites in under two months and SoBe Burger, which is live in over 200 delivery locations and has opened 17 physical high street stores.

🏃‍♂️ We are Agile - Thrive in fast-pace. We sprint, adapt, and learn.
🌍 We are Ambitious - Contribute to something big. Watch your career grow bigger.
🤪 We are Fun - High performance, high fives. Join a team you'll love.
🤖We are Data-Driven - Turn insights into action. We lead with evidence.
💡We have Initiative - Anticipate problems. Drive the solution.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

As a Pod Lead, you assume the Player-Coach role. You are, first and foremost, a high-performance individual contributor with your own targets, your own pipeline and your own sites going live every month. On top of that, you run a pod of 2 to 5 BDMs alongside your own sales targets. You coach them, manage their performance, shadow their pitches, run their week, and own pod output. Roughly 80% of your time stays in your own deals; the rest is spent making your pod better. This is the natural path for someone who wants to move into full sales management. You will sit in the UK & I Sales Leadership team, reporting into the Head of Sales.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

  • Carry an individual contributor target. Hit it. Own a pipeline and keep it clean in CRM with full visibility to the management team.

  • Source Host Partners through cold calling, field sales, industry connections, email and anything else that works.

  • Own the full sales cycle, from prospecting and pitching through to closing, in person and virtually.

  • Deliver compelling unit economics on every Host relationship you sign.

  • Be the eyes and ears on the ground. Feed insight back into brand, product and strategy.

  • Lead a pod of 2 to 5 BDMs. Own their weekly output, pipeline health and target attainment.

  • Run pod cadence: 1:1s, pipeline reviews, team meetings, field shadowing.

  • Manage performance directly. Set expectations, give timely praise and corrections, escalate where needed.

  • Submit accurate bonus calculations and pipeline adherence on time, every cycle.

  • Partner with the Sales Academy to onboard new BDMs in your pod and graduate them off probation.

  • Be the upward reporting channel for your pod. Surface blockers, risks and wins proactively.

  • You make the team better, not just yourself. Whatever you own, the test is whether it raises the floor or the ceiling for everyone else, in pipeline, in win rate, in deal quality, or in how we operate.

DESIRED SKILLS, EXPERIENCE & QUALITIES:

  • 2+ years of sales/ commercial experience

  • Street hustler prepared to ‘get stuck in’ and do what it takes to close deals;

  • Strategic thinker able to elevate the business from the day-to-day where appropriate;

  • Proven ability to lead, mentor and develop high-performing sales teams; comfortable coaching others to exceed targets and managing underperformance;

  • Well-rounded individual able and willing to flex to take ownership where necessary outside of their areas of core responsibility;

  • Comfortable with difficult conversations — performance management, accountability, and transparent feedback with direct reports;

  • Ability to set strategic direction for the pod while maintaining individual deal-closing capability; balances big-picture planning with tactical execution;

  • Strong commercial acumen with strong negotiation skills;

  • Charismatic and energetic with a passion for food;

  • A self-starter mentality with a relentless work ethic, drive to succeed and competitive edge;

  • Excited by the end game and motivated by building an enormous enterprise;

  • Prepared to work very hard, take responsibility and make decisions at speed, comfortable finding order in chaos;

  • Resilient and loyal

 BENEFITS & PERKS
💷Financial
Share Options - Receive an amount of share options for Sessions Market Ltd.
Pay day on demand - Access to pay in advance whenever needed
Expense card - Company Card
Finance Platform - Access to 'Mintago', Financial Wellbeing Platform

🌴Social, Mental & Physical Wellbeing:
Hybrid Working -
up to 2 days working remotely per week
Holidays - 25 days + bank holidays + Birthday Off
Healthcare - Vitality PMI + Healthcare Cash Plan scheme
Employee Assistance Programme - Support for mental health and legal services
Socials - Monthly socials

Sessions are a living wage and equal opportunity employer.
all applicants are reviewed 'anonymously' where only work experience and education will be available for the hiring manager to view - all applicants will be considered for employment without attention to ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender, family or parental status, national origin, veteran, neurodiversity status or disability status.

Skills Required

  • At least 2 years of sales or commercial experience
  • Proven ability to lead, mentor, and develop high-performing sales teams
  • Experience coaching others to exceed targets and managing underperformance
  • Strong commercial acumen and negotiation skills
  • Ability to set strategic direction while maintaining individual deal-closing capability
  • Strategic thinking and ability to elevate the business beyond day-to-day execution
  • Experience managing performance, accountability, and difficult conversations
  • Ability to work independently, take ownership, and make decisions quickly
  • Resilience, loyalty, strong work ethic, drive, and competitive edge
  • Passion for food
Am I A Good Fit?
beta
Get Personalized Job Insights.
Our AI-powered fit analysis compares your resume with a job listing so you know if your skills & experience align.

The Company
London, England
56 Employees
Year Founded: 2019

What We Do

Sessions is the platform for founder-led food brands to develop and scale. We are rebuilding the food ecosystem in the UK by championing the best talent in food and addressing structural barriers in the industry. . We believe that brands should win on quality, passion and commitment - not just access to capital. The Sessions model connects the Best Talent in Food with premium 'Host' operators that can draw extra revenue from adding a Sessions brand to their operating model. Sessions also operates the Landmark Food Hall - Shelter Hall, on Brighton seafront.

Similar Jobs

In-Office
2 Locations
7595 Employees
In-Office
7 Locations
1316 Employees
In-Office
Cannock, Staffordshire, England, GBR
2778 Employees
65K-65K Annually

HASH Logo HASH

Outbound Business Development Lead

Artificial Intelligence • Machine Learning • Business Intelligence
In-Office
London, England, GBR
23 Employees
65K-90K Annually

Similar Companies Hiring

Tastewise Thumbnail
Artificial Intelligence • Big Data • Food • Retail • Software • Generative AI • Big Data Analytics
NYC, NYC
120 Employees
Fairly Even Thumbnail
Hardware • Robotics • Sales • Software • Hospitality
New York, NY
30 Employees
Amalgamated Sugar Thumbnail
Food • Greentech • Agriculture • Industrial • Manufacturing
Boise, Idaho
768 Employees

Sign up now Access later

Create Free Account

Please log in or sign up to report this job.

Create Free Account