Post Details
Last Updated:
23/01/2015
Faculty/Administrative/Service
Department
Faculty of Business, Economics and Law (FBEL)
Job Title
Business Development Manager
Job Family
Professional Services
Job Level
Responsible to
Director of Enterprise Centre and Head of School
Responsible for (Staff)
N/A
5
Job Purpose Statement.
The post holder is responsible for the generation, design and successful delivery of a range of activities, products and
services delivered through the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management Enterprise Centre, including a programme
of executive education.
The post holder will generate income for the Enterprise Centre through identifying, designing and delivering opportunities
for business and commercial activities with private companies, the public and third sector partners.
Key Responsibilities
1.
Identify new opportunities for business and commercial activities, including large blue-chip hotel chains, for the
newly created Enterprise Centre.
2.
Formulate business development plans and be responsible for their implementation to support the Faculty in
achieving its business objectives, including monitoring the business development budget (circa £200k per
annum) and ensure that related expenditure is controlled.
3.
Identify and develop opportunities for further engagement with potential and existing external clients and take
the lead on negotiations, through to the contract stage.
4.
Provide excellent Customer Service and support – managing key internal and external client relationships with
an ability to develop and maintain these relationships and to build a community of interested parties.
5.
Build effective relationships with the local, regional and national business community and develop relationships
with international/EU institutions.
6.
Take responsibility for the design of products and services (i.e. courses) that create benefit for the School and
the Enterprise Centre.
Work with the Faculty Marketing Manager in the development of innovative marketing strategies in support of
the Faculty’s business development strategy and to promote the Enterprise Centre.
7.
8.
Ensure the successful delivery of the products and services developed through the Enterprise Centre, including
assisting with the delivery of a commercially successful programme of executive education.
N.B. The above list is not exhaustive.
All staff are expected to:

Positively support equality of opportunity and equity of treatment to colleagues and students in accordance with the University of Surrey Equal
Opportunities Policy.

Work to achieve the aims of our Environmental Policy and promote awareness to colleagues and students.

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Follow University/departmental policies and working practices in ensuring that no breaches of information security result from their actions.
Ensure they are aware of and abide by all relevant University Regulations and Policies relevant to the role.

Undertake such other duties within the scope of the post as may be requested by your Manager.

Work supportively with colleagues, operating in a collegiate manner at all times.
Help maintain a safe working environment by:

Attending training in Health and Safety requirements as necessary, both on appointment and as changes in duties and techniques demand.

Following local codes of safe working practices and the University of Surrey Health and Safety Policy.
Elements of the Role
Planning and Organising
 The post holder will ensure that the plans for the Enterprise Centre complement and feed in to the broader
Faculty/School/University operational plans.
 The post holder is expected to be able to operate largely independently and be responsible for meeting challenging
objectives in order to ensure the success of the Enterprise Centre.
Problem Solving and Decision Making
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The post holder will support the Head of School and the Director of the Enterprise Centre in determining the direction
of the Centre.
The post holder must display a professional approach and confident communication style as they will be responsible
for identifying and developing opportunities with external organisations. They will be an excellent advocate for the
Faculty and will need to use their expertise and business acumen in order to gain the necessary information from
clients to progress the project.
They are also required to take the lead in negotiations and the development of business opportunities through to
contract. The post holder will act as the first line of contact between the Enterprise Centre and external agencies.
The post holder is expected to anticipate problems and to advise the Director of the Enterprise Centre of any issues,
in order that a pro-active approach can be taken. Significant elements of this role will however require some degree
of analytical, critical and evaluative thinking.
The post holder is required to use their influencing and negotiation skills in their dealings with external clients. They
will need appropriate skills in liaising with prospective customers, analysing their needs and working with school staff
to develop plans on how these can best be met.
This role is not wholly covered by defined procedures and therefore, requires initiative to identify opportunities for
the Enterprise Centre to meet its objectives. They are required to deal with at times complex problems, and are
required to define the problem/issue before an immediate solution can be found. The post holder will therefore be
required to apply analytical, interpretive and constructive thinking.
Where the post holder faces issues/problems that are of a more complex nature and fall outside of the scope of the
post holder’s experience, guidance may be sought from their line manager, senior faculty academics or from peers.
Continuous Improvement
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The post holder is responsible for proactively identifying potential improvements to the initial business development
opportunities and planning process.
Working with the Director of the Enterprise Centre and senior Faculty colleagues, they will look to gain support for
improvements and implementation.
The post holder will also be responsible for ensuring that the opportunity of feedback from external clients and
partners is not missed, and that good relationships are maintained.
The post holder is expected keep their knowledge of current market trends up to date, in order to identify new
opportunities for the Enterprise Centre
Accountability
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The post holder has the freedom to take a pro-active approach and to decide how to achieve the desired results and
objectives of the Enterprise Centre, provided these are consistent with the agreed strategic direction plans and any
guidance provided by the Director of the Enterprise Centre and the Senior Management of the Faculty.
The role will be crucial in delivering this important new initiative within the School of Hospitality and Tourism
Management and will be key to building and maintain excellent links with a wide range of companies, including large
blue-chip hotel groups.
The post holder will be privy to sensitive and confidential information and as such is expected to maintain high levels
of confidentiality at all times.
Dimensions of the role

The post holder is responsible for monitoring budgets and controlling related expenditure; they will have a
delegated budget of circa £200k per annum to manage.
Person Specification
Qualifications and Professional Memberships
Professionally qualified with a relevant degree/postgraduate qualification, plus broad management
experience in a similar or related role.
E
Or
Significant vocational and relevant management experience, demonstrating management ability in an
appropriate professional or specialist area, and success in similar or related roles, supported by evidence
of significant appropriate knowledge.
Relevant professional membership
Technical Competencies (Experience and Knowledge) This section contains the level of competency
D
Essential/
Desirable
Level
1-3
Strong interpersonal skills, including the ability to motivate, negotiate, influence and build
strong relationships.
E
3
Experience of working independently and without close supervision
E
2
Broad experience in a similar executive education/training role
E
2
Ability to develop and implement effective business plans and strategies
E
2
Experience of negotiating contractual terms
D
n/a
Knowledge of academic or academic/industrial contracts and relationships
D
n/a
required to carry out the role (please refer to the Competency Framework for clarification where needed and the
Job Matching Guidance).
Core Competencies This section contains the level of competency required to carry out this role. (Please refer to the
competency framework for clarification where needed). n/a (not applicable) should be placed, where the competency is not a
requirement of the grade.
Level
1-3
Communication
3
Adaptability / Flexibility
3
Customer/Client service and support
3
Planning and Organising
3
Continuous Improvement
3
Problem Solving and Decision Making Skills
Managing and Developing Performance
3
n/a
Creative and Analytical Thinking
3
Influencing, Persuasion and Negotiation Skills
3
Strategic Thinking & Leadership
2
This Job Purpose reflects the core activities of the post. As the Department/Faculty and the post holder develop, there will inevitably be some changes
to the duties for which the post is responsible, and possibly to the emphasis of the post itself. The University expects that the post holder will recognise
this and will adopt a flexible approach to work. This could include undertaking relevant training where necessary.
Should significant changes to the Job Purpose become necessary, the post holder will be consulted and the changes reflected in a revised Job Purpose.
Organisational/Departmental Information & Key Relationships
Background Information
The School of Hospitality and Tourism Management (SHTM) has established an Enterprise Centre to strengthen the
relationship the school enjoys with its external partners. The Enterprise Centre will operate a number of projects to
strengthen this relationship, specifically around executive education, but also including programmes of mentoring,
student placements and student enterprise. The Enterprise Centre will be led by a Director, and will also employ a Project
Officer to operationally manage the projects for the Enterprise Centre. The Enterprise Centre is overall responsible to the
Head of the School of Hospitality and Tourism Management.
Department Structure Chart
Director of the Enterprise
Centre
Business Development
Managers (2 x 0.5 FTE)
Relationships
Internal
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Director of Enterprise Centre
Head of SHTM
Project Manager
Marketing Manager
Finance Manager
External
 Tourism, hospitality and events sector
Project Officer