Head of Business Development

Job Title: Head Of Business Development at Creative Lives in Progress

About Us

Creative Lives in Progress is a social enterprise and inclusive creative careers resource, on a mission to transform the way emerging talent access, understand and connect with the industry.

We encourage greater transparency and representation within the creative working world by sharing advice and insight, highlighting entry-level opportunities, as well as hosting events that bring talent and industry together.

We were founded 9 years ago by the team behind It’s Nice That; aiming to make a lasting impact on the creative industry.

The Role

This role is needed to come in, set up and lead a new business development department at Creative Lives in Progress. Business development has historically been led by the co-founder and to make the most of growth opportunities, we now want to build out a department in our business to drive commercial growth. 

This person will initially work closely with the co-founder to understand and improve the current sales strategy, set up a robust CRM, drive outreach to new potential partners across the UK and US – leading the execution of a high-quality new business strategy. This person needs to be able to oversee and build structure, hire and manage another new business manager, whilst also being an on-the-ground, active driver of new leads and commercial opportunities.

We’re at a key moment in the growth of the platform, having launched in the US in 2025 and with ambitious impact goals for the years ahead, and need someone to help us realise those ambitions. You’ll lead the charge in bringing in new commercial partners, collaborating with our internal team and stimulating growth in the organisation.

Key Responsibilities

• Devise, develop and execute sales strategies for bringing on new commercial partners to the platform – suggesting improvements and builds on our current approach when necessary
• Strategically identify, source and contact new sales leads across the UK and US markets - both through proactive outbound outreach and incoming opportunities
• Set-up and manage a CRM of potential leads and opportunities day in, day out
• Maintaining prospects and opportunities for CLIP in the relevant databases, and supporting the Co-Founder on company forecasting and reporting
• Ensure sales collateral is always up to date and relevant
• Report regularly on pipeline value and lead progress
• Meet and develop relationships with potential leads
• Developing and delivering partnership decks and formal client proposals
• Pitching to clients and agencies 
• Leading our annual new business and growth strategy as part of the wider annual business plan

What We’re Looking For

Skills:

• A strategic and commercial thinker - adept at devising strategies and ensuring high-quality execution
• Brings a proactive and dedicated approach to finding and bringing in new opportunities for the business
• Well organised and a good prioritiser; making sure outreach is beneficial and valuable for the organisation
• Excellent relationship builder and communicator both orally and in writing
• Good negotiator and empathic ear to our clients; understanding their needs, and desires to build suitable offers to benefit them
• Adept at data and trend analysis to focus strategies and approach to new business 
• Good relationship manager; able to be a confident representative of Creative Lives in Progress, as well as empathic to the needs of potential clients
• Good collaborator and able to work with different internal departments successfully

Experience Level:

• Experience creating and executing a robust business development strategy
• Management and leadership experience heading up a new business department and direct report(s)
• Suitable experience driving B2B sales in a creative led organisation.
• Proven track record in selling directly to creatively-led brands, creative companies and agencies is preferred
• Experience managing a pipeline of UK and US leads
• Deep understanding of the workings and roles in the creative industry
• A black book of existing contacts to open new doors for CLIP partnerships

Behaviours and Mindsets:

• Able to take and handle responsibility for a key department within a small business; handling commercial needs and reports
• A growth mindset; excited to iterate and collaborate with other senior stakeholders to reach growth goals in a positive manner
• Proactive with the ability to prioritise and progress work without supervision, and manage a pipeline of opportunities.
• Good people skills that builds strong relationships with both clients and internal team
• Ability to bring ideas forward in a collaborative team setting
• Excellent written and verbal communicator
• A passion for making social and community impact in the creative industry
• Willingness and desire to learn, improve and develop personally and professionally

Key Details

• Salary: DoE
• Contract: Full Time / Permanent
• Seniority Level: Head of
• Reports to: Co - Founder
• Application deadline: 13th March
• Interviews from: mid March
• Start date: ASAP 
• Hours: 9am to 5.30pm (flexible hours between 8am - 6pm)
• Location: Hybrid - 2 days based in our London studio on Tuesdays and Thursdays, with the rest of the week at home