Business Development Lead - Housing

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Reference:
MAY

Expiry date: 22:59, Wed, 3rd Jun 2026

Location:

Coventry

We’re building thriving communities as one of the UK’s largest housing groups and a leading developer of affordable housing.

We believe everyone is entitled to a good home they can afford, in a place they are proud to live. More than 100,000 people live in our homes.

If you want to experience work that’s truly rewarding, join us. Because when we achieve together, customers and communities thrive.

Work for Orbit. Believe in people.

Orbit is delighted to be recruiting for a Business Development Lead to join us in this newly created role. As the Business Development Lead, you will improve the lives of Orbit customers and create thriving communities by leading strategic partnership development, income generation and commissioning activity that delivers social value and measurable outcomes.

You will lead the business development of Orbit’s Community Hubs portfolio to diversify and maximise investment and expand hub provision across Orbit’s seven geographical regions, providing end-to-end leadership to support the procurement and delivery of new business opportunities and the evolution of Orbit’s Better Days programme.

This role is part of our Customer directorate where you'll help us to lead the way in keeping our promise to more than 100,000 customers.

• Build and maintain a balanced, high‑value pipeline working with the Fundraising and Partnerships Manager across corporates, trusts/foundations, statutory bodies and delivery partners; lead opportunity qualification, prioritization and resourcing.
• Responsible for Neighborhoods and Communities Directorates investment and business development plan to enable our Better Days support, community hubs and other provision meets the needs of our customers.

• Lead on developing and growing Orbit’s portfolio of Place and Community Hubs (including Better Days Hubs), building proactive national partnerships with statutory, third sector and supply chain partners to enhance the offer to customers and communities.
• Identify and secure external investment and new funding streams (including funding bids, contracts and partner contributions) to deliver new hub‑based partnerships, pilots and programmes, working with internal teams to develop strong cases for support.
• Provide end‑to‑end leadership to support the Better Days partnership and ensure the procurement of new Better Days services is progressed from needs analysis and co‑design through to tender, award, mobilization and in‑life delivery.

• Provide line management and/or functional leadership for partnership/commissioning activity (as applicable), including coaching colleagues, coordinating project resources and ensuring consistent standards.
• Travel across Orbit geography as required to support partner engagement, service mobilisation and assurance activity.

• Significant experience of proactive partnership working and relationship management, including securing income and external investment that delivers social value and measurable outcomes (including experience developing fundable propositions and business cases).
• Experience leading income generation, business planning and portfolio development for Place and Community Hubs and/or community assets, including securing external investment to expand provision across geographies.
• Demonstrable experience leading commissioning/procurement activity for services (from design/specification through to mobilisation and delivery), including working effectively with procurement and legal colleagues.
• Strong understanding of compliance and assurance requirements relevant to partnership and commissioned services (e.g., due diligence, data protection, safeguarding, brand standards and, where applicable, procurement regulations).
• Ability to travel as required, including occasional evening/weekend working.
• Proven…