Business Development Manager Education Services

The following content displays a map of the jobs location - Hybrid (office 2 days per week in Leeds)

Job Reference horizon care/TP/888/1258

Number of Positions:

1

Contract Type:

Full Time

£55,000 plus 10% annual bonus based on KPI

Working Hours:

37.5

Location:

Hybrid (office 2 days per week in Leeds)

Closing Date:

13/09/2026

Job Category:

Business Development

Region / Division:

Yorkshire

Business Unit:

Support Services

We are seeking an experienced and commercially focused Business Development Manager to lead the growth and development of our Ofsted-regulated Education Services.

The successful candidate will have a strong background in specialist education, SEND provision, commissioning, and referral management, with extensive experience working alongside Local Authorities, commissioners, and multi-agency professionals. You will possess a thorough understanding of EHCP processes, placement commissioning, education funding pathways, and the wider education and children’s services landscape.

This strategic role is integral to driving occupancy across our education settings, managing referral and placement activity, developing commissioner relationships, and identifying sustainable growth opportunities that support positive outcomes for children and young people.

Working closely with operational leaders, school leadership teams, and executive stakeholders, you will play a key role in increasing referrals, securing placements, strengthening local authority partnerships, and ensuring our services remain compliant, responsive, and aligned to sector needs.

• Lead the business development strategy across our specialist education services to achieve sustainable growth and occupancy targets.
• Partner with Regional Directors, Headteachers, and Operational Leaders to align business development activity with service capacity and educational outcomes.
• Identify market opportunities, emerging commissioning priorities, and regional demand trends.
• Develop strategic growth plans that support both operational delivery and long-term organisational objectives.
• Provide market intelligence and commissioner insights to inform service development and expansion opportunities.

• Lead and oversee the end-to-end referrals and placements process across all education settings.
• Manage high-volume referral pipelines, ensuring timely assessment, review, and placement decision-making.
• Build effective relationships with SEN Teams, SEND Case Officers, Commissioning Teams, and Placement Panels to maximise referral opportunities.
• Ensure all placements are appropriately matched to individual learner needs, EHCP outcomes, and available provision.
• Monitor referral conversion rates, occupancy levels, waiting lists, and placement trends to identify opportunities for growth and improvement.
• Work collaboratively with school leaders to maintain optimal occupancy levels whilst ensuring quality and suitability of placements.

• Develop and maintain strong relationships with Local Authority Commissioners, SEND Commissioners, Education Placement Teams, and wider stakeholder networks.
• Act as a key point of contact for commissioning discussions, placement negotiations, and strategic partnership development.
• Promote services through commissioner engagement, provider events, networking forums, and sector meetings.
• Support participation in commissioning frameworks, approved provider lists, procurement opportunities, and tender submissions.
• Maintain an in-depth understanding of local authority commissioning priorities and funding arrangements.

• Identify, develop, and secure new business opportunities across specialist education, SEND, and children’s services sectors.
• Conduct market analysis and competitor reviews to support service positioning and strategic decision-making.
• Develop targeted engagement plans to increase awareness of services amongst commissioners and referral partners.
• Support new service mobilisation…