Business Development Manager

Location:

Home-based within Scotland

14 contracted working hours per week, excluding unpaid rest breaks

24-month fixed-term contract

The purpose of this role is to deliver more for ASVA members by growing the organisation’s memberships and generating recurring income that can be reinvested in member services and impact.

We are looking for a hands‑on Business Development Manager who can evaluate our growth opportunity, establish effective systems and processes, and then personally undertake the outreach, marketing and conversion activity needed to recruit new members.

The primary targets will be new attraction members and new members of the ASVA Quality Scheme.

This is not a role that stops at developing a strategy. You will identify the organisations ASVA should pursue, build and manage the prospect pipeline, test different approaches and move suitable organisations from initial contact through to paid membership.

The ambition is for the role to become permanent. To support that decision, it must generate clear evidence of sustainable membership growth and recurring financial contribution during the initial 24‑month period.

The Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions is the representative body for Scotland’s visitor attractions sector.

We inspire, represent and support the sector, helping attractions grow through better visitor experiences and working towards our vision of World Class Scottish Attractions.

ASVA provides membership services, learning, insight, representation and opportunities to connect. We also operate the ASVA Quality Scheme, helping attractions understand, improve and celebrate the experiences they provide.

You will:

• evaluate the market for attraction membership and ASVA Quality Scheme growth;
• identify, research and prioritise suitable prospective members;
• establish and manage a structured business‑development pipeline in Hub Spot;
• develop clear processes for prospecting, follow‑up, conversion and handover;
• undertake proactive outreach by email, telephone, online meetings, events and appropriate in‑person engagement;
• build relationships with prospective members, understand their needs and communicate a relevant membership proposition;
• follow up warm and self‑generated leads consistently;
• respond to questions and objections and convert suitable prospects into paid members;
• work with the Membership & Engagement Manager to identify and tag suitable contacts captured through enquiries, events and other member‑facing activity;
• hand successful new members to the appropriate colleague for onboarding and ongoing relationship management;
• develop and test direct and paid marketing campaigns, potentially including Google, Linked In, targeted email and relevant sector channels;
• manage an initial £5,000 business‑development budget;
• assess whether campaigns should be delivered directly or through an external specialist or agency;
• measure lead quality, conversion, acquisition cost and forecast recurring contribution;
• use Hub Spot automation and approved AI tools where they can improve research, segmentation, follow‑up, personalisation or performance analysis;
• maintain human judgement, accuracy, data protection and compliance with ASVA policy in the use of technology;
• report progress through a monthly dashboard and regular meetings with the CEO; and
• participate in formal impact reviews after six, 12 and 18 months.

You will work particularly closely with our Membership & Engagement Manager and Quality Improvement Manager, while collaborating with the whole ASVA team.

As part of a small team, you will also provide proportionate support for shared delivery. This may include helping at selected events, attraction visits or Quality Scheme training where it improves your understanding of the offer, supports colleagues or creates relevant growth opportunities.

Attendance at the annual ASVA Conference in Perth is required.

Success will include:

• a clear understanding of ASVA’s available market and priority prospects;
• an effective and actively managed Hub Spot pipeline;
• consistent proactive outreach and qualified prospect conversations;
• growth in attraction…