Business Development Lead

Experience Oxfordshire is the official Destination Management Organisation (DMO) and Local Visitor Economy Partnership (LVEP) for Oxfordshire. It is the trading arm of the parent charity, Experience Oxfordshire Charitable Trust, and is a not for profit partnership organisation that is committed to the promotion, management, and development of Oxfordshire as a great destination to live, work, visit and do business. The DMO seeks to improve growth and productivity across Oxfordshire's visitor economy through the provision of essential business advice and support services to our partners.

Experience Oxfordshire was one of the first destinations in England to gain LVEP status from national tourist board, Visit England. As an LVEP, Experience Oxfordshire is recognised as a high performing organisation, supporting collaborative working both locally, through its network of partners and those with interest in the visitor economy, and nationally on shared priorities.

Read our Highlights 2023/24 publication which showcases the impact and reach of our work. Highlights Brochure by Experience Oxfordshire - Issuu. The visitor economy is vitally important to Oxfordshire. Prior to the Covid 19 pandemic each year Oxfordshire welcomed over 30 million visitors to the County who spent £2.3 billion in the local economy which supported over 40,000 jobs - 12 % of all jobs across Oxfordshire.

Our organisation is funded in part by partners from all sectors of the Oxfordshire economy, including hotels, retail, events, transport and restaurants. We work with our partners to collectively promote their products and services and grow the visitor economy across Oxfordshire through a variety of B2B and B2C channels. The rest of our income comes from providing services such as travel trade, MICE referrals, commissioned services and consultancy, and operating the award winning Oxford Official Walking Tours.

More information:

This exciting new and broad ranging role is ideal for an experienced business development manager to play a leading role in the visitor economy and drive transformational change across Experience Oxfordshire, significantly contributing to the organisation's sustainability. We are looking for someone with significant experience in successful grant application, management and delivery, alongside strong commercial acumen to develop new revenue opportunities.

The role would be suitable for someone looking to join a small, collaborative team with big plans for future growth. The individual should be innovative and creative, with strong partnership skills and a passion for Oxfordshire and the visitor economy.

• Lead on developing and delivering new income stream opportunities for the organisation.
• Support and enhance existing commercial services across the organisation.
• Develop large scale funding bids to deliver strong added value for Oxfordshire that address key challenges and priorities for the visitor economy.
• Identify, develop and implement a new grant programme of activity that highlights new opportunities and manage the process from application to delivery.
• Identify opportunities and secure income for grant funded projects, operating as project manager for funded projects.
• Work across the organisation to meet and exceed income targets.
• Apply for and deliver funded programmes ensuring projects are delivered to a high standard, providing demonstrable impact and value for the funder, the destination and stakeholders, while maximising revenue for the organisation.
• Be accountable for delivery against agreed financial and service targets.
• Develop and deliver innovative solutions for the organisation that provide a sustainable revenue stream.
• Develop a commercial strategy for new business that drives additional income through commissioned services, marketing, partnership, business events and tours activities.
• Support the development of strategic stakeholder partnerships across the County, identifying opportunities for collaboration on visitor economy projects.
• Ensure that appropriate and accurate management information is available.
• Work across the organisation to ensure services are delivered in…