Build relationships. Drive growth. Shape your commercial career.
About the Role
We’re creating an exciting new opportunity at Holiday Inn Southend for an ambitious and proactive Business Development Executive (BDE) to join our commercial team.
This is a highly visible, outward-facing role focused on generating new business, strengthening our local market presence and building long-term commercial relationships. Designed in response to current market conditions, the role offers an ideal entry point for high-potential commercial talent with a strong outbound mindset and a desire to develop a long-term career within hospitality sales and revenue.
Crucially, this position forms part of a wider commercial talent development strategy, with a clear and supported progression pathway for those who demonstrate capability, curiosity and drive.
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What You’ll Be Doing
As Business Development Executive, you’ll act as a field-based commercial ambassador for Holiday Inn Southend. You’ll proactively identify and develop new business opportunities across corporate, local business, aviation-related, SME and M&E segments, using face-to-face engagement, networking and relationship re-activation to build a strong and sustainable pipeline.
You’ll play a key role in feeding qualified opportunities into the wider commercial and revenue structure, ensuring effective handover, follow-up and visibility. Working closely with the Revenue and Events teams, you’ll align outbound activity with demand patterns, pricing strategy and wider commercial objectives, while maintaining accurate pipeline reporting and activity tracking.
You’ll also represent the hotel at networking events, forums and industry meetings, helping to strengthen Holiday Inn Southend’s presence and reputation within the local commercial community, always operating in line with brand standards.
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Your Development & Career Pathway
You’ll gain meaningful exposure to commercial strategy, pipeline management and cross-functional collaboration, building a strong foundation across sales, revenue and stakeholder management. For high performers, there is clear progression potential into broader commercial and revenue roles, supporting a longer-term pathway within the commercial function.
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What We’re Looking For
We’re looking for someone with experience in sales, business development or a commercial role, who thrives on outbound activity and enjoys building relationships through face-to-face engagement and networking.
You’ll be self-motivated, resilient and proactive, comfortable working independently while staying organised and focused on follow-through and reporting. Strong communication skills and a genuine interest in developing a career within commercial or revenue leadership are essential.
Local market knowledge or an existing business network would be an advantage, but ambition, potential and the right mindset matter most.
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Why Join Us?
You’ll be stepping into a newly created role with real visibility, autonomy and influence, supported by a clear development framework and coaching from experienced commercial leadership. This is an opportunity to build your commercial capability within a globally recognised brand, in a collaborative hotel environment that values performance, growth and long-term potential.