Business Development Manager – Education Catering
We’re looking for an energetic and commercially minded Business Development Manager to help grow our education catering portfolio across the UK. This is a fantastic opportunity to work with passionate teams in operations, bids, and marketing, supporting schools and education settings with high-quality, values-led food solutions.
As Business Development Manager, you’ll lead the full sales process — from identifying opportunities and managing tenders to securing new contracts and building long-term partnerships with education clients.
What you’ll be doing
* Represent our values, educational approach, and commitment to quality, nutrition, and social impact
* Build and manage a strong pipeline of opportunities, including schools, MATs, and local authorities
* Lead the end-to-end tender and sales process, working closely with operations and bid teams on compliant, compelling submissions
* Oversee the creation of sales materials including PQQs, tenders, presentations, and promotional content
* Coordinate and attend school site visits, presentations, and stakeholder meetings
* Build trusted relationships with consultants, headteachers, business managers, and procurement leads
* Support and host education-focused events for clients, prospects, and consultants
What we’re looking for
* Proven experience in education catering sales or contract catering sales within schools, MATs, or higher education
* Alternatively, strong education catering operations experience with exposure to tenders and bid processes
* Understanding of public sector procurement and education tendering frameworks
* Existing relationships with education consultants or procurement professionals (advantageous)
* A genuine passion for children’s food, nutrition, and positive social impact
* Confident communicator, able to engage effectively with school leaders, governors, and operational teams
* Resilient, organised, and comfortable working in a target-driven environment
* Excellent written skills with strong attention to detail
* Proficient in Microsoft Office (experience with databases or Adobe Suite is a plus)
About you
* Self-motivated, proactive, and collaborative
* Commercially aware with a structured, compliant approach to winning education contracts
* Comfortable managing multiple tenders and deadlines