Strategic Business Development & Partnerships Manager
Competitive salary from £40,000 DOE + uncapped commission + car allowance
About NLG
National Learning Group is one of the UK’s larger managed tutoring providers, delivering personalised 1-to-1 tuition to around 4,000 students a year through a network of 350-plus tutors. We work with parents, schools and local authorities, and we are backed for growth with external investment. We are a tender-winning provider with council supplier positions already secured, and public sector, funded delivery and commercial partnerships are a core part of our growth plan.
The role
You will own NLG’s strategic growth across both the public and private sectors, with a primary focus on securing public sector contracts and funded opportunities. You will identify the opportunities worth pursuing, build the relationships that create them, and develop the pipeline that turns opportunities into sustainable revenue.
Public sector growth is fundamental to this role. You will use your knowledge of procurement, frameworks and commissioning to position NLG ahead of opportunities and maximise our success in winning funded contracts.
Alongside this, you will identify and develop commercial opportunities with employers and organisations that would benefit from NLG’s education, tutoring and language services, including English language provision for workforces where this creates commercial value.
Bid writing is supported by an external specialist. Your job is not to write bids. Your job is to own the strategy, the relationships and the decisions, and to direct that writer to produce winning submissions.
This is a role with genuine ownership and the standing to represent NLG directly with local authority commissioners, funding bodies, employers and strategic partners.
Key responsibilities
Pipeline ownership
- Identify, qualify and prioritise local authority contracts, frameworks, tenders and grant opportunities.
- Identify and develop commercial opportunities that align with NLG’s services and strategic objectives.
- Own bid and no-bid decisions based on commercial judgement and strategic fit.
- Maintain a clear, reliable pipeline the MD and Board can rely on.
Relationships
- Build and maintain relationships with local authority commissioners, combined authorities, funding bodies, employers and sector organisations.
- Position NLG as a credible, trusted provider ahead of opportunities going live.
- Develop relationships with commercial organisations to generate new partnership opportunities.
- Represent NLG at relevant procurement, education and business networking events.
Bid management
- Own the end-to-end bid process: timelines, compliance, quality and submission.
- Brief and direct the external bid writer, owning the content strategy and final quality.
- Ensure every submission is on time, compliant and commercially robust.
Funding and commercial development
- Explore and pursue grant funding, public sector contracts and commercial partnerships.
- Keep abreast of developments in education funding, procurement and the wider commercial market, identifying new routes to growth.
- Structure and price bids and commercial proposals, working with Finance to ensure appropriate margins and deliverability.
- Ensure won contracts transition smoothly to Operations for delivery.
What we need from you
Essential
- Demonstrable success in winning or significantly contributing to public sector, local authority or funded contracts.
- Strong working knowledge of public sector procurement, including frameworks, tenders, PQQ, SQ and ITT processes, social value and procurement compliance.
- Experience identifying and developing commercial business opportunities alongside public sector growth.
- Strong commercial judgement, including bid selection, pricing and margin awareness.
- Ability to build credibility and influence with commissioners, funding bodies and senior decision-makers.
- Confident operating independently and owning a business development function end to end.
- Technically confident and hands-on with AI tools to work smarter and faster.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Desirable
- An established network of commissioners, procurement contacts or sector stakeholders within target regions.
- Grant funding experience.
- Experience developing commercial partnerships within education, training, language services or workforce development.
- Knowledge of the wider education funding landscape, including alternative provision, SEND and tutoring programmes.
- Experience working with employers in sectors employing significant numbers of non-native English speakers, such as manufacturing, logistics, hospitality, care or food production.
Safer Recruitment Statement
We are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people, and vulnerable adults, and we expect all staff and volunteers to share this commitment. Our recruitment process follows safer recruitment practices and includes appropriate pre-employment checks, which may include, online checks,employment history forms obtaining references, verifying qualifications and identity, conducting a Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check where applicable, and assessing candidates’ suitability to work with vulnerable groups. We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified candidates.
What success looks like
Success is measured by sustainable growth and the value of contracts secured. You will own NLG’s strategic business development pipeline, leading the relationships, opportunities and decisions that drive both public and private sector growth.
You will be the reason NLG is in the room before opportunities go live, trusted by commissioners and commercial partners alike, and successful in converting those opportunities into profitable, long-term partnerships.
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