BD Director, Sales Director – Agency-side – Remotee NEW

Smile Digital

Business Development Director, Sales Director – Agency-side or Consultancy- Remote (UK based)

Our client is a growing digital product, venture and innovation business working with ambitious organisations to design, build and scale technology led solutions.

They partner with clients across digital transformation, product strategy, AI, data, software development and new venture creation. The business has built a strong reputation through founde led relationships, high quality delivery and meaningful client work.

They are now at the stage where they want to move from founder led sales into a more structured, proactive and scalable new business function. This is a key hire and a major growth role.

The Role

The Business Development Director will take ownership of new business growth, helping the company identify, qualify and convert larger commercial opportunities.

This is not a volume sales role. It is a heavyweight, consultative BD role for someone who knows how to sell complex agency, consultancy, product or digital transformation work into senior stakeholders.

You will work closely with the founders and leadership team to turn inbound interest, referrals and early stage conversations into properly qualified, high value opportunities. You will also build a more deliberate outbound and partnership led growth approach, helping the business win larger, more strategic client relationships.

The right person will be comfortable opening doors, shaping opportunities, leading senior conversations and closing significant deal values.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead new business development across digital product, innovation, AI, data, software and transformation services.
• Help move the business away from founder led sales by building a more structured, repeatable BD process.
• Own and manage inbound enquiries, referrals and warm leads, quickly identifying which opportunities have genuine strategic and commercial potential.
• Qualify opportunities properly, understanding client need, budget, urgency, decision-making process and long term account potential.
• Lead early stage new business conversations with founders, CEOs, CMOs, CTOs, transformation leaders, product leaders and senior client stakeholders.
• Shape vague or early client requirements into clear commercial opportunities, briefs, proposals and scopes of work.
• Identify and prioritise larger opportunities, including strategic retainers, product builds, transformation programmes, venture partnerships and multi-phase delivery projects.
• Build strong relationships with senior decision makers and become a trusted commercial advisor during the buying process.
• Work closely with founders, product, design and technology teams to create compelling proposals, pitch responses and commercial solutions.
• Lead pitches, chemistry meetings, commercial negotiations and closing conversations.
• Develop new outbound channels, target account lists, partner relationships and referral routes.
• Create a clear view of pipeline value, probability, next steps and forecasted revenue.
• Help define the strongest market segments, buyer personas and propositions for the business to pursue.
• Spot opportunities to increase deal size, extend project scope and create longer term client relationships.

About You

You will be a proven senior business development leader with strong agency-side or consultancy-side experience.

You will understand how to sell complex, high value services where the client may not always know exactly what they need at the start. You will be confident navigating ambiguity, asking smart questions and turning loose conversations into well-shaped commercial opportunities.

This role would suit someone who has worked in a digital agency, product studio, innovation consultancy, venture studio, experience design agency, software consultancy, transformation consultancy or similar environment.

Skills and Experience

• Proven experience in a senior BD, Growth, Client Development, Commercial or New Business Director role.
• Strong agency-side or consultancy-side experience is essential.
• Track record of selling complex digital, product, technology, innovation, transformation or consultancy services.
• Evidence of closing high value deals, ideally including six figure projects, retainers, product builds or multi-phase programmes.
• Strong understanding of how agencies and studios win work, including referrals, inbound, outbound, partnerships, pitches and procurement processes.
• Experience converting inbound enquiries into larger strategic opportunities.
• Confident working closely with founders and subject matter experts, while gradually taking ownership of the sales process.
• Strong commercial judgement around pricing, margin, scope, risk and deal structure.
• Able to write or shape strong proposals, pitch narratives and commercial cases.
• Comfortable selling to senior leaders across product, marketing, technology, innovation, transformation and executive teams.

What Success Looks Like

The founders are no longer the sole owners of new business conversations.

Inbound leads are qualified quickly and converted into better, larger opportunities.

The company has a clearer, cleaner and more predictable pipeline.

Larger deal values are being identified, shaped and closed.

The business is winning more strategic, multi-phase projects rather than smaller one off pieces of work.

New partnerships and referral channels are generating strong opportunities.

The business is better positioned to scale without relying only on founder networks.

Ideal Profile

The ideal candidate will be a commercially sharp, relationship led BD Director who has already sold significant agency or consultancy work and knows what good looks like.

They will be credible with founders and senior client stakeholders, but also hands on enough to work the pipeline, follow up leads, qualify opportunities and drive deals forward.

They will not be someone who waits for perfect briefs. They will be someone who can take a messy conversation, find the real opportunity, shape it commercially and get it over the line.

This is a brilliant opportunity for a senior BD professional who wants to play a defining role in helping a growing digital and innovation business build a proper new business engine.

Apply now for immediate consideration, client is ready to interview!