Business Development Manager

LAT Enterprises is a wholly-owned subsidiary company of Leigh Academies Trust. The unique aspect of LAT Enterprises is that the business exists solely to raise income to enhance the education of students within Leigh Academies Trust.  LAT Enterprises has a fantastic opportunity to appoint a Business Development Manager; the education landscape continues to be a challenge and schools and trusts need to be creative with how they source additional income.  The Business Development Manager will be the torch-bearer of income generation from the hiring of premises and other developments and take on a key role within this remit.

Click here to view the LAT Enterprises website for more information.   

Reporting directly into the CEO of LAT Enterprises and working closely with the Directors, Finance Controller and Finance Officer, you will bring with you a range of ideas and entrepreneurship from the off-set.  The ongoing hiring of our facilities will be a key area that the post-holder will look after; not only will you be the first port of call for all new enquiries, but you will also make every effort to look after our current business which is just as important as sourcing new leads and expanding every business opportunity where possible.  Companies, community groups and clubs hire our facilities for a range of reasons and we’d like you to think outside of the box and generate income whenever possible – you’ll have an eye for profit-generating schemes and see them come to fruition for the core benefit of our 25 academies. 

A focus of yours will be to offer events ranging from small to large scale, to external contacts who can make use of our facilities.  We already run a number of successful events and our appointed candidate will use these ideas as a springboard and come up with more innovative and profitable ideas that we can run in addition to those already on the calendar.

If you thrive on autonomy, this is most certainly the role for you. With your innovative strategies and commercially savvy thinking, you will strive to generate new leads with as much passion as you will in taking care of our existing business that we have built up over the years. If you have a background in events and business development, we want to hear from you.

Leigh Academies Trust is deservedly considered to be one of the most successful multi-academy trusts in the UK.  How do we do it? We collaborate at every opportunity, we strive to exceed expectations and we focus on our pupils and staff in equal measure as the two are not mutually exclusive. Our Central Services function is pivotal to the Trust’s success and we have an exceptional available within our Head Office, working for LAT Enterprises.

Key features of the role;

• LAT Enterprises has an existing diverse client base who we have nurtured for many years and we’d like you to continue looking after this remit
• Currently comprised of 25 academies (and scope for at least 3 new build academies in the next 2 academic years), we have a variety of facilities and services available to suit all client needs
• Autonomy, autonomy, autonomy.  This is offered in abundance with this role.  With line management from the highly experienced CEO and access to the knowledgeable Business Managers within the Trust, we can steer you in the right direction and offer support where necessary, but the strategy and vision for income generation is very much in your hands
• Your efforts and successes will be rewarded by way of a bonus scheme which is both fair and motivating!

Travel between sites is a vital part of this role but don’t worry, you won’t be commuting for hours on end across the length and breadth of the country; our academies are based in four very distinct clusters in South East London, Dartford, Medway and Central Kent.  It's essential that the post-holder has a valid driving license and access to a personal-use car for this role. You’ll be based at LAT Head Office in Strood Academy, Rochester; rest assured that travel expenses will be reimbursed.

Love the sound of the role but not sure if the education sector is for you?  The majority of our Head Office employees have had private sector careers before joining Leigh Academies Trust and have found the following when joining the education world;

“We operate like a normal business within Head Office and the best part about it is that all of our hard work and efforts are for the direct benefit of our 15,000+ students, not for our shareholders’ pockets.  They say working in education is rewarding and you don’t have to be a teacher to experience that! The relationships you build with colleagues in this sector is like no other and I’ve found them to be the most enduring in my career.”  (HR Team Employee)

"I have thoroughly enjoyed moving from the private sector to a multi-academy trust almost four years ago. The LAT Team work together for the benefit of over 15,000 students and everyone has a unique and varied background. I get great satisfaction knowing the work I do is keeping students safe and providing good quality buildings for staff and students to occupy.  There’s more to education than meets the eye.” (Business Team Employee)

If you’re intrigued by this opportunity and would like to have an informal conversation about the role, please contact Nicole Ramsey (PA to Business Director, Sue Crocker) to arrange a phone call - Nicole.Ramsey@latrust.org.uk.  

The Trust is committed to safeguarding children and successful candidates will be subject to an Enhanced DBS check.  Our commitment to safeguarding is underpinned by robust processes and checks which are in place across the Trust.

Please note that interviews will be conducted on a rolling-basis so early applications are encouraged.