Drive Growth, Build Partnerships & Shape the Future - Become Our Next Client Development Manager!
- Salary: Up to £50,000 (+uncapped bonus and car allowance)
- ️ Working Days & Hours: 37.5 Hours, Monday to Friday, 9:00am until 5:30pm
- Location: Based in the UK with national travel required
- Team: Client Development
- Reports to: Head of Client Development
About the Role
We are seeking a Client Development Manager with a proven ability to build and nurture a high-quality pipeline of targeted prospects aligned to our value proposition. The role will focus on self-generating opportunities through strategic partnerships, referrals, and outbound prospecting, supported by a strong track record of converting leads into long-term clients.
This is a dynamic, relationship-driven role where you’ll engage with holiday park operators, understand their ambitions, and demonstrate how our tailored solutions can help them achieve their goals. If you’re commercially savvy, people-focused, and thrive on winning new business, this is your opportunity to make your mark.
As Client Development Manager, you'll be at the forefront of expanding our holiday parks portfolio, identifying new opportunities, building meaningful partnerships, and helping shape a best-in-class proposition that clients can't ignore. Working closely with cross-functional teams including Marketing, Operations, Technology, and Legal, you'll ensure every partnership is successfully onboarded and positioned for long-term success.
What You’ll Do
- ➡️ Identify, target, and secure new holiday park and multi-site operator partnerships aligned to growth strategy
- ➡️ Build and manage a strong pipeline, progressing opportunities from first contact through to signed contracts
- ➡️ Develop a deep understanding of client needs and translate them into compelling commercial propositions
- ➡️ Deliver engaging pitches and presentations, tailoring solutions to each client
- ➡️ Collaborate with Marketing to support lead generation and campaign activity
- ➡️ Partner with Operations, Technology, and Onboarding teams to ensure seamless client handovers
- ➡️ Support contract negotiations alongside Legal, ensuring strong commercial outcomes
- ➡️ Gather market and competitor insights to inform strategy and proposition development
- ➡️ Represent the business at industry events, trade shows, and networking opportunities
- ➡️ Maintain accurate pipeline reporting, tracking performance against targets and KPIs
Live by our four values: One Business One Team, Keep it Simple, Grow & Learn, Sustainable Impact.
What You’ll Bring
- ✅ Proven experience in B2B sales or business development (ideally within travel, leisure, hospitality, property, or holiday parks)
- ✅ A strong track record of sourcing, pitching, and converting new business opportunities
- ✅ Excellent relationship-building skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
- ✅ Strong commercial awareness and a consultative sales approach
- ✅ Confident communication, presentation, negotiation, and objection-handling skills
- ✅ Experience managing a sales pipeline and delivering against targets
- ✅ Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple priorities simultaneously
- ✅ A collaborative mindset, comfortable working across teams in a matrix environment
Bonus Points For
- Experience working with technology-enabled or digital consumer businesses
- Knowledge of onboarding processes, contract negotiation, or operational delivery in B2B environments
- Experience representing a business at industry events or exhibitions
Our Benefits:
- Uncapped bonus scheme related to Holiday Park acquisition
- £5,000 Car Allowance
- ✈️ 33 days’ holiday (including bank holidays), plus up to 5 extra with long service
- Option to purchase additional holiday
- Your birthday off
✋- 2 volunteering days per year
- Enhanced parental leave (24 weeks maternity, 3 weeks paternity at full pay)
- Pension with employer contributions
- Discounted stays at Forest Holidays & Sykes Cottages
- ️ Exclusive discounts to support your wellbeing
❤️- Health cash plan & life assurance
- Training & development opportunities
- 24/7 mental health support
- ️ On-site gym & parking (Chester HQ, near train station)
- Employee savings scheme
- Long service awards & company events
About Sykes Holiday Cottages
Sykes Holiday Cottages is a business with big dreams and bursting with ambition. Combining over 30 years’ industry experience with our fierce company drive to become the best in the market for what we do. We have over 23 regional brands and represent over 23,000 holiday homes across the UK and Ireland, from romantic hideaways for 2 to epic getaways for 20+.
What started as a small, family-run business has grown into a large, vibrant team of passionate professionals, all working together as one of the fastest-growing holiday let agencies in the UK.
Part of the Forge Holiday Group, every role here plays a part in delivering exceptional experiences for our guests, while championing a culture where ambition, creativity, and teamwork can truly thrive.
We value diversity and inclusion, bring your authentic self to work! Need adjustments for the recruitment process? Just ask, our team is happy to help.
Apply today and be part of something exciting - where your ideas, drive, and ambition directly fuel our success.
