Partnerships and Business Development Manager

JOB DESCRIPTION

Partnerships & Business Development Manager

Reporting to: Commercial Director

Hours: Full-time

Location: Home office based; UK-wide travel to clinical trial sites & other international travel as required.

ROLE OVERVIEW

The Partnerships Manager Clinical Research Units will have overall responsibility for new business development and account management with clinical trial sites by professionally representing principally GCSA (Global Clinical Site Assessment Ltd). They will proactively build relationships with clinical research sites/units and focus building a solutions-based sell, having first understood the needs of the site and then identifying the optimal solution from within the portfolio to meet them. This role will be clearly focused on delivering the goals and targets set forth in each year’s Sales Plan and the activity will meet or exceed the KPIs agreed each quarter with the director to whom this role reports.

This role is comprised primarily of identifying new business to generate revenue and improve overall profitability, and also an account management element to both support the partnership philosophy of the company but also to monitor changing needs within any client or where existing or new elements of the portfolio might be of interest to in turn build, progress and expand our business with clients across the portfolio.

The Partnerships Manager Clinical Research Units role will also include handover and providing ongoing feedback to the GCSA assessment and accreditation teams in order to assist with process improvement and client satisfaction. They will have a close working relationship with the COO and other key internal stakeholders to ensure capacity/capability and appropriate timing of project starts and for the delivery and development of new projects across both teams. They will ensure they have a good understanding of the business’ products and services and be able to advise others about them accordingly, and ensure they keep up to date with relevant current trends and changes in the industry.

They will work closely with the Partnerships & Marketing Manager, working together to generate leads, identify opportunities and promoting GCSA (and IAOCR) to clients through case studies, social media and other appropriate marketing opportunities.

*See Appendix A for overview of the companies IAOCR and GCSA.

KEY AREAS OF RESPONSIBILITY – DETAIL

Delivery of Business Development/Sales results to plan is a key deliverable and critical success factor. Work with continued focus throughout the year on business results to deliver monthly, quarterly and annual sales to meet or exceed target.

Implement the lead generation plan by quarter to ensure sufficient pipeline opportunities.

Work in partnership with the Partnerships and Marketing Manager with the support and oversight of the CPEO to develop, define, agree and implement optimal effective lead generation campaigns to deliver the sales plan.

Active and timely follow-up of leads.

Actively follow up all leads from existing, potential and new clients to understand needs and define solution options. Convert leads to prospects by engaging with key client stakeholders either via web meetings or face to face as appropriate.

Follow up, prioritise and progress with a sense of urgency all leads to maximise and secure all possible business.

Management and ownership of the complete sales process from initial outreach or enquiry to signed contract and handover to Operations.

Proactively manage and drive forward the sales process for each opportunity to a successful and optimal conclusion working in partnership with all required internal stakeholders to support the process throughout the sales cycle.

Customer relationship management.

Build relationships with current clients to monitor changing needs, organisational and stakeholder changes and gather feedback to identify opportunities for cross & up-selling of new and existing elements of our portfolio and secure repeat business.

Partnership Marketing Identification

Work with Partnerships and Marketing Manager to identify opportunities for partnership marketing e.g. through case studies, short videos, social media, etc. to help jointly promote clients’ clinical trial sites.

Dynamic real time management of the sales forecast.

Manage and contribute data to the sales forecast on an ongoing basis ensuring it is current, complete and accurate to detail prospects in terms of probability, value, timing and critical next steps for closure.

Record all relevant and critical Business Development/Sales activity in the CRM.

Record key information on contacts, conversations, account information and all critical information and client intelligence in relation to the successful conversion of prospects to clients on an ongoing basis.

Produce all required proposals and quotations.

Liaise/manage other internal stakeholders for input into and ultimate timely delivery of all proposals and quotations required for a successful outcome to the sales cycle.

Prepare required sales support media.

Working in collaboration with Marketing and the CPEO produce and develop sales collateral and presentation material to support the sales process at client meetings to include Power point, hard copy and other material for BD client meetings.

Market and competitor intelligence.

Seek and provide market/competitor and clients specific intelligence into the development of marketing, sales collateral and report to the CPEO to inform the BD continued development of BD strategy.

Performance to meet or exceed specified KPIs to include the following area:-

o  Outreach activity. E-mail and telephone.

o  Face to face meetings per month.

o  Conversion rate (n & £).

o  New pipeline prospects per month.

o  Social media activity.

o  Target number of contracts closed per quarter.

o  Closure of business to deliver the forecast to meet the sales plan.

Post contract handover to Accreditation Team

Negotiate and close business

Work with Accreditation Team Administrator to produce Service Agreements and clear communication of clients’ requirements to Accreditation team

Product improvement feedback to Accreditation Team

As appropriate, and as a result of effective client management, provide feedback to Accreditation Team to help shape product and services improvement.

Actively support the optimal ROI and impact of conferences.

Attend and support all conference activity in terms of pre-conference outreach and engagement, conference attendance and networking and post conference follow up to generate leads and new business.

Any other special projects as required

Leadership and support where required for Taskforce groups and activities, as required.

ESSENTIAL SKILLS, BEHAVIOURS AND EXPERIENCE

• Proven success in sales and business development, including closing new business.
• Great interpersonal skills – experienced in building and managing client relationships.
• Enjoys travel and meeting people both online and in person. Prepared to travel across the UK in order to meet KPIs and deliver results.
• Proactive, tenacious and highly self-motivated to meet and exceed targets.
• Able to work independently, prioritise and organise workload.
• Demonstrable experience in successfully managing the whole sales cycle from identification to close.
• Commercial awareness, with strong negotiation and decision making skills. 
• Experienced in working in a matrixed environment with colleagues across different functions and departments.
• Excellent listener and able to think creatively to match/bespoke services to clients’ needs.
• Production and delivery of proposals/quotations.
• Confident presentation and facilitation skills.
• High level of personal integrity and aligned with IAOCR values.
• Desire to make positive change and drive best practice standards within the clinical research industry.
• Friendly, professional and flexible. Great team player, happy to work in a non-corporate environment that is fast-paced and adaptable.
• IT and social media literate. Ability to learn internal/other systems quickly with appropriate training/support.

Additionally, you must be able to:

• Demonstrate interest & knowledge of the clinical research/healthcare environment (experience preferred, but not essential).
• Demonstrate interest & knowledge of the quality standards/certification environment e.g. ISO/BSI/IiP/GPTW (experience preferred, but not essential).

SALARY

£45,000 to £55,000 Basic | Circa £100k OTE (Uncapped)

APPENDIX 1

ABOUT THE COMPANIES IAOCR and GCSA

IAOCR (The International Accrediting Organization for Clinical Research) and GCSA (Global Clinical Site Assessment Ltd) are owned by Future Shaper Holdings. We are passionate about raising standards to help shape a better future for patients by decreasing risk in clinical research and bringing innovative treatments to market more quickly. Our expertise is focused on improving and verifying competence of people and organisations (including clinical trial sites).

IAOCR is the only organisation in the world providing internationally recognisable accreditation to the clinical research industry, mapped to workforce quality standards and professional competence frameworks developed with global industry experts. The overall aim of IAOCR is to raise professional standards across the clinical research industry in order to reduce risk in clinical research.

GCSA - The Global Quality Standard for Clinical Research Sites, assesses and certifies clinical trial sites against a modular framework developed by IAOCR with clinical research industry leaders. The overall aim of GCSA is to improve patient access to innovative new treatments and ensure that sites and sponsors work synergistically to get better treatments to market more quickly.

Both GCSA and IAOCR provide partnership networking and marketing opportunities to clients to amplify the message that industry best practice standards are essential, and to encourage clinical trial sponsors and CROs to place their trials in the safe hands of competence verified and accredited sites and people.