Business Development Manager – Intermediaries

Location: Peterborough / Hybrid

Department: Business Development / Commercial

Contract type: Permanent / Full-time

About the role

We’re looking for a Business Development Manager – Intermediaries to join our Commercial team and own the growth agenda across the UK leasing sector, while also driving development across adjacent intermediary channels including brokers, commercial insurers, and TPAs.

This role is responsible for delivering sustained, high-quality volume by nurturing, optimising and expanding relationships with key work providers. Leasing will form the core focus, with accountability for growing established partnerships and developing new routes to market, while leveraging wider intermediary relationships to support diversified and scalable growth.

As the commercial lead for these channels, you will ensure that sopp+sopp delivers a best-in-class proposition across all intermediary channels. Success will depend on your ability to build long-term, commercially valuable partnerships, align service delivery to partner expectations, and drive consistent performance through a disciplined and insight-led approach.

This is a high-impact role requiring strong relationship leadership, commercial expertise, and execution discipline, with clear accountability for sustainable growth across intermediary portfolios.

The role carries genuine scope to grow. For an ambitious, high-performing individual it offers a clear route to broader channel ownership and senior commercial leadership as the intermediary portfolio scales.

Activate Group is a growing UK business with 1,000+ team members nationwide. This is an exciting opportunity to build a long-term career with a company that values its people and offers genuine development and progression opportunities.

Key responsibilities

Intermediary Channel Ownership and Growth

• Own and deliver the growth strategy across intermediary channels, with a primary focus on Fleet Management Companies (FMC’s)
• Develop and expand relationships with FMC’s, while also identifying opportunities across the claims sector with placing brokers, insurers, and TPAs
• Drive sustainable volume growth through both existing partnerships and new business acquisition
• Identify and activate new routes to market aligned with strategic objectives

Relationship Leadership and Account Development

• Build and maintain strong, long-term relationships with key work providers across leasing and wider intermediary channels
• Develop structured account plans to increase volume, service adoption, and share of wallet
• Drive retention and growth through consistent engagement, performance delivery, and value demonstration
• Lead regular commercial and performance review meetings with key partners

Commercial Excellence and Performance Delivery

• Take accountability for commercial performance across intermediary accounts, including pipeline, conversion, and revenue delivery
• Ensure all opportunities are supported by robust commercial models and aligned to partner frameworks
• Work closely with internal teams to ensure operational delivery meets or exceeds partner expectations and service commitments

Proposition Development and Market Alignment

• Tailor sopp+sopp’s accident management and SaaS propositions to meet the needs of intermediary partners
• Support the development of scalable, commercially viable solutions across multiple channels
• Contribute to the ongoing refinement of service offerings to reflect market and partner requirements

Tender, Framework and Bid Leadership

• Support and lead tenders, RFPs, and framework opportunities across leasing and intermediary channels
• Ensure submissions are commercially robust, differentiated, and aligned to strategic growth objectives
• Coordinate cross-functional input to deliver high-quality, compelling proposals

Data, Insight and Continuous Improvement

• Utilise data and MI to monitor performance across channels, identify trends, and drive growth
• Provide insight-led recommendations to improve conversion, increase volumes, and enhance partner outcomes
• Continuously review and improve commercial processes to drive efficiency, consistency, and performance

Market Engagement and Sector Presence

• Represent sopp+sopp across intermediary sectors at industry events, forums, and partner engagements
• Build strong market presence and credibility across all relevant channels
• Maintain an up-to-date understanding of market trends, competitor activity, and emerging opportunities

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Work closely with Operations, Implementation, and Marketing to ensure seamless onboarding and delivery
• Ensure a strong alignment between commercial commitments and operational performance
• Act as the bridge between partner expectations and internal delivery teams

Skills and experience

• Proven track record in a business development or account management role within the fleet management and leasing sector or closely aligned markets
• Experience working across claims intermediary channels such as brokers, insurers, or TPAs
• Strong understanding of leasing operating models, commercial structures, and customer requirements
• Demonstrated success in developing and growing partner-led or intermediary channels
• Excellent relationship management skills, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders
• Strong commercial acumen with experience structuring complex, multi-party agreements
• Experience managing long-term partnerships focused on sustained volume delivery and retention
• Strong pipeline management and forecasting capability using CRM systems
• Ability to interpret data and insight to shape commercial strategy
• Experience contributing to and leading tenders, frameworks, and bid processes
• Highly collaborative, with the ability to work across commercial, operational, and technical teams
• Results-driven with a strong focus on accountability, delivery, and continuous improvement

Benefits

We believe in rewarding our people for the great work they do. When you join Activate Group, you can expect:

• 33 days holiday, including bank holidays

• Personal health cash plan – claim back the cost of everyday healthcare such as dental and optical check-ups

• Enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parental pay

• Life assurance at three times your basic salary

• Free breakfasts and fresh fruit

• A birthday surprise for everyone

What you can expect from us

At Activate Group, we want everyone to have the tools and support they need to do their best work. We’re an innovative business that continuously reviews and improves our systems, processes and ways of working, making sure they support our teams to do their jobs effectively.

Every role at Activate Group is aligned to our wider business vision and purpose – making someone’s bad day better. You’ll understand how your role contributes to the bigger picture and how your work helps deliver excellent outcomes for customer and partners.

We believe work should be enjoyable. We make time to celebrate success, recognise achievements and bring people together at team events and company-wide celebrations. We’ll also support your ongoing development through regular feedback and career planning.

Whether you’re based in one of our contact centres in Halifax, Peterborough or Huddersfield, working at an Activate Accident Repair (AAR) site, or working from home, you’ll be part of a supportive culture where people are encouraged to succeed.

A bit about us

Activate Group is a fast-growing business approaching 1,000 team members nationwide.

We work with some of the UK’s largest fleets and insurance companies, supporting drivers that have been involved in road incidents through our contact centres in Halifax, Peterborough and Huddersfield.

We manage every step of the repair journey - repairing vehicles at our own Activate Accident Repair (AAR) body shops, as well as through a UK-wide network of trusted independent repair partners.

We also work with the UK’s largest vehicle manufacturers, supporting their approved repair programmes, and deliver innovative technology solutions to fleets, vehicle repair centres and dealerships.

Our purpose & values

Our purpose underpins everything we do: Make someone’s bad day better

Our values define how we work with our team members, customers and suppliers:

• Make it happen – Be accountable. Take the initiative, work fast, and do a great job.

• Strive for better – Be bold. Challenge the norm - make small improvements often.

• Win together – Be a team player. Win together, learn together, respect each other.