THE ROLE
At Debenhams Group, we are on a journey of transformation, revitalising our brand, culture, and connection with colleagues and customers alike. In a fast-changing retail environment, effective and authentic communication is vital to building trust, aligning our teams, and amplifying the impact of our work across internal and external audiences.
We're looking for an ambitious, energetic and commercially driven Business Development Manager to help take Debenhams Marketplace to the next level.
You'll be responsible for growing our partner portfolio across multiple categories, unlocking new commercial opportunities and making Debenhams the marketplace partner of choice for the brands we want to work with.
As the first point of contact for prospective partners, you'll own the journey from identifying the right brands and making the first approach through to negotiation and acquisition. You'll build strong relationships with brands, aggregators and strategic service providers, creating partnerships that deliver real commercial value.
You'll also challenge how we work. Using AI-driven automation, innovation and scalable processes, you'll accelerate brand acquisition, open up new categories and make our business development operation more efficient.
Reporting to the Head of Business Development, you'll lead, coach and develop a team of Business Development Associates and Assistants, setting the pace, driving performance and delivering against ambitious commercial objectives.
This is a hands-on role for someone who combines commercial thinking, entrepreneurial energy, innovation and the ability to get things done through a team.
This role will be based out of our central Manchester office and is a 12-month FTC.
WHAT YOU'LL BE DOING
Be a front-line ambassador for Debenhams, engaging with prospective sellers, brands, strategic partners and service providers.
Identify gaps and opportunities across our brand, offer and category portfolio, turning insight into targeted outreach strategies that accelerate brand acquisition, category expansion and marketplace turnover.
Own partner outreach and commercial negotiations, securing agreements with partners who are commercially aligned and ready to launch.
Build and develop strategic relationships with aggregators and service providers, identifying opportunities for collaboration and joint growth.
Use AI-driven automation to build, implement and continuously improve scalable business development processes, increasing efficiency and accelerating growth.
Work closely with Onboarding and Account Management to ensure a seamless transition from signed partner to successful marketplace launch.
Collaborate with teams across Debenhams, including SLT, Group Brands, Marketing, Legal, Finance, Tax, Tech, Ecommerce, Supply Chain and Operations, to deliver cross-divisional growth projects against ambitious targets and tight deadlines.
Represent Debenhams at trade fairs, marketplace events, seminars and industry conferences, confidently selling our proposition and bringing new sellers into the business.
Lead, manage, train and develop the Business Development team, setting clear objectives and KPIs, building capability and ensuring individual and collective targets are delivered.
WHAT WE LOOK FOR
Proven experience in Business Development, ideally 5-7 years within an online marketplace, ecommerce or retail environment. Alternatively, experience in brand or category management or an ecommerce consultancy working across Business Development, Key Account Management or Brand Management
Entrepreneurial, proactive and solutions-focused, with a genuine can-do attitude and a bias towards action.
Strong commercial and analytical skills, with the ability to spot opportunities, make decisions and deliver business performance.
Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with a track record of building strategic partnerships and influencing senior stakeholders.
Highly organised, with the ability to manage…