Business Development Manager South East England

Liberty Wines Limited; England; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading wine distributor is seeking a motivated Business Development Manager to expand its presence across South East England. The ideal candidate will have a strong background in both the On and Off-trade, proven track record in achieving sales targets, and extensive industry contacts. Responsibilities include winning new customers, building relationships, and collaborating with the sales team. The position offers competitive benefits including a bonus scheme and generous holiday allowance, within a supportive and inclusive workplace environment.

Benefits

25 days holiday

Company pension scheme

Personal bonus up to 5%

Cycle to work scheme

Employee Assistance Programme

Travel insurance

Retail and wellbeing discounts

Qualifications

• Proven experience in winning new customers in both the On and Off-trade.
• Extensive industry contacts within the on‑trade.
• Ability to deal with administrative tasks efficiently.

Responsibilities

• Win new customers in strategic regions to drive growth.
• Work with the sales team to develop new business opportunities.
• Build relationships with key prospects to win business.

Skills

Proactive

Strong wine knowledge

Good organisational skills

IT proficiency

Strong commercial relationships

Education

WSET Diploma level

Tools

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft PowerPoint

Job description

The Liberty Wines Sales team is growing, and we’re recruiting five new sales representatives across the UK.

As part of this expansion we’re seeking a commercially driven Business Development Manager to help accelerate our growth across priority channels and regions, with a core focus on developing new business opportunities in both the On‑trade and Off‑trade across South East England. You’ll also play a pivotal role in supporting the wider sales team to deliver strong, consistent commercial execution.

Reporting to the Director of Business Development, this is a role with real impact, where your ability to spot opportunities and build strong commercial relationships will be central to expanding our presence in the UK wine and drinks market.

Key responsibilities

• Win new customers in priority channels & strategic regions to drive Liberty Wines growth ambitions.
• Work alongside the sales team to identify new business opportunities across South East England, proactively developing relationships to open new accounts not yet prioritised by the wider sales team.
• Develop, maintain, and execute a live new business prospect list, track conversions and report monthly.
• Support the collation, circulation and follow up of all sales leads across your region.
• Build relationships with key prospects in order to win business.
• Support the sales team to deliver high quality tender pitches.
• Share best practices and insights to elevate business development capability across the sales team.
• Collaborate with sales team to ensure smooth handovers of newly won accounts.
• Work closely with Brand Management to grow key producer listings.
• Manage expenses to budget and review Sales vs. Budget monthly to analyse performance.
• Coordinate with Customer Business Support to deliver events, tastings, and trips for key prospects.
• Work with Credit Control and Customer Services to ensure seamless onboarding for new customers.
• Act as an ambassador for Liberty Wines at all times.

About You

• Proactive, self‑motivated, with a strong drive to win new business and deliver results.
• Proven experience in winning new customers in both the On and Off-trade and consistently exceeding sales targets
• Extensive industry contacts within the on‑trade
• Good organisational skills with the ability to deal with administrative tasks efficiently
• Strong wine empathy and ability to demonstrate excellent wine knowledge, preferably at WSET Diploma level
• IT proficient including Microsoft Word, Excel and Power Point
• Proven ability to work across multiple teams and to meet deadlines

What you can expect

• 25 days holiday excluding public holidays increasing after 2 years’ service and the option to buy additional days
• Personal bonus of up to 5% of salary, based on performance against key objectives
• Company pension scheme matching up to 5% of contributions
• 18 weeks enhanced maternity leave and 4 weeks paternity leave.
• Cycle to work & electric car scheme
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Travel insurance
• Retail, wellbeing, technology, and travel discounts

Liberty Wines is an award-winning company and accredited silver by Investors in People which offers excellent opportunities for training and development alongside a great working environment (and an even better coffee machine).

We encourage all our employees to further their wine knowledge through our in-house Liberty Wines Academy and WSET (Wine & Spirit Education Trust) courses alongside building skills and experience over the course of their professional development.

Liberty Wines celebrates diversity, and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels comfortable to be themselves.