Business Development Director (LGPS)

Management Level

EQ Retirement Solutions

EQ Retirement Solutions (EQRS) helps some of the UK’s best known brands. We provide specialist Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and product administration software solutions to providers and distributors of products in the Wealth, Life and Pensions market, as well as supplying Third Party Pension Scheme and Pensioner Payment administration and software platforms to deliver smooth and silent running pension administration to public and private sector schemes, no matter the scale and complexity. With skilled people and world class technology, we provide personalised solutions to transform businesses and deliver the best customer outcomes.

Our solution-based approach provides an interactive experience through the lifetime of employees, scheme members and policy holders, and enables our clients to focus on their core business. Our activities are often mission-critical to our clients. By taking care of these services, we free them to focus on what matters most.

Our services are delivered at scale, supporting 13 million members across our platforms and paying around £15 billion a year which equates to approximately 35% of pensioners in the UK. EQRS works with some of the largest pension schemes in the UK, including the National Health Service scheme and the Armed Forces Veterans, which we have continuously served since 1836.

Our outsourced solutions help the industry deliver high quality customer service and stay one step ahead of evolving legislation, and our expertise allows scheme trustees and providers to de-risk through data and calculation management.

EQRS has a number of key strategic growth ambitions across the market sector business lines it supports (public, private and software only). One of these growth markets is Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) software, where EQRS are currently one of three suppliers approved by the National LGPS Framework. The growth of these markets, including LGPS, forms a key part of our 5-year business plan.

Role Summary

The Business Development Manager (LGPS) is a newly created role where EQRS is seeking to grow and develop profile and market share in the LGPS software market to support our medium and long-term growth ambitions. The role is focused on delivering additional revenue and profit from developing existing and winning new LGPS relationships.

The role will report into the Head of Business Development & Marketing, and work closely with and as part of the Business Development & Marketing team structure that includes Business Development Directors and Relationship Directors.

With an initial focus on a developing opportunities in the LGPS market, supporting the ongoing LGPS Framework interactions and inputting into the EQRS strategy for LGPS market.  The role will cover a combination of business development and relationship management, through product implementation and delivery into an ongoing business as usual service model to deliver new business targets and 5-year growth plans.

Applicants should have a good understanding of the LGPS market, the synergies with wider workplace pensions market. They should have a minimum of 5-10 years’ experience of working in this market, ideally within Local Government Pension Scheme administration, technology or a supplier of LGPS software solutions. They will also have a proven track record in a relationship management and/or business development role.  

A key objective of the role will be to ensure the successful roll out of EQRS’ LGPS strategy to generate profitable growth and sustainable revenue lines. In addition, the role holder will play a key role in identifying future new revenue and profit generation opportunities, supporting business development strategy and marketing activities.

Core Duties/Responsibilities

The successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Responsible and accountable for delivery execution, monitoring and compliance of the LGPS sales, relationship management and implementation strategy, engaging with and working in conjunction with the relevant delivery functions (i.e. Product & Engineering and Professional Services)
• Management and leadership of tendering process for new LGPS opportunities, working closely with wider SMEs and business development (bid) team colleagues
• Provide leadership, management and development to the existing Business Development team and externally to LGPS relationships, identifying and delivering profitable growth and beneficial outcomes.
• Responsibility for client engagement, satisfaction and development of LGPS relationships working closely with the MD Software Sector and wider delivery functions.
• Ensure EQRS meets its contractual obligations as part of regular governance reporting, resolving any client contractual and/or commercial queries.
• Responsibility of owning / building effective relationships with senior influencers and decision-makers within the LGPS market with the aim of retaining and delivering revenue growth to EQRS.
• Presentation at the EQRS Commercial Review Board including detailed review of all commercial/pricing recommendations.
• Work closely with existing Business Development Director, to build own knowledge and experience, with strong aspirations to become their successor and/or operate with a wider remit in next 6-12 months once capabilities and progression to do so have been demonstrated.   
• Manage and report on the overall growth and profitability of the product lines in accounts assigned to you personally.
• Ensure account plans are developed and executed to ensure value-driven and profitable growth.
• Ensure you, and through collaboration with your wider colleagues and team,:
  • Conduct regular status and strategy meetings with the customer's senior management to understand their needs and link them to the Equiniti’s product/service/capability strategies.
  • Work with the Business Development team on opportunities on the assigned accounts or new business opportunities.
  • Match our client engagements with their business goals and challenges they face to deliver mutual benefit for both organisations at all times.
  • Keep abreast of industry issues and activity that will have an impact on clients, and acting as a thought leader for issues that may affect their environment (e.g. regulatory changes).
• Perform an oversight role and be the internal ‘voice of the customer’ including:
  • Monitoring delivery against agreed KPIs, both internal benchmarks, and contracted requirements, and leveraging capability internally to ensure these are delivered.
  • Enabling regular quality control/client feedback processes (both formal and informal) and owning the delivery of a programme of actions following this.
  • Providing input/feedback into product/service owners to help ensure our propositions remain current and relevant to the markets and clients we serve.
  • Follow our Commercial qualification, approval and related governance regimes.
  • Maintain and update management information systems so there is a clear view of opportunities in the pipeline and the actions being taken to secure them.
  • Share knowledge with colleagues to ensure best practice is promoted across the team and innovation is shared with clients.
  • Build close and successful working relationships across Equiniti, to ensure solutions are workable and that service delivery levels are met or exceeded.
  • Act consistently with our Company’s values and maintain our reputation for high standards of business conduct.
• Have the ability to be able to create and build critical working relationships
  • Be the voice of the customer balanced with the business needs and strategic direction of Equiniti at the forefront of your thinking.
  • Effectively work with all Equiniti shared service team e.g. Operations, Finance, Compliance, Risk, Sales support and all other business development functions.
  • Oversight and key escalation point for Operations and client accounts.
• Responsible for maintaining Equiniti’s core reporting systems, e.g. CRM, accurately and in a timely manner.

Critical Working Relationships

• Head of Business Development & Marketing
• MD Software Sector
• Business Development Directors
• Managing Directors of other EQRS P/L Business Lines

Alongside close working relationships with:

• Strategy & Propositions Team (Product & Engineering)
• Wider Business Development & Marketing Team
• Client Relationship Management Team
• EQRS Senior Management and Executive Team

Knowledge & Experience

The successful candidate will demonstrate the following:

• A comprehensive understanding of the pensions market with specific experience in LGPS market being desirable  - ideally in an scheme administration or pension software environment.
• An understanding of the Workplace Pensions industry and/or Life & Pensions industry, and a desire to innovate within that industry
• Relevant experience in a client facing role, or working closely with a sales and/or relationship team
• An awareness of sales/development processes and marketing techniques
• Experience of delivering excellence in response to owned deliverables and/or client expectations

• Experience and comfort in working in a fast moving, matrix environment, that requires working with other teams and individuals across multiple product lines and sites
• Good commercial awareness
• Good organisational awareness

Skills and Abilities

• Multifaceted, and completer-finisher
• Strong internal and external communication skills, verbal and written.
• Ability to communicate at different seniority levels including up to ‘C” level.
• Strong attention to detail and a thorough approach to planning and implementation with an ability to multi task
• Ability to change when the client, market or business requires
• Speed. Ability to build credibility quickly.
• Confidence. Comfortable with internal and external networking and relationship building.
• An innovative mindset, with the ability to offer new ideas and problem solve
• Ability to sell complex propositions and close proposals for additional work or services
• Demonstrated and proven presentation skills
• Strong interpersonal and relationship building skills
• Self-motivation and resilience
• A team player, who can bring individuality
• An ability to work successfully remotely, coupled with the ability to travel to different locations for both client and EQ meetings. Ability to travel widely across the UK.

Measures of Performance

• Meeting objectives and tasks in a structured, timely and accurate way
• Contributing towards profitable revenue and sales growth
• Internal and external customer satisfaction and referenceability
• Can create a positive and professional relationship with executives and team members
• Collaboration and use of Best Practice across the EQ Group

We are committed to equality of opportunity for all staff and applications from individuals are encouraged regardless of age, disability, sex, gender reassignment, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief and marriage and civil partnerships.

Please note any offer of employment is subject to satisfactory pre-employment screening checks. These consist of 5 year activity & GAP verification, DBS or Access NI, Credit, Sanctions & CIFAS checks.