Business Development Manager

Location: Sheffield/Hybrid (3 days in Sheffield office) or Fully Remote (with 1-2 days a month in Birmingham or Sheffield)

Salary: £40,000–£45,000 base salary plus OTE

Harper James has an exciting opportunity for a Business Development Manager to join our busy, successful and growing sales team. We are looking for ambitious, commercially minded sales professionals with experience in consultative B2B sales who want to build their career within an innovative and fast‑growing professional services business.

You will work as part of a collaborative, supportive and high‑performing team, helping ambitious UK businesses access high‑quality legal support while contributing to Harper James’ continued growth.

About Harper James

Harper James is a national commercial law firm designed to support entrepreneurial businesses from start‑up through to exit. Our mission is to make high‑quality legal support more accessible, commercial and aligned with how modern businesses operate.

Founded in 2014, Harper James has grown rapidly and continues to expand at 40%+ year‑on‑year. This financial year more than 150 people will support over 4,000 businesses, with turnover expected to exceed £14m, and we anticipate doubling in size over the next two years.

Our innovative approach to delivering legal services challenges the traditional law firm model, providing flexible and tailored legal support to ambitious businesses across the UK.

The Opportunity

As a Business Development Manager, you will play a key role in driving new client growth for the firm. You will work with SMEs and growing businesses to understand both their immediate legal challenges and their longer‑term commercial goals.

This is a consultative sales role, where success comes from understanding a client’s business and demonstrating how Harper James’ legal services can support their growth while managing risk. You will engage with business leaders across sectors and collaborate closely with our solicitors to ensure prospective clients receive clear, practical advice on how we can help.

You will receive a consistent flow of inbound leads generated by our marketing team, while also developing opportunities through outbound activity, referrals and strategic partnerships.

A key part of the role is developing strong relationships across influential professional networks, you will help generate warm introductions to high‑value growth businesses while strengthening Harper James’ reputation as a trusted legal partner.

High performers are rewarded through our commission structure and clear progression opportunities within the business development team.

What You’ll Do

• Act as the first point of contact for many new business enquiries

• Qualify inbound leads generated by the marketing team

• Proactively generate new opportunities through outbound activity and networking

• Take a consultative approach to understand clients’ legal and commercial needs

• Demonstrate how Harper James’ legal services support business growth and manage legal risk

• Manage the full sales pipeline from initial enquiry through to client onboarding

• Secure warm introductions to growth‑stage UK businesses through professional networks and partners

• Build strong, structured relationships with strategic referral partners and ensure those partnerships are actively developed and governed

• Work closely with solicitors and practice teams across the firm during the sales process

• Maintain accurate records and pipeline management within our CRM system

• Provide regular reporting on activity, opportunities and pipeline performance

• Consistently strive to meet and exceed individual targets and KPIs

What We’re Looking For

• 5+ years’ experience in consultative or phone‑based B2B sales with a strong track record of meeting or exceeding targets

• Experience building relationships with senior decision‑makers, from founders to C‑suite leaders

• Strong communication and relationship‑building skills

• A consultative mindset focused on understanding and solving client problems

• Experience managing opportunities through a CRM‑based sales pipeline

• Highly organised with strong attention to detail

• Self‑motivated, resilient and comfortable working in a target‑driven environment

• Ability to work effectively both independently and collaboratively

• Interest in building strategic partnerships and referral networks

• A desire to learn and develop within a fast‑growing, innovative business

Legal sector experience is not required. You will receive training to build your understanding of the legal landscape and the challenges faced by growing UK businesses.

Technology and Ways of Working

We are a modern, technology‑enabled business and expect our team to be comfortable working with digital tools that improve efficiency and collaboration.

You’ll thrive in this role if you:

• Enjoy learning and adapting to new systems and technology

• Are interested in using AI tools to improve productivity and sales effectiveness

• Have a solid working knowledge of Microsoft 365 (Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook)

• Are confident using CRM systems and SharePoint to manage information and collaborate with colleagues

Working from Home

This role operates on a hybrid or fully remote basis. As the role involves frequent communication with prospective clients and colleagues, you must be able to conduct calls and meetings in a professional, distraction‑free environment with a reliable internet connection suitable for regular video calls.

If working fully remotely, you will be required to attend our Birmingham or Sheffield office 1–2 times per month for meetings.

Benefits

• £40,000–£45,000 base salary depending on experience

• OTE is uncapped and paid from day one, in year 1 we expect you to achieve £47-£54k

• Company healthcare scheme (including discounted gym membership)

• Company pension

• Electric car scheme

• 33 days’ holiday plus holiday purchase scheme

• Mentoring, training and support from an experienced sales leadership team

• Annual opportunities for external training and development

• Clear progression opportunities within a rapidly growing business

• Monthly team events and socials

• Access to modern sales tools and technology

If you’re looking to develop your career within a high‑growth, innovative business and enjoy working in a fast‑paced environment where performance is recognised and rewarded, we would love to hear from you.

NO AGENCIES PLEASE