The Unknown Creative®
Business Development Lead
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Business Development Lead
Base Salary: £50k-£60k (depending on experience)
OTE: up to £40k per year
Reports to: Company Director(s)
Location(s): Newcastle or potential to be remote
Contract Type: Permanent
Introduction to Role
At The Unknown Creative, we help build brands that set a new standard; meaningful, memorable, and true since 2009. By working collaboratively, we take the guesswork out of ideas, transforming strategies into coherent brand campaigns to create lasting commercial success for all our clients.
Most agencies either build brands or run them. We do both, and we're looking for the person who can help open every door.
We are an established brand creation studio. We work with ambitious organisations, across Life Sciences & Biotech, Travel & Travel Tech, Energy & Clean Energy, and B2C Consumer Brands across lifestyle, health & wellness, and D2C. We build brands from scratch, rebuild brands who have outgrown themselves, and reposition businesses for what comes next – strategy, identity, film, animation, storytelling. We are Senior-led, ideas-first, and built to last.
The Unknown Creative Studio is the ongoing brand partnership. Once a brand is built, whether by us or anyone else, it needs to be run with the same quality it was made with. We become the embedded brand team for corporate and enterprise clients who want consistency, creativity, and a partner who understands their brand as well as they do.
Together, these two offers form our complete creative house. We are looking for a new Business Development Lead to elevate our client base and take our agency into the next phase.
Role Responsibilities
Your job starts with a lead and ends with a signed contract. Everything that follows; delivery, client management, creative oversight, and account growth is taken on by our Account Management and Delivery team. Your role is to find the right organisations for us to work with, earn the right to pitch and win.
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Once a contract is signed, you will produce a structured handover document and you will brief our Account Management team. You will attend the internal project kick-off meeting to transfer context of the project and align with next steps, and then the project is officially handed over to our delivery team.
Your responsibilities and activities will be:
Stage 1: Lead Generation
- Identify organisations approaching a brand moment, including launch, rebrand, acquisition, and repositioning
- Build a referral relationship with management consultants, PE advisors, CFOs, and transformation agencies present at brand moments
- Develop a visible presence in priority sectors; life sciences, travel & travel tech, energy, and B2C consumer brands
- Run targeted outreach to a minimum of 15 ideal-fit organisations per quarter
- Manage inbound leads from thought leadership, referrals, and the agency’s growing reputation.
Stage 2: Qualification
- Qualify every opportunity against clear criteria: client fit, brief quality, budget realism, and delivery readiness
- Maintain a live pipeline with accurate stage, value, and probability data, you will report weekly on this with Company Director(s)
- Know when to walk away, because protecting the agency’s position is as important as winning work
- Hold pipeline coverage at 3x revenue target at all times.
Stage 3: Pitch and Win
- Lead the credentials and proposal process end-to-end, working closely with the Company Director(s) on creative and strategic input
- Write and own the commercial proposal: scope, fee, payment terms, and contract structure
- Present and negotiate to C-Suite level
- Hold the rate – no discount without approval from Company Director(s).
Stage 4: Contract and Handovers
- Ensure every engagement is contracted before work begins
- Produce a structured handover document covering client context, stakeholders, agreed scope, commercial terms, and sensitivities
- Brief the Account Manager(s) directly
- Attend internal kick-off meeting to transfer the project and align on next steps
- Record all lead/client intelligence in the agency’s CRM.
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Qualifications & Experience
- 5+ years in Sales/Business Development/Client Leadership/Senior Account Manager in a Creative Agency/Brand Consultancy/Strategic Communications Organisation
- Proven track record of winning significant new business, spanning both project work and retainers
- Experience selling creative, branding, design, marketing, or consultancy services
- Genuine depth in at least two of our core sectors - Life Science & BioTech, Travel & Travel Tech, Energy & Clean Energy, B2C Consumer Brands
- Experience managing a sales pipeline and meeting revenue/new business targets
- Experience managing the full sales cycle, from prospecting and outreach through to pitch, negotiation, and close
- Experience responding to RFPs, tenders, and competitive pitches
- Experience using CRM and sales pipeline management tools.
Desirable
- Degree or equivalent experience in Business, Marketing, Communications, Design, or a related field
- Relevant sales/business development qualifications or training
- Existing senior-level network across one or more of our core sectors.
What we offer
- 25 days annual leave (excluding public holidays)
- Pension scheme
- OTE of up to £40k per year
- Flexible working arrangements if outside of the Newcastle area
- Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave
- Professional development and training opportunities.
Please send your CV and accompanying 1-page Cover Letter outlining your previous experience in our services and sectors to careers@theunknowncreative.com by Friday 30th October at 12pm.
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