Hawk-Eye Innovations (HEI)
Business Development Manager - Growth Sports
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Business Development Manager - Growth Sports
Location: Basingstoke/London (can be based in either location, travel expected to other location)
Reporting to: Head of Commercial - Growth Sports
Role Overview
We are seeking a proactive and commercially driven Business Development Manager - Growth Sports to lead Hawk-Eye's expansion across existing sports and services where we already have a presence, including swimming, volleyball, horse racing, and pickleball, as well as opening up sports where we do not yet operate.
This is a new business role at heart. The majority of your pipeline will come from your own outbound activity: researching target federations, leagues, and event organisers, identifying the right people to approach, and making first contact. You will take those conversations from an initial approach through proposal, pricing, and negotiation to a signed contract, and then grow the relationship from there. Inbound enquiries and existing partnerships form an important part of the role, but the growth we are looking for will come from opportunities you create.
Key Responsibilities
Outbound Business Development
- Build and maintain a target list of federations, leagues, promoters, broadcasters, and event organisers across existing and new sports, and keep it prioritised as the market moves.
- Research each target properly before making contact, so that conversations start from their competition calendar, officiating challenges, or broadcast commitments rather than a generic introduction.
- Make first contact directly and consistently, using a mix of calls, email, LinkedIn, and introductions, with structured follow-up rather than a single approach.
- Use industry events, federation congresses, and trade shows as opportunities to secure meetings, with outreach planned in advance and followed up afterwards.
- Qualify opportunities early, establishing budget, decision makers, technical requirements, and timelines, and focus effort where there is a realistic route to a deal.
- Develop and present business proposals, commercial bids, and responses to RFPs and tenders.
- Manage your pipeline and forecasts accurately in the CRM, and revisit dormant or unsuccessful prospects on a planned basis.
- Respond to inbound business development enquiries and qualify them alongside self-generated opportunities.
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Client and Partner Engagement
- Establish and nurture relationships with key stakeholders, including federations, leagues, event organisers, and broadcasters.
- Navigate long, multi-stakeholder buying processes, including committee approvals, tender cycles, and seasonal budget timelines.
- Identify additional competitions, venues, territories, and product lines to sell into existing accounts, rather than waiting for renewal conversations.
- Work closely with internal teams to ensure successful execution of contracts and client deliverables.
Financial and Commercial Strategy
- Develop cost sheets, pricing models, and financial forecasts for new business opportunities.
- Collaborate with the legal team to draft and negotiate contracts through to close.
- Track and manage contract timelines, renewals, and new agreements, opening renewal conversations well ahead of expiry.
- Manage the invoicing schedule for each of your clients.
- Monitor revenue performance and contribute to financial reporting and forecasting.
Internal Collaboration and Efficiency
- Work closely with Commercial Managers across other sports to align business development strategies and share market intelligence and proposal content.
- Develop efficient processes for proposal creation, contract management, and revenue tracking.
- Ensure a seamless transition from commercial discussions to operational execution.
Qualifications and Experience
- A track record of winning new business that you sourced yourself, ideally against a revenue or new business target.
- Experience of considered, complex B2B sales with cycles measured in months rather than weeks.
- Experience in business development, sales, or commercial strategy within the sports industry, or a comparable technology sector.
- Knowledge of sports technology and the competitive landscape across both emerging and established sports.
- Excellent financial and analytical skills to build cost structures and pricing models.
- Ability to draft and negotiate commercial contracts with support from the legal team.
- Strong communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
- Confident use of a CRM to manage pipeline and forecasting.
- Bachelor's degree in business administration, sports management, marketing, or a related field, or equivalent commercial experience.
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Key Skills and Attributes
- New Business Focused: Enjoys opening relationships from cold and takes ownership of generating their own pipeline.
- Resilient: Comfortable with the pace and response rates of outbound work, and persistent without being pushy.
- Strategic Mindset: Chooses targets carefully and can explain why a sport or account is worth pursuing.
- Commercial Acumen: Understands market trends, financial models, and business drivers.
- Client-Focused: Strong relationship-building skills with a customer-centric approach.
- Detail-Oriented: Manages multiple opportunities, contracts, and financial details without letting follow-ups slip.
- Collaborative: Works well across teams to drive efficiency and effectiveness.
- Self-Motivated: Takes initiative and thrives in a dynamic, fast-paced environment.
Why Join Hawk-Eye?
- Work with cutting-edge sports technology in a rapidly growing market.
- Play a key role in shaping Hawk-Eye's presence in both existing and emerging sports, including sports we have never worked in before.
- Be part of a global team with opportunities for career development and growth.
If you are a dynamic and ambitious commercial professional who enjoys creating opportunities rather than waiting for them, and you have a passion for expanding into new sports markets while strengthening our presence in current ones, we would love to hear from you.
Equal Opportunity Employer
Hawk-Eye is committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We ensure all employees are treated fairly, regardless of gender, marital status, race, nationality, religion, age, disability, or union membership status. We value diversity and strive to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential.
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