Nottingham Forest Community Trust
HEAD OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT & GROWTH
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REPORTING TO: Chief Executive Officer
SALARY: £45,000-£50,000
CONTRACT: Full-time, permanent, on-site
BENEFITS: To be discussed during interview process
CLOSING DATE: 26 July 2026
Before applying, please download our Candidate Pack here.
PURPOSE OF THE ROLE
The Head of Business Development & Growth will lead the Trust’s approach to income diversification, strategic partnerships, and sustainable growth.
As a member of the Senior Leadership Team, the postholder will identify and secure new funding, commissioning, commercial, and investment opportunities that support the Trust’s strategy, respond to community need, and strengthen long-term financial resilience.
The role will provide external insight across the public, private, and voluntary sectors, develop new propositions, and lead significant bids, tenders, grant applications, and business cases.
The postholder will manage opportunities from initial identification through to agreement and mobilization, working with colleagues to ensure they are properly designed, costed, resourced, and deliverable.
This is a significant leadership appointment that will help the Trust reduce its reliance on existing funding, expand its reach, and increase its impact through football, sport, and community development.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
We are looking for an ambitious, commercially aware, and purpose-driven leader with a strong track record in business development and income generation.
You will be able to recognize emerging opportunities, establish influential relationships, and turn external priorities into compelling and viable propositions.
You will combine strategic judgment with delivery focus and be confident representing the Trust with senior stakeholders across different sectors.
You will also understand the importance of internal collaboration and will work effectively across programmes, finance, impact, marketing, operations, and Nottingham Forest Football Club.
Above all, you will share our commitment to improving health, wellbeing, and opportunity through football, sport, and community development.
DUTIES & RESPONSIBILITIES
- Lead the Trust’s business development, income diversification, and growth strategy, supported by clear priorities, targets, and performance measures.
- Monitor developments across sport, health, education, employment, skills, public policy, commissioning, and corporate investment to identify emerging opportunities.
- Assess potential opportunities and recommend where the Trust should focus its time, resources, and investment.
- Build, manage, and convert a strong pipeline of funding, contracts, partnerships, and commercial opportunities.
- Develop new services and propositions that align with the Trust’s charitable purpose, strategic priorities, and community need.
- Lead the preparation of high-quality bids, tenders, grant applications, business cases, and investment proposals.
- Ensure new opportunities have a clear rationale, realistic financial model, measurable outcomes, understood risks, and a viable delivery plan.
- Build and strengthen relationships with funders, commissioners, businesses, government bodies, regional organizations, strategic partners, and Nottingham Forest Football Club.
- Lead negotiations and work with the Head of Programmes and other colleagues to move secured opportunities into effective delivery.
- Monitor pipeline value, conversion, income forecasts, risks, and timescales, and report progress and recommendations to the Chief Executive Officer, Senior Leadership Team, and Board.
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OTHER DUTIES
- Uphold the Trust’s policies, procedures, and professional standards at all times, including safeguarding, equality, diversity, and inclusion, data protection, and appropriate professional boundaries.
- Take responsibility for reporting concerns through the correct channels and maintaining all training, checks, accreditations, and qualifications required for the role.
QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE
Essential
- Relevant degree, professional qualification, or equivalent senior-level experience
- Significant experience in business development, income generation, commissioning, fundraising, or strategic growth within the charity, sport, community, public, or related sector
- Demonstrable track record of identifying opportunities and converting them into new income, investment, contracts, or funded activity
- Proven experience of developing successful bids, tenders, grant applications, business cases, or investment proposals
- Experience of building influential relationships with funders, commissioners, businesses, public bodies, and strategic stakeholders
- Experience of developing new services, propositions, or income streams in response to external priorities and organizational ambition
- Experience of managing a new-business pipeline and delivering against income, growth, or return-on-investment targets
Desirable
- Experience within professional sport, a football club charity, or another purpose-led organization
- Experience of working with government departments, combined authorities, commissioners, or regional bodies
- Experience of developing opportunities across different sectors, markets, or geographic areas
SKILLS & COMPETENCIES
Essential
- Strategic and commercially minded, with the ability to identify how emerging policy, market, and sector developments can create opportunities for the Trust
- Strong business development capability, including lead generation, opportunity qualification, proposition development, and conversion
- Exceptional written communication skills, with the ability to produce compelling bids, tenders, funding applications, business cases, and proposals
- Strong financial and commercial judgment, including an understanding of pricing, budgets, income forecasting, risk, and return on investment
- Highly effective relationship-building, influencing, and negotiation skills across senior and diverse stakeholder groups
- Ability to translate community need, organizational strengths, and external priorities into clear, credible, and deliverable propositions
- Strong analytical and critical-thinking skills, with the ability to interpret intelligence, assess opportunities, and make evidence-based recommendations
- Excellent communication and presentation skills, with the confidence to represent the Trust at senior local, regional, and national levels
- Strong planning and pipeline-management skills, with the ability to balance competing priorities and progress multiple opportunities simultaneously
- Collaborative leadership style, with the ability to work across programmes, finance, impact, marketing, and Nottingham Forest Football Club
- Clear focus on outcomes, income growth, performance, and continuous improvement
- Strong alignment with the Trust’s vision, mission, and values, and commitment to safeguarding, equality, diversity, and inclusion
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Desirable
- Knowledge of the community sport, charity, and professional football landscape
- Understanding of local and regional priorities, socioeconomic challenges, and the role of sport in improving health, wellbeing, and opportunity
- Experience of collaborative bids, commissioning processes, or cross-sector partnership models
TIMELINES AND PROCESS
Application deadline: Sunday 26th July 2026
Initial telephone conversation: Week commencing 3rd August
Interview round 1 (face to face in Nottingham): Week commencing 10th August 2026
Interview round 2 (face to face in Nottingham): Week commencing 17th August 2026
All applicants must diligently fill out the application form. As an integral part of the application process, all candidates must possess the right to work in the UK, undergo an enhanced DBS check, and provide two professional references.
FOREST FOR EVERYONE
We aim to create a culture which embraces and celebrates difference, enables individuals to feel comfortable, maximize their potential, and eliminates discrimination. Nottingham Forest Community Trust is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.
PRIVACY NOTICE
Nottingham Forest Community Trust is committed to being transparent about how it handles your personal information, to protecting the privacy and security of your personal information, and meeting its obligation under the General Data Protection Regulation and the Data Protection Act 2018.
SAFEGUARDING
At Nottingham Forest Community Trust, we have a holistic and person-centred approach to safeguarding.
Where concerns about any child or adult at risk are raised, NFCT staff will always act with the best interests of the individual at the forefront of all actions. We accept and acknowledge our responsibility for the wellbeing and safety of all participants engaged in NFCT programmes and activities. It is the duty of our staff and volunteers at NFCT to ensure that all participants are safeguarded by creating and maintaining activities and environments that protect them from harm. Safeguarding is the responsibility of all.
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