The Role

Unite Students are looking for a proactive, detail-driven Business Development Executive to join our Bristol office.

They will form an integral part of the business development team, delivering a strong sales customer service, whilst working collaboratively with colleagues and businesses based in the UK and internationally.

The role has responsibility for generating new business for the cities, contributing to the growth in occupancy for both the core and summer periods. This will be done through direct sales activities, active sourcing of new business opportunities and following up leads from sales and marketing activities.

The role will also include ensuring that third-party bookings are processed within 24 hours, and that availability checks and corporate queries are responded to in a timely manner.

What You`ll Be Doing

• Actively source new clients and manage existing business and revenue, generating leads and holding regular review meetings with existing clients
• Drive new and existing business development and revenue generating opportunities by adopting a professional sales approach with all clients, ensuring that all leads are followed up in a structured manner with maximum effort made to manage and secure all opportunities
• Build relationships and work with corporate clients, language schools, Educational Institutions, and any other potential groups and individuals seeking accommodation. Including dealing with complaints.
• Support with any/all revenue generating projects such as ALMs
• Maximise occupancy across all properties across the business to meet and exceed targets
• Work with and alongside the sales and commercial teams and property teams to coordinate sales viewings, availability checks and operational details.
• Developing and maintaining productive working relationships with support functions and third-party suppliers
• Ensuring all work is completed within the required standards and KPI targets set by the business
• Undertaking general administration duties such as processing bookings and setting up payment schedules.
• Conducting sales conversations with passion and enthusiasm and in accordance with the Unite Students sales process, via various channels including MS Teams, calls, emails etc
• Maintaining Unite Students` information systems including the booking system, MS Excel spreadsheets, ensuring customer data is accurate, secure and compliant with the Data Protection Act and GDPR
• Conducting all duties in line with Unite Students policies and procedures
• Creating/amending processes and procedures ensuring they are up to date with current company requirements
• Enhance sales opportunity and performance, including gathering and sharing market information, and customer feedback
• Demonstrating a flexible approach to work and a willingness to undertake all reasonable duties at the request of the team manager
• Contributing suggestions for areas of improvement to benefit the business
• Providing financial administration support
• Always maintaining the highest level of productivity
• Ensuring that Health and Safety legislation is adhered to at all times, both in personal working practices but also when considering group bookings within the cities, specifically and policies essential to group bookings (ie u16`s/18`s)

What We`re Looking for in You

• Ability to communicate effectively, both orally and in writing and demonstrate an objective, professional and calm approach when handling difficult situations
• Ability to build relationships internally and externally, with students and with third party suppliers
• Ability to create a `best practice` approach in all cities
• Ability to work at pace whilst maintaining a high level of accuracy & attention to detail
• Ability to manage own time effectively, prioritising tasks when required, multitasking and meeting deadlines
• Previous experience of working within a sales environment with administrative tasks where a proactive approach in recognising potential opportunities is key
• Possesses a positive and collegiate attitude, with the ability to adapt swiftly and a willingness to undertake challenging tasks to ensure customer satisfaction
• Self-motivated and possessing the ability to work on own initiative

What You`ll Get in Return

• A discretionary annual bonus so you can share in the company`s success
• 25 days` paid holiday and an annual holiday buying scheme, with 5 additional days awarded for long service
• A generous pension scheme - employer contributions between 5% and 11% depending on how much you save
• Various benefits to support your health and wellbeing including a Healthcare Cash Plan, an Employee Assistance Programme, a Wellbeing platform and a Gym benefit that you can share with your family and friends
• Enhanced Family Leave including 18 weeks full pay for birthing parents and 4 weeks for non-birthing parents
• Lots of other great benefits including an annual ShareSave scheme, Employee Life Assurance, a discounts portal and more!

About Unite Students

Founded in 1991, Unite Students is the UK`s leading provider of purpose-built student accommodation. You can find us in 23 leading university towns and cities, with 70,000 students calling US home! We are driven by our values, culture, and a commitment to develop diverse and inclusive teams, filled with positive energy and new ideas.

Instinctive inclusion. We know that to create and maintain a happy healthy organisation, we have to work hard to ensure inclusion isn`t just what we do but who we are.

People make Unite Students. Employees, students and neighbours all contribute to building environments where we can all thrive.

Room for Everyone

We`re proud to be an employer that embraces individuality, and we`re passionate about building inclusive teams. We focus on creating a collaborative culture where you can be you, where your voice is heard, and where you can truly belong. We take great pride in being rated Gold Investors in People and are constantly striving to provide the highest standard of learning and development opportunities and professional pathways for our people. Building a home for success, for both our employees and students, requires exceptional people with a passion for creating room for everyone, doing what`s right, keeping US safe, and raising the bar. Join us as we build better experiences for students that live with us.

We are US.