Senior Business Development Manager - UK & I, Finance

Application Deadline: 21 September 2026

Department: Sales

Employment Type: Full Time

Location: United Kingdom

Reporting To: Head of UK & Ireland

Description

Key Responsibilities

• Drive business development activity across a defined portfolio of Financial Services accounts. 
• Identify, qualify and secure complex, high-value and multi-year commercial opportunities. 
• Develop and execute strategic account plans that align SANS solutions with customer business priorities and cyber resilience objectives. 
• Build and maintain a deep understanding of the Financial Services sector, including cyber security challenges, workforce capability requirements and regulatory developments 
• Position SANS as a trusted strategic partner supporting operational resilience, cyber maturity and professional development. 
• Develop relationships across multiple stakeholder groups including CISOs, CIOs, Heads of Security, Risk, Compliance, HR, Learning & Development and Procurement. 
• Identify opportunities to expand existing customer programmes through cross-selling and strategic account development.

• Build long-term, trusted relationships with senior decision-makers and influencers across Financial Services organisations. 
• Lead customer engagement throughout the full sales lifecycle from opportunity identification through to contract execution and programme delivery. 
• Act as the primary commercial contact for strategic customer engagements. 
• Conduct regular executive business reviews to maximise customer satisfaction, retention and growth. 
• Support successful customer onboarding and ensure programmes deliver measurable business value. 
• Represent SANS at Financial Services industry conferences, cyber security forums and customer events.

• Manage the end-to-end sales process, including qualification, solution development, pricing, proposals, contracts and commercial negotiations. 
• Maintain accurate opportunity management, forecasting and pipeline reporting through Salesforce. 
• Navigate complex procurement and governance processes within large Financial Services organisations. 
• Collaborate with Marketing, Customer Success, Product Management and internal stakeholders to maximise customer success. 
• Support marketing campaigns, executive briefings and customer events focused on Financial Services. 
• Ensure commercial governance and compliance throughout all sales activities.

• Maintain a detailed understanding of cyber security trends affecting Financial Services organisations. 
• Monitor developments across operational resilience, cyber regulation and emerging threats to identify new business opportunities. 
• Understand customer challenges relating to skills shortages, capability development and regulatory compliance. 
• Share market intelligence, customer insight and competitive information with colleagues to support wider business growth. 
• Identify opportunities to position new SANS products and services within existing accounts.

• Deliver agreed revenue targets, KPIs and strategic objectives. 
• Lead commercial responses to RFPs, tenders and procurement exercises where applicable. 
• Build collaborative relationships across SANS to ensure exceptional customer delivery. 
• Promote the SANS brand, mission and values in every customer interaction. 
• Undertake additional responsibilities appropriate to the seniority of the role.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

• Significant business development or enterprise sales experience within the Financial Services sector. 
• Demonstrable success in achieving and exceeding revenue targets through consultative, solution-based sales. 
• Proven experience managing strategic customer relationships with senior stakeholders. 
• Experience selling enterprise technology, cyber security, professional services or learning solutions. 
• Experience managing complex sales opportunities involving multiple decision-makers. 
• Experience using Salesforce or a comparable CRM platform. 

• Strong understanding of the UK Financial Services market. 
• Knowledge of cyber security challenges affecting Financial Services organisations. 
• Awareness of key regulatory frameworks including FCA, PRA, Operational Resilience, DORA, NIS2, ISO 27001 and the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. 
• Understanding of consultative and value-based sales methodologies.

• Excellent relationship-building and executive stakeholder management skills. 
• Strong consultative selling and commercial negotiation capabilities. 
• Outstanding communication and presentation skills. 
• Ability to influence senior decision-makers and executive leaders. 
• Strategic account planning and opportunity management. 
• Strong commercial forecasting and pipeline management. 
• Excellent organisational, analytical and problem-solving skills. 
• Ability to manage multiple complex opportunities simultaneously.

• Highly motivated, self-directed and results oriented. 
• Commercially astute with a customer-first mindset. 
• Professional, credible and confident when engaging with senior executives. 
• Collaborative and supportive team player. 
• Resilient, adaptable and able to thrive in a fast-paced environment. 
• High levels of integrity, accountability and professionalism. 
• Passionate about delivering exceptional customer outcomes.

• Educated to degree level or equivalent experience.

• Experience working with banking, insurance, asset management, FinTech or payment organisations. 
• Experience selling cyber security education, technical training or workforce development programmes. 
• Experience managing public tenders, RFPs or enterprise procurement exercises. 
• Knowledge of organisational learning and capability development initiatives. 

• Sales methodology accreditation (MEDDICC, Miller Heiman, SPIN or equivalent). 
• Cyber security or information security qualifications. 
• Relevant Financial Services or Risk Management certifications