Who are we?

We are New Directions, a group of companies that provide UK wide services (including recruitment, training, care provision and other support services) within education, social care, domiciliary care and the pharmaceutical sector, from a network of offices across the UK.

We have recently been recognised for our fantastic business achievements across a number of awards:

• Finalists for Best In-House HR Team and Excellence in HR – CIPD HR Wales Awards 2024
• Winner of Best Employer, and Finalists for Best People Services, Best Business Services and Best Sustainability – Cardiff Life Awards 2024
• Winner of Best Technology and overall, Platinum Award Winner (Checks Direct) – Cardiff Life Awards 2024
• Highly commended for Skills Development – IOD Wales Awards 2024
• Finalists for Best Temporary Recruitment Agency, Recruitment Agency of the Year 100+ employees and Most Effective Compliance Operation – Recruiter Awards 2024
• Finalists for Scale-Up of the Year and Team of the Year (Checks Direct) – Fintech Wales Awards 2024
• Finalists for Best Technology (Checks Direct) – EntreConf Awards 2024
• Finalists for The Employer of the Year, Mid-Market Business of the Year Award and Family Business of the Year Award – Lloyd’s Bank British Business Excellence Awards 2024
• Finalists for Temporary Recruitment Company of the Year and Best Recruitment Company to work for (£50m to £100m) – TIARA Awards 2024
• Finalists for Employer of the Year, Financial & Professional Services Business of the Year and Technology Business of the Year – Cardiff Business Awards 2024
• Finalists for Business Services Business of the Year and Employer of the Year – South Wales Business Awards 2024

Job purpose:
This is a full-cycle, new business-focused role ideal for an experienced Business Development Executive, reporting directly to the Sales Manager. The BDE will be responsible for proactively identifying and pursuing new business opportunities, primarily through self-sourced outbound prospecting (cold calling, cold emailing, virtual networking). They will also handle inbound leads generated by marketing campaigns to supplement their activity, although primary GP contribution must come from self-sourced clients. The focus of the role is on winning new business, building a personal desk from scratch, and managing accounts for a minimum of 12 months post-sale to drive GP growth and expand Checks Direct’s market presence across targeted industries.

You will be required to travel to our head office in Cardiff regularly.

Main responsibilities:

• Proactively generate new business through cold calling, email outreach, LinkedIn, and virtual networking to build and manage a self-sourced sales pipeline
• Conduct sales conversations via phone, video calls, and digital channels to convert prospects into long-term clients
• Use a range of digital tools and sales techniques to consistently meet activity and revenue targets
• Build relationships with introducers, third-party partners, and key industry contacts to uncover new opportunities
• Stay informed on market trends, competitor activity, and sector developments to support strategic prospecting
• Work closely with internal teams (marketing, operations, compliance) to align outreach, onboarding, and service delivery
• Own the full sales cycle — from lead generation and qualification to proposal, negotiation, and close
• Clearly communicate Checks Direct’s value proposition to decision-makers across a range of industries
• Maintain accurate records of all sales activity, pipeline progression, and forecasting in HubSpot CRM
• Gather and share customer insights with internal teams to support product and service improvements
• Develop in-depth knowledge of our checks, systems, and screening services — understanding their use cases and client benefits
• Retain and develop new accounts post-sale for a minimum of 12 months, ensuring long-term value and satisfaction
• Identify potential risks in the sales process and escalate them appropriately
• Collaborate across departments to ensure client expectations are met and exceeded
• Occasionally attend industry events, virtual seminars, or networking opportunities as a representative of the business

Skills and Experience

We’re open to a range of backgrounds – whether you’re already in B2B sales or come from another area but have the right mindset and potential, we’d love to hear from you.

• Ideally, 1–2 years of experience in outbound sales (B2B preferred, but all sales backgrounds will be considered)
• Confident with outbound calling, lead generation, and closing (desirable, but not essential)
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to handle objections and navigate commercial conversations
• Self-motivated with a proactive, “hunter” mindset and the drive to build and grow your own sales pipeline
• Comfortable managing the full sales process and working to structured KPIs
• CRM experience is a plus (HubSpot preferred, but not required)
• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage time, priorities, and a busy pipeline
• Positive, resilient, and collaborative – a team player who’s eager to learn and grow in a fast-moving environment

Personal qualities:

• Self-motivated & proactive
• Innovative & adaptable
• Confident & resilient
• Able to develop effective working relationships
• Tenacious & enthusiastic
• Integrity
• Positive attitude

What we offer:

Fantastic employee benefits including:

• A flexible working environment, with the opportunity for hybrid working
• Health Cashback scheme
• Life Assurance of 4 x salary
• Pension Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• A generous annual leave entitlement of 25 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 27 days holiday after two years’ service)
• Opportunity to purchase additional annual leave through salary sacrifice
• A day off for your birthday
• A Giving Back day – to offer your services to the local community
• Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme (subject to qualifying eligibility criteria)
• Cycle to Work Salary Sacrifice Scheme (subject to qualifying eligibility criteria)
• Opportunity to join our 3% interest Christmas savings scheme
• Employee referral scheme; you can earn between £250 and £500 for each successful referral into the business
• Regular social, health and well-being events