Business Development Manager

About Pennies

Pennies is an award-winning charity and a pioneer in fintech for good, making everyday giving simple through micro-donations at the point of sale. Recently celebrating 15 years of impact and 300 million micro-donations unlocked for 1,100 charities, we work with more than 150 leading brands across retail, hospitality and payments. 

New partners to join the Pennies movement in 2025 include Iceland, B&Q, Lidl, Debenhams Group and SSP. With demand for digital giving higher than ever, Pennies is entering an exciting phase, and the opportunity to make a real difference for charity has never been greater. 

Position Summary

Pennies is growing, with more retailers seeking simple ways to embed everyday giving across their customer journeys. We are looking for a Business Development Manager to accelerate growth and account manage a portfolio of existing partners. 

Sitting within the Partnerships Team (encompassing Business Development, Product, and Marketing & Charities), you will recruit and onboard new retailers to the Pennies movement – helping them implement Pennies micro-donation solutions across in-store and e-commerce payment journeys. 

Alongside new business, you will be a trusted account manager for existing partners: nurturing relationships, driving adoption and performance (donation conversion and value), and identifying expansion opportunities such as additional channels, new brands, new geographic markets, and new charity partnerships. 

You will work closely with Product and Technology to scope and deliver implementations, and with Marketing & Charities to activate, optimise and tell partner impact stories. 

Duties and Accountabilities

New Business Development and Lead Generation 

• Build and maintain a pipeline of retailers (retail, hospitality, leisure and services), converting inbound enquiries and generating outbound opportunities. 
• Develop consultative proposals that align Pennies solutions to partner objectives, customer journeys and operational realities (in-store and online). 
• Leverage Pennies’ payments and technology ecosystem to create introductions and joint go-to-market opportunities. 
• Represent Pennies at relevant trade bodies, events and speaking opportunities, positioning Pennies as a trusted partner for everyday giving at checkout. 
• Support wider Partnerships Team objectives. 

Partnership Implementation and Project Management 

• Own the end-to-end partner journey from commitment through to launch across in-store and e-commerce checkouts, coordinating internal and external stakeholders. 
• Run structured implementation plans: discovery, requirements, solution design, testing, launch readiness and post-launch review. 
• Maintain strong partner comms and clear next steps; ensure actions are timely and accurate across stakeholders (merchant teams, payment providers, technology vendors, agencies). 
• Develop and maintain an in-depth working knowledge of Pennies products, solution patterns and partner operating models. 
• Update CRM (e.g., Salesforce) and internal reporting to reflect progress, risks, decisions and actions. 

Account Management and Growth 

• Act as the primary relationship owner for a portfolio of live merchant and ecosystem partners, delivering excellent partnership management and a ‘one team’ experience. 
• Drive ongoing performance: monitor donation conversion, customer experience and operational delivery; identify and implement improvements with partners and internal teams. 
• Proactively identify and unlock growth opportunities, including new channels (e.g., adding e-commerce to an in-store launch or vice versa), new brands/fascias, and new markets. 
• Coordinate partner optimisation and activation plans with Marketing & Charities, including colleague engagement, customer messaging, milestone moments and impact storytelling. 
• Retain and grow relationships with agencies, payment providers and technology partners by sharing value, learning, insights and case studies. 

Planning, Insights and Continuous Improvement 

• Contribute to the Annual Operational Plan by forecasting, prioritising and delivering against agreed targets for partner acquisition, launches and growth. 
• Capture partner feedback and implementation learnings to support continuous improvement across Product, Operations and Partner Marketing. 
• Maintain an organised view of risks, dependencies and resourcing needs; escalate early and constructively. 

Experience and Skills 

Essential 

• Proven track record in a consultative sales, partnerships or business development role (commercial and/or charity sector). 
• You do not need direct experience working in Technology, but you do need a clear passion and interest to learn about new technologies, solutions, and systems as well as a great attitude to adapt, learn, and deliver. 
• Experience winning and growing accounts: managing a portfolio of partners and delivering retention and expansion outcomes. 
• Strong project management skills with experience coordinating multi-stakeholder projects end-to-end. 
• Ability to influence and engage a range of stakeholders, from operational teams to senior decision-makers. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; confident presenting and representing an organisation externally. 
• Strong attention to detail and a disciplined approach to CRM updates, reporting and follow-up. 

Desirable 

• Experience working with retailers, hospitality or leisure brands, and/or payments or commerce technology providers. 
• Familiarity with payment gateways & terminals, payment service providers (PSPs), e-commerce platforms or POS environments. 
• Experience using Salesforce (or similar CRM) and interpreting performance data to drive optimisation. 
• Interest in social impact, ESG and purpose-led partnership programmes. 

Personal Competencies

• A genuine passion for making a difference, with a positive attitude and a desire to contribute to Pennies’ mission. 
• A self-starter who is well-organised, resilient and comfortable juggling multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment. 
• Collaborative and engaging: works well across teams and with partners, bringing people with you. 
• Analytical and curious: looks for insight, learns quickly and applies learning to improve outcomes. 
• Professional, trustworthy and confident handling sensitive information. 

Benefits 

• 28 days annual leave, plus bank holidays. 
• Work for an established, award-winning charity using technology for social good. 
• Become part of the ‘Pennies family’, a small team championing a simple idea with huge potential. 
• Hybrid working – home and office, based in the City of London. 
• Flexible work options available - supportive of family and personal commitments.