Strategic sales & business development manager

The Strategic Sales Team is a high performing, customer facing, field based sales team prospecting to companies with turnovers between £30M and upwards. Our mission is to deliver sustainable profitable growth for the Corporate UK Card Services organization. This exciting role provides a great opportunity for an experienced Strategic Sales & Business Development Manager to thrive and shine through overperformance in an inclusive, supportive and collaborative team (all with a dash of healthy competition)!

• Develop and execute a strategic plan to identify, engage, and acquire new corporate customers with annual turnovers of £30M and above.
• Drive sustainable profitable growth through the sale of American Express Travel & Entertainment (T&E) and Business-to-Business (B2B) payment solutions, including Corporate Card, Business Travel Account, and Corporate Purchasing Card products.
• Build and manage a robust sales pipeline through proactive prospecting, networking, referrals, market intelligence, and data-led self-generation strategies.
• Lead complex sales cycles from initial engagement through to contract negotiation, implementation, and successful handover.
• Engage and influence senior decision-makers, including CFOs, Finance Directors, Procurement Leaders, and other C-suite stakeholders, by delivering compelling value-based propositions.
• Conduct in-depth discovery to understand client objectives, payment processes, working capital requirements, and business challenges, translating these into tailored solutions.
• Navigate complex matrix organisations and build relationships with multiple stakeholders to drive consensus and accelerate decision-making.
• Negotiate commercial agreements, pricing structures, and financial incentives while balancing customer needs with profitability and risk considerations.
• Collaborate closely with internal partners across Marketing, Product, Implementation, Risk, Credit, and Account Development teams to deliver an exceptional customer experience.
• Maintain accurate pipeline management, forecasting, and activity reporting through CRM systems and sales tools.
• Consistently achieve and exceed individual sales targets, key performance indicators, and revenue objectives.
• Act as a brand ambassador for American Express, building strong relationships within the business community and representing the organisation at customer meetings, industry events, and networking opportunities.

• Proven track record of over performance in a corporate sales environment
• Experience in selling both T&E and B2B payment solutions
• Face to face commercial sales experience preferable
• Ability to navigate matrix organizations and to influence multiple stakeholders
• Experience in data insight led self-generation strategies
• Proven experience in selling to C suite in corporate companies
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of P&L construct
• Contract negotiation including financial incentives
• Excellent presentation skills
• Strong rapport building and networking capabilities
• Understanding of risk factors affecting commercial deal negotiation
• Employment eligibility to work with American Express in the UK is required as the company will not pursue visa sponsorship for these positions.

• Competitive base salaries
• Bonus incentives
• Support for financial-well-being and retirement
• Comprehensive medical, dental, vision, life insurance, and disability benefits (depending on location)
• Flexible working model with hybrid, onsite or virtual arrangements depending on role and business need
• Generous paid parental leave policies (depending on your location)
• Free access to global on-site wellness centers staffed with nurses and doctors (depending on location)
• Free and confidential counseling support through our Healthy Minds program
• Career development and training opportunities