Business Development Manager - £60,000 p.a. (Full Time)

Written By Katie Henry

The London Assay Office is one of the oldest continually operating institutions in the UK, providing hallmarking and precious metal services since 1327. Today we combine heritage with innovation, supporting jewellers, designers, manufacturers, and global brands with world-class testing, marking, and customer service. As we modernise our operations through significant digital transformation, including new Acumatica ERP capability, a redesigned customer portal, and enhanced operational transparency, we are creating a new role to help us grow our customer relationships and deliver on our strategic aim to become our customers’ most valued supplier.

Salary

£60,000

Place of work

Goldsmiths’ Hall, London, EC2V 6BN

Role Purpose

The Business Development Manager (BDM) will lead the Assay Office’s approach to customer growth, engagement, and partnership. This is not a traditional sales role. It is a strategic position that blends account management, market insight, customer experience design, and digital adoption.

The BDM will work closely with Operations, Customer Service, across multiple workstreams to ensure the Assay Office grows sustainably, strengthens customer loyalty, and remains easy to do business with.

About you

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Account Management

  • Build structured, proactive relationships with our top customers across makers, designers, brands, and trade businesses.

  • Develop account plans, track health indicators, and increase customer lifetime value.

  • Conduct regular customer reviews, needs assessments, and service optimisation discussions.

Business Growth & Customer Acquisition

  • Identify and develop opportunities with high-value customer segments aligned to capacity and operational reality.

  • Support onboarding of new businesses, especially digital-first or growth-stage jewellery brands.

  • Represent the Assay Office at industry events, exhibitions, and trade bodies.

Digital Adoption & Customer Experience

  • Drive customer use of the Portal and future online services.

  • Support the rollout of digital hallmarking, and transparent service information.

  • Deliver insight into customer pain points and help shape improvements to future service offers.

Insight, Reporting & Market Intelligence

  • Monitor trends in jewellery, metals, manufacturing, and regulations.

  • Serve as the “voice of the customer” across internal teams, ensuring feedback becomes action.

Brand, Education & Operational Transparency

  • Support creation of clear, educational customer content (FAQs, short-form videos, guides).

  • Work collaboratively with Communications to strengthen trust and raise public awareness of hallmarking.

  • Act as a confident ambassador for the craft and the Assay Office’s values.

Key Relationships

  • Reports to: Director

  • Works closely with:

  • Production Control Manager and site deputies (Hall, Heathrow, Greville St)

  • Customer Service, Finance, Technical.

  • Marketing & Communications

Success Measures

  • Increased customer satisfaction and improved NPS in priority segments.

  • Growth in profitable, low-friction customer volumes.

  • Higher adoption of digital tools and online workflows.

  • Reduction in customer queries and cost-to-serve for small customers.

  • Delivery of timely and actionable customer insight to internal governance structures.

Skills & Experience

Essential

  • Strong relationship-building and account management experience in B2B or service environments.

  • Ability to understand operational workflows and translate customer needs into practical solutions.

  • Excellent communication skills—verbal, written, and presentation.

  • Strong analytical mindset; comfortable using dashboards, CRM data, and service metrics.

  • Experience improving customer experience or managing client lifecycles.

  • A self-starter who thrives in a small, multi-disciplinary organisation.

Desirable

  • Experience in jewellery, luxury goods, or a craft/regulation-based service sector.

  • Experience with CRM or ERP systems, ideally SaaS-based.

  • Understanding of digital customer journeys and portal-based service models.

  • Experience delivering content, training, or public-facing educational materials.

Values & Behaviours

We are looking for someone who:

  • Communicates clearly and respectfully, internally and externally.

  • Understands the balance between heritage and innovation.

  • Takes ownership and works independently.

  • Builds trust through transparency and reliability.

  • Represents the Assay Office with professionalism and warmth.

Please apply with a CV and covering letter outlining your suitability for the role to jobs@thegoldsmiths.co.uk

The deadline for applications is midday on Friday 12 June 2026

Katie Henry
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