COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Role Purpose & mindset:

Whisper is a leading global, independent production partner where Entertainment is Everything. Founded in 2010, Whisper functions as a multi-genre powerhouse that combines a dynamic, people-first culture with the scale to deliver for the world's biggest broadcasters and brands. Following its 2026 return to private ownership, the group has reinforced its long-standing commitment to authentic storytelling and technological innovation.

With over 300 staff in offices across the UK, EMEA and North America, Whisper delivers world-class production across its core pillars of Sport, Entertainment, Documentaries, Gaming and Branded Content, supported by end-to-end Social and Digital services.

Whisper is proud to work on the most iconic sporting events and in partnership with global federations and rights-holders, including UEFA, Formula 1, EA, Wimbledon, and FIFA. Whisper's innovative production - which includes Women's Rugby World Cup, Paralympics, BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Built In Birmingham: Brady & The Blues, Jeopardy! and Wheel of Fortune - is consistently delivered in collaboration with major SVODs and broadcasters such as Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, BBC, ITV, and Channel 4.

A multi-award-winning industry leader, Whisper is a BAFTA winner and multi-Emmy nominee, consistently recognised as a Sunday Times and Broadcast "Best Places to Work” winner.

We're looking for a high-performing salesperson, someone with a track record of winning, not just pitching.

This is a newly created role in the Commercial and Brand function, focused on driving new revenue growth and building sales materials that set the standard- fresh, well-designed, and built to win the room. Reporting to the Chief Commercial & Brand Officer.

We want someone who opens new commercial conversations rather than waiting for the brief to land. Someone who builds and drives a live pipeline of prospects across sports and entertainment. Someone who brings ideas, insight and strategy that get Whisper into the room before an RFP or brief even exists. They understand brands properly, what a brand stands for, who it's trying to reach, and what success looks like for them commercially.

This is about mindset, not just CV. We want someone curious, who spots opportunity before anyone else and backs their own instinct. Ambitious and resilient, they chase what others miss and don't quit. They sell in a new way, fresh, designed, content-led, and back it up with decks that do the same. And they play for the team, not just themselves.

What does success look like in this role?

- A growing network of senior relationships across brands, platforms and rights holders

- Industry-leading sales materials and approach, from decks and content that look and feel like nothing else in the market, backed by a sales style that's proactive, sharp and genuinely creative.

- New meetings and pipeline generated through proactive outreach, not inbound alone.

- Conversion of early conversations into live briefs, RFPs and signed business.

Key Responsibilities:

- Proactively identify and open new commercial conversations with brands, platforms and rights holders - generating meetings, not just responding to inbound briefs.

- Build and manage a live pipeline of prospects across sports, entertainment and branded content, working with key production stakeholders.

- Lead brand sales decks from design to delivery. Sharp, creative, industry-leading work every time.

- Research market trends, competitor activity and client objectives, and turn that research into original ideas and points of view that open doors.

- Translate insight into commercial propositions and strategy, working with senior leaders to shape the pitch before it's written.

- Own relationships from first contact through to handover for delivery, keeping the client engaged throughout.

- Attend industry events and conferences, building a network that creates new opportunities.

- Work closely with partner delivery area owners, creative and production teams to shape propositions that are ambitious but deliverable.

- Track and report pipeline activity, conversion and outcomes against targets.

- Own the day-to-day management and hygiene of HubSpot, keeping opportunities, stages, and activity accurate.

- Support the continuous evolution of HubSpot, testing and implementing improvements to pipelines, workflows and reporting as the business changes.

Responsibilities may be amended, added to, or removed to reflect the changing needs of the production or organisation.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

- A track record of proactively generating new business meetings and opportunities, not just responding to briefs.

- Confident building relationships with senior decision-makers at brands, platforms and rights holders.

- Genuine commercial instinct and curiosity about client objectives, market trends and where the industry is heading.

- Able to translate research and insight into a compelling commercial narrative and strategy.

- Comfortable operating without a brief, spotting and creating the opportunity.

- Experience in a commercial or sales role within sports, entertainment, media or branded content.

- Confident presenting ideas and strategies to senior stakeholders, internally and externally.

- Organised, with the ability to manage a live pipeline across multiple prospects at once.

- Collaborative, working closely with teams (creative to production) to shape propositions that hold up commercially and creatively.

- Strong design skills. Experience in Keynote is ideal. Photoshop knowledge is desirable.

Location:

The base for this position is Kew, London.

Working Days:

5 day week, x4 days in office and x1 day WFH

You will be expected to work with the team to plan a schedule based on commercial and production requirements.

There may be occasional weekend work.

Whisper offers the option of flexitime hours subject to production requirements.

Start:

ASAP on a permanent contract

Salary:

Based on experience

Application closing:

5th October 2026

How to apply:

Please upload your CV and tell us, in your own way, why you are the right candidate for this role.