Business Development Manager

General Description

Help life sciences deliver more equitable clinical trials

Scroll down to find an indepth overview of this job, and what is expected of candidates Make an application by clicking on the Apply button.

COUCH Health exists to make healthcare more human.

Too many people are excluded from clinical trials — not because they don’t want to take part, but because they’re not reached, understood, or supported. That lack of inclusion affects patient outcomes, slows research, and limits access to life-changing treatments.

We work with pharma companies, CROs, and clinical research teams to change that — improving how they engage patients and communities, removing barriers to participation, and designing experiences that genuinely work for real people.

We’re now hiring a Business Development Manager to help grow COUCH by building new relationships, shaping solutions to real industry challenges, and keeping the patient experience at the heart of every commercial conversation.

If you enjoy consultative sales, trust-based relationships, and winning work that genuinely improves lives, this role will suit you.

What you’ll be doing

Winning new business

• Build and progress a strong pipeline through outreach, networking, referrals, partnerships, and industry events
• Lead discovery with pharma and clinical trial teams to understand challenges, timelines, and success measures
• Clearly connect patient engagement, inclusion, and insight to better trial outcomes
• Create proposals and presentations that demonstrate credibility, value, and measurable impact
• Negotiate and close high-value work, bringing new customers into COUCH

Growing partnerships & shaping the offer

• Stay close to changes in clinical trials, patient recruitment, and health equity
• Spot opportunities to evolve services and strengthen COUCH’s commercial offering
• Work closely with internal teams to ensure what we sell is deliverable, ethical, and patient-first

Team & culture

• Be part of a small, ambitious commercial team based in our Manchester city-centre office
• Share market insight so we continuously improve how we win work
• Contribute to a supportive, high-energy culture where people back each other

What success looks like

You’ll be successful in this role if you:

• Build and maintain a healthy pipeline with consistent momentum
• Win new customers through consultative, value-led selling
• Bring in work that aligns with COUCH’s mission and strengths
• Influence solution development by staying close to client and industry needs
• Become a trusted internal voice on what the market wants — and how we respond

About you

You’ll thrive at COUCH if you have:

• Experience in B2B consultative sales, ideally within pharma, clinical trials, healthcare, or adjacent services
• Confidence navigating multiple decision-makers and varied sales cycles
• Strong commercial judgement and comfort negotiating and closing
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills
• A proactive mindset and strong follow-through

Nice to have (but not essential):

• Experience with patient recruitment, CROs, or clinical trial operations
• Understanding of health equity challenges in clinical research
• Experience selling services rather than one-off products

If this role excites you but you don’t meet every requirement, we’d still encourage you to apply.

Why join COUCH

• Purpose with real impact — your work directly improves access, inclusion, and equity in healthcare
• Clear commercial opportunity with uncapped commission
• A passionate, ambitious team doing work that genuinely matters
• A strong mission and point of view — we’re here to make health human
• A great Manchester city-centre office and truly collaborative environment

Working style & location

This role is office-based in central Manchester and suits someone who:

• Enjoys building relationships in person
• Likes working at pace
• Wants to be part of a social, collaborative team

Compensation

• Basic salary: £40,000
• OTE: £80,000
• Commission: Uncapped

Inclusion & equal opportunities

We’re committed to building a team with diverse backgrounds and perspectives — just as we’re committed to creating more inclusive health experiences through our work. xwzovoh

If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know and we’ll support you.

Apply

Apply via LinkedIn with your CV.

A cover letter isn’t required, but you’re welcome to include a short note answering:

“Why COUCH, and what makes you confident you can win customers in this space?”