Business Development Executive

Join us as a Business Development Executive (BDE) with Travel Hands, a service designed to ease the outdoor commute of VIP (Visually Impaired People) by pairing them with sighted & verified volunteers to walk together to similar destinations ensuring a safe, convenient, and inexpensive travel experience.

Location: London-based candidate

Position: Full-time (35-hour week)

Why does Travel Hands exist?

Think about your daily journey. How many intersections or staircases do you navigate, signs you pass by, paths and roads, or changes at the tube or bus stations? How many people cross your path, only for you to have to suddenly change direction? Now think about how much harder your day would be if you were partially sighted, or blind: this is what it’s like for the 285million VIPs in the world.

And no, this is not a niche problem. For these people, navigating busy urban landscapes can be extremely challenging. Guide dogs can offer huge support, but with the cost of breeding, raising, and training the dog (and their eventual user) approaching £63,000, it’s not an option for most. TfL currently offers VIP, Freedom Passes to travel for free and has a system in place where blind people can ask for on-platform assistance. But even walking to the bus stop or to the tube station is tough. Even for the shortest distances, a VIP must face the hassle of booking a taxi when making an unaccompanied journey. The trip is normally made through a phone call and entails an average waiting time of 20 minutes, despite being a brief 10-minutewalk.

About Travel Hands

Travel Hands charity relieves the needs of Visually Impaired People (VIP) by facilitating safe, convenient, and inexpensive outdoor travel so they can attend formal appointments, recreational activities and community events.

With our technology, a journey request is sent by a VIP or the backend team on behalf of VIPs to nearby available volunteers. The accepting volunteer will pick up the VIP and walk towards the requested destination. We operate in a hybrid model: call center and mobile-web apps. The customer service monitors the journeys of our users when they are active for improved safety.

The VIPs pay a small fee per journey and Volunteers flexibly help VIPs and walk more. They are vetted by the Enhanced Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and trained with our online or in-person course. As a Thank You, our volunteers get reward incentives that can be redeemed from our app.

We have completed 750+ journeys in London and won awards from the Beyond Business Program by Investec Bank, Money4U Dragon’s Den, UnLtd, School for Social Entrepreneurs, Big Issue Invest and the European Space Agency, etc. We are looking to expand the reach of the service and create further impact in 2024.

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Who are we looking for to join us in our mission?

We seek a Business Development Executive (BDE) who can help us expand Travel Hands as a vital charity for people with visual impairments. The BDE will ensure the objectives of the growth plan are reviewed and delivered.

As a new BDE, this position has responsibility for the delivery of marketing and business development services. You will share the mission of Travel Hands to make sure our voice is heard and that we can continue to inspire our communities further.

You will be working with the CEO of the organization and developing the partnerships with:

Organizations to reach VIP: Councils, charities, social prescribers, housing associations and NHS bodies

Organizations to reach Volunteers/ Guides: Voluntary organizations, volunteer fairs, Universities, senior citizen clubs, social prescribers and corporates (inviting employees to join through corporate volunteering programs)

Businesses: Create reward incentive opportunities for volunteers by inviting businesses to join us through corporate social responsibilities (CSR)

The role also includes marketing activities such as:

• Create and run campaigns to promote the service to VIPs and Volunteers
• Promote at volunteer fairs and events across London
• Share insights and ideas with the digital marketing team to create content
• Discover new avenues and opportunities to promote Travel Hands such as billboards, radio stations, press, and media.
• We seek candidates who have the following skills:
• A strong understanding of business-to-business marketing and business development within the third sector
• Evidence of good Partner management skills, ideally gained within a professional services environment
• Effective relationship builder - can interact with individuals at all levels across the business
• A "challenger", able to think strategically and commercially
• Strong operational and project management skills
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills(both verbal and written)
• Reap the benefits of joining our mission:
• Hybrid and Flexible Work Culture
• Travel Expenses will be paid
• NEST company pension scheme available
• As an early employee, help shape the direction of our charity
• Widen your professional horizons
• Experience working with the disabled community
• Opportunity to contribute to a young team and grow as a leader
• Opportunity to co-design with the founding team and implement own ideas

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Office: Co-working space in Islington

Job Type: Fixed term contract
Contract length: 12 months

Benefits:

• Company pension
• Employee mentoring program
• Flexitime
• Free or Subsidized travel
• Work from home

Schedule:

8 hour shift

Monday to Friday
 

Application question(s):

Do you have experience in the B2B sector or the third sector?

Experience:

Business development: 1 year (required)

Work authorization:

United Kingdom (required)

Location:

London (required)

Work Location: Hybrid remote in London