Senior Business Development Manager – Retail & Surface Access

Senior Business Development Manager – Retail & Surface Access

X-Aero

Vacancy type: Full-Time Permanent

Closing date: 14/08/2026

Salary: £60,000 + depending on experience

About the role

We’re looking for a Senior Business Development Manager – Retail & Surface Access to join the Commercial team at Edinburgh Airport. This is a senior position which will play a key role in expanding the airport’s retail and land-based transport business partnership portfolio, increasing commercial revenue whilst upholding sustainability practices to encourage long-term growth.

The role will manage a significant portfolio across Duty Free, Retail, Food & Beverage, Car Rental, Bus, Tram, Taxis and Coach park. The individual will build lasting relationships with business partners and internal teams, advancing both commercial outcomes and the experience of our passengers.

The airport is at an exciting point in its history as we look ahead to annual passenger numbers increasing to over 20 million by 2030 and even more beyond. To satisfy this growth, the footprint of the airport will expand across almost every area.

This role will support that transformation by shaping future commercial opportunities across terminal developments and passenger infrastructure projects, ensuring commercial requirements are embedded into development plans and aligned to the airport’s long-term growth ambitions.

We’re looking for an agile, commercially focused individual who is excited about joining a successful, high-performing team with a once-in-a-generation opportunity to shape the future of an iconic national asset. This role will be primarily based at Edinburgh Airport, with some travel required, and we are happy to discuss this further at interview stage.

About the recruitment process

The recruitment process will involve an initial interview discussion over Teams followed by an in-person interview. Our in person interview will involve a task or presentation, to be confirmed upon invite to interview – a chance for you to demonstrate your enthusiasm for bringing your strategic commercial thinking to support Edinburgh Airport’s growth!

To support the process, we will also ask you to complete an Insights Discovery profile.

Please note, depending on the volume of applications, the recruitment process for this role may change. We are committed to supporting diverse ways of thinking and working, so if you require adjustments in the recruitment process, please let us know on your application.

What you’ll be doing

The Senior Business Development Manager – Retail & Surface Access will be responsible for driving growth across a broad portfolio of retail, food and beverage, and surface transport business partners. The role will oversee a commercial contract roadmap of 100+ concession contracts, lead competitive bid and negotiation processes, and represent Commercial on key capital and transformation projects.

Key responsibilities include (but are not limited to) the following:

Commercial Portfolio & Growth

• Manage partner relationships and the commercial contract roadmap of 100+ concession contracts across retail and transport categories
• Drive revenue growth across Duty Free, Retail, Food & Beverage, Car Rental, Bus, Tram, Taxis and Coach park
• Shape future commercial opportunities across terminal developments and passenger infrastructure projects
• Identify innovative concepts, brands and transport solutions that enhance passenger experience and support long-term airport growth ambitions

Bids, Negotiation & Contract Delivery

• Lead competitive bid processes, negotiations and contract completion activities
• Develop clear strategic negotiation plans that support strong commercial outcomes
• Negotiate commercial deals and concession agreements with current and prospective business partners
• Manage the contract roadmap with strong prioritisation, clear governance and disciplined follow-through
• Draft and present clear board papers and recommendations to support decision-making

Transformation & Capital Projects

• Represent Commercial and lead workstreams on key capital and transformation projects
• Work closely with Capital Projects and Operational teams to ensure commercial requirements are embedded into future development plans
• Provide commercial input into the design and delivery of terminal developments and passenger infrastructure projects
• Influence key stakeholders at Executive and Board level through clear, evidence-based recommendations

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Build and maintain strong relationships with concessionaires, transport operators and internal stakeholders
• Develop strong, collaborative working relationships across Commercial, Capital Projects and Operational teams to support integrated delivery
• Work with partners to identify new concepts, brands and transport solutions that support the airport’s future commercial proposition
• Demonstrate the agility to identify, lead and support new commercial initiatives that arise in a growing, fast-paced environment

What we’re looking for

The Senior Business Development Manager – Retail & Surface Access role is well-suited to candidates with a strong background in commercial development, contract management and negotiation, with the ideal candidate ticking most of the following boxes:

Skills

• A positive and determined attitude, with a goal-orientated mindset and an unwavering passion for success
• Strategic negotiation planning skills, with the ability to prepare for and lead complex commercial discussions
• An excellent communicator with the ability to influence and align stakeholders at
• Executive and Board level through clear, well-structured communication
• Highly experienced using PowerPoint and Excel, with the ability to create clear, decision-ready materials and robust commercial analysis
• Ability to self-manage, prioritise effectively and maintain momentum across multiple workstreams
• A problem solver who enjoys finding the solution in every problem
• A team player who can collaborate with other departments and stakeholders, and enjoys working with others to achieve a common goal

Experience

• Demonstrable experience building and managing a commercial pipeline
• Proven ability to negotiate commercial deals and concession agreements
• Experience managing a contract roadmap and prioritising activity across a broad portfolio
• Experience drafting and presenting clear board papers and recommendations for senior decision-makers
• Airport, transport, retail or hospitality sector experience is desirable but not essential

If your experience ticks some of the boxes but looks slightly different to what we’ve listed here, we encourage you to still apply. You could add something we didn’t know we needed.

What we’ll offer you

• Pension scheme - employer contributions can be up to 7%
• 32 days holiday, based on full time roles, increasing with service
• Annual discretionary bonus
• Supporting your health and wellbeing - private healthcare after 1 years’ service, access to our Employee Assistance Programme and occupational health services
• Free car parking on site and when you go on holiday
• We offer a range of other benefits

Why EDI?

We are Edinburgh Airport, where Scotland meets the world. The success of the airport comes down to our people, and you can help us deliver even more big days for our passengers and colleagues. The development of your career is important to us, and we’ll support and encourage this every step of the way. We offer in-house and external training, both role specific and based on your objectives.

As a business we’re driven by our values – they’re at the core of our culture and everything we do. We will ask questions based on our values during your interview, as we’re looking for people who will demonstrate these values day-in, day-out. So if this sounds like you, apply now and get ready for your career to take off.

As a Disability Confident Leader, we are committed to ensuring applicants with a disability can participate fully in our recruitment process. Please let us know in your application form if you require any adjustments, such as parking arrangements or alternative methods of communication.

We work with Inclusive Employers, who are a leading organisation for employers committed to prioritising inclusion. We are supported by them through leadership workshops, a variety of resources and webinars, demonstrating our commitment to an inclusive workplace and ensuring all our employees feel valued. This partnership is part of our wider Diversity and Inclusion strategy.

We give colleagues the opportunity to engage with different people and projects, within our business and beyond. You can get involved in a variety of different employee groups, including Diversity, STEM, Wellbeing, or create your own community – it’s important to us that you can share your interests and be yourself at work.