Business Development Executive - SME Real Estate Finance - Macdonald & Company - #2095975

Business Development Executive — SME Real Estate Finance — Manchester/London · Full-Time

About Our Client

Our client is a specialist real estate finance advisory firm with 28 years of experience arranging debt across the UK and Europe.
The SME business unit works across the capital structure on transaction values typically ranging from £1m to £5m, covering both single-asset and portfolio mandates.
Their client base includes developers, landlords, family offices, and private investors, many of whom have partnered with them across multiple transactions and market cycles.

Their competitive edge is their solid reputation for supporting clients’ needs, the depth of their structuring capability, and their ability to complete complex deals.

The Role

We are looking for a Business Development Executive to originate and close SME Real Estate finance mandates.
You will be responsible for generating new business, managing relationships, and delivering a minimum of £150 million in completed transactions annually.

This is a relationship-first role, reporting to the SME – Business Unit Manager, supported by an experienced structuring and execution team that handles the deal mechanics, lender negotiations, and completion management, so your time stays where it generates the most value.

What You Will Do

• Originate and win SME – Real Estate finance mandates (acquisition or refinance) across development, investment, and bridge transactions in the £1m–£5m range
• Build and maintain long-term relationships with landlords, developers, family offices, and investors across the UK and continental Europe
• Qualify mandates across Seaford’s main product types.
• Serve as the primary client relationship holder from the first meeting through to mandate close and re-engagement at exit
• Identify and develop new client relationships through your existing network, direct introductions, and market engagement
• Present financing options to clients, drawing on term comparisons prepared by the structuring team, and facilitate informed client decisions
• Deliver a minimum of £150 million/year in completed transaction volume, with a clear ramp plan agreed at onboarding
• Maintain full pipeline discipline and keep client information in the CRM (Salesforce) up to date: every prospect, every conversation, every stage (logged and current).
• Monitor facility maturities across your client book and proactively generate refinancing mandates ahead of exit
• Contribute market intelligence to the firm: lender appetite shifts, pricing movements, competitor activity, and emerging client needs
• Travels might be required from time to time.

• A demonstrable track record of originating and closing SME – Real Estate finance transactions in the range above, with personal production evidence (we will ask for this and verify it)
• Track record of generating refinancing revenue from an existing client book, not solely from new name origination
• Deep, active relationships with decision-makers across the UK SME – Real Estate finance market
• Commercial fluency across SME – Real Estate capital structures (you have solid knowledge about, but not limited to, property debt, equity, GDV at a level that allows you to qualify and position mandates accurately without requiring a structurer in the room for every conversation)
• Strong command of UK SME Real Estate market dynamics to support clients accordingly: development economics, investment yield and pricing, portfolio underwriting, and the lender landscape across banks, debt funds, and specialist providers
• The discipline to manage a high-value, multi-mandate pipeline of complex deals without losing detail or momentum on any individual transaction

• European language is a plus
• RICS, CFA, or equivalent professional qualification

• Significant earnings: £30,000-£40,000 base salary (depending on experience, capacity to deliver immediate results, and the size of clients' portfolios), plus a gradual, uncapped commission threshold on gross advisory fees from closed mandates. At our typical deal parameters and minimum production, this represents substantial annual earnings of around £120k+ for a consistent performer. Re-originated mandates from your existing client relationships carry the same commission rate as new mandates, so your book appreciates in value the longer you build it.
• Structuring and execution support: a dedicated team that handles IM preparation, lender selection, term negotiation, due diligence project management, and completion.
• Working in a solid business with 25+ years of immaculate reputation
• Mandate quality: We work on transactions where complexity is the norm, not the exception. If you are currently constrained by your firm's deal profile, this is a step up.
• Autonomy: you manage your own time, your own client agenda, and your own pipeline. We set the floor; how far above it you operate is entirely up to you.

• Our client is an equal opportunity employer.