Head of Sales

Our client is a profitable contractor delivering interior fit-out, modular new-build and specialist furniture projects, principally for the private education sector based in the Watford area.
Formerly owner-managed, they are now led by a CEO driving a deliberate growth plan, building the leadership team and commercial disciplines required to scale materially over the next five years. The Head of Sales works alongside the Operations Director as a peer, the two roles carry the two halves of the same growth story: what the business wins, and what it delivers.
It is anticipated that this role will quickly develop into a Sales Director role.

The Head of Sales, owns demand generation and conversion across the whole funnel, from marketing and business development through to close. The role carries full accountability for pipeline integrity, weighting, and the conversion rate the business actually achieves versus what is forecast. This is a genuine player-manager leadership role. The successful candidate will personally close significant business as well as leading the team around them, and will be as comfortable interrogating pipeline weighting with their own team as they are in front of a client at senior level.
Responsibilities:

• Take ownership of business development, marketing, closing and sales support as one integrated pipeline
• Personally close business, particularly larger or more complex opportunities (project sizes 500k to 3m) within UK projects, not solely manage a team that does
• Build and lead the dedicated business development unit, driving qualified outbound activity rather than relying on inbound alone.
• Own conversion from lead through to closed business, with reliable, evidenced pipeline forecasts and honest stage-gated reporting the board can trust.
• Own marketing spend and activity
• Lead, develop and where necessary strengthen Marketing & Demand, BD Unit, Closers and Sales Support; build capability and succession.
• Set and enforce the standard for pipeline honesty and reporting discipline.
• Contribute as a peer to the CEO, Operations Director and finance leadership on strategy and growth planning.

Requirements

• Proven experience selling refurbishment, new build or modular construction projects.
• Education sector experience is highly desirable as the candidate must quickly understand how bursars, governors and estates teams buy.
• A demonstrable personal track record of closing significant business, this is a genuine player-manager role
• Senior sales leadership experience in construction, fit-out or a comparable long-cycle, high-value, project-based B2B environment.
• Experience building or professionalising a sales function
• Strong commercial literacy: understands margin, deliverability, and the difference between real pipeline and hopeful pipeline.
• Experience owning a marketing function's accountability to commercial outcome, not just activity.
• International business development experience would be desirable as the company continues to expand.
• Highly driven and keen to develop career into a sales director but also possesses high degrees of leadership, humility and accountability.

Benefits

• Salary- 100,000- 150,000 basic
• Performance-related bonus
• Car allowance, and standard benefits.
• Longer-term incentive arrangements available

IND25