Commercial / sales manager

Manifest Recruitment Limited; Egham; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Commission

Share options

Job summary

Manifest Recruitment Limited is recruiting a Commercial / Sales Manager to establish and lead a brand-new Heathrow branch. You’ll generate your own pipeline, win and onboard new clients, and shape the site from day one with an autonomous, start-from-scratch approach.

You’ll report to senior leadership as the face of the new site, building the commercial strategy and growing a team around you as the branch expands.

Qualifications

• Freight forwarding sales experience within Air and/or Sea Freight.
• Self-starter with autonomy to build from scratch.
• Strong new business hunter with a pipeline focus.
• Excellent relationship-building and negotiation skills.

Responsibilities

• Drive new business development for Air and Sea Freight from Heathrow at a standing start.
• Build a pipeline through proactive prospecting, networking and relationship-building.
• Win and onboard new clients, laying the commercial foundation for the branch.
• Work closely with senior leadership as the face of the new site.
• Help shape the branch's commercial strategy and, in time, input into the team that's built around you.
• Represent the business professionally, reflecting its reputation for personalised, flexible service.

Skills

Freight sales

Autonomy

Negotiation

Lead generation

Job description

Commercial / Sales Manager

Location: Heathrow | Salary: £65,000 + Car Allowance + Commission + Share Options

Our client is a fast-growing, award-winning international freight forwarding and logistics provider, specialising in Air and Sea Freight, operating across a UK and European branch network with 250+ partner locations worldwide. They hold FIATA, BIFA and ISO 9001 accreditations, and were recently recognised as Best International Freight Forwarding & Logistics Provider at the UK Transport Awards 2026.

The Opportunity

Our client is investing in a brand-new branch at Heathrow — and they need a Commercial / Sales Manager to be the first person on the ground. This is a genuine start-from-scratch opportunity: there's no existing book of business to inherit and no team in place yet. An experienced Operations Manager is lined up to join once the commercial foundations are in place, and the wider branch team will be built around you as the site grows.

This is a real challenge — you'll need to be comfortable working independently, generating your own pipeline, and putting the site on the map. For the right person, with genuine autonomy over how the branch takes shape and a stake in building something from day one, it's an exceptional opportunity.

The Role

• Drive new business development for Air and Sea Freight forwarding services from a standing start at the Heathrow branch
• Build a pipeline through proactive prospecting, networking and relationship-building — no existing accounts to fall back on
• Win and onboard new clients, laying the commercial foundation for the branch
• Work closely with senior leadership as the face of the new site
• Help shape the branch's commercial strategy and, in time, input into the team that's built around you
• Represent the business professionally, reflecting its reputation for personalised, flexible service

About You

• Proven business development / sales track record specifically within freight forwarding (Air and/or Sea Freight) — this is essential, not a related industry
• Self-starter who thrives with autonomy and is genuinely motivated by building something new
• Strong new business hunter — comfortable generating your own leads rather than managing a handed-down portfolio
• Resilient and commercially astute; able to handle the early-stage pressure of a start-up-style branch launch
• Excellent relationship-building and negotiation skills

What's on Offer

• £65,000 basic salary
• Car allowance
• Commission structure
• Possible share options
• The opportunity to build and shape a branch from the ground up, with a team growing around you
• Backing of an established, award-winning international logistics group