Head of Hospitality Sales

Nottingham Forest Football Club; West Bridgford; On-site; GBP 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

A professional sports organization in Nottingham is seeking a Head of Hospitality Sales to lead a sales team and drive revenue growth across hospitality products. The candidate will develop sales strategies, manage client relationships, and ensure high-demand hospitality offerings. This role requires strong leadership, negotiation skills, and the ability to analyze market trends to maximize opportunities. Competitive salary and benefits, with a commitment to diversity, inclusion, and support for disabled applicants. The position is on-site at The City Ground.

Benefits

Access to event tickets

Employee Assistance Programme

Gym discounts

Discount in Club shop

Free on-site parking

Qualifications

• Proven track record in sales leadership, ideally in hospitality or sports.
• Exceptional verbal and written communication skills.
• Strong analytical skills for data-driven decision making.

Responsibilities

• Lead a small sales team towards ambitious revenue targets.
• Develop and execute sales strategies aligned with business goals.
• Manage relationships with club resellers to drive sales performance.

Skills

Sales leadership

Strategic sales planning

CRM management

Communication

Negotiation

Analytical thinking

Job description

Salary: Please state your expectations within your application

Contract: Full Time, 37.5 hours a week

Location: The City Ground, Nottingham, NG2 5FJ

Working Arrangements: On site

The Perks of the Job:

• Opportunity to access tickets for events at The City Ground.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Access to high street and gym discounts.
• Discount within our Club shop.
• Free on-site parking.

Role Overview:

Lead a small sales team, deliver ambitious revenue targets, and ensure robust pipelines across all hospitality products and services.

This role is central to driving growth, optimising pricing, and ensuring our hospitality products remain in high demand. The Head of Hospitality Sales will own the sales strategy, lead from the front, and inspire the team to exceed expectations.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

Seasonal Hospitality Sales

• Lead all commercial initiatives for seasonal and match-by-match sales and renewals, delivering exceptional service to maximise revenue and retention.
• Build and maintain strong sales pipelines, ensuring low churn risk and consistently high demand.
• Analyse sales data and market trends to identify opportunities for growth.
• Define target markets, territories, and customer segments to maximise acquisition.
• Manage relationships with all official club resellers to drive sales performance.

Matchday Hospitality Sales

• Own Matchday Hospitality sales, delivering against budgeted revenue for each fixture.
• Review pricing, demand, and inventory to optimise revenue across all packages.
• Develop and execute agile sales strategies aligned with short- and long-term business goals.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure seamless pre-match sales operations.

Skills, Experience and Knowledge:

• Proven track record in sales leadership, ideally in hospitality, sports, or premium membership sectors.
• Strategic Sales Planning: Proven ability to develop and execute sales strategies that deliver measurable revenue growth.
• Leadership & Team Management: Strong capability in leading, motivating, and developing high-performing sales teams.
• Pipeline, Campaign, & Data Management: Proficient in managing sales pipelines, campaigns, forecasting and performance metrics using available insights and data, utilising CRM systems.
• Negotiation & Closing: Excellent negotiation, presentation, and deal-closing skills with a track record of winning new business and hitting revenue targets.
• Communication & Influence: Exceptional verbal and written communication skills; able to influence stakeholders across all levels.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong data-driven decision-making skills with the ability to translate insights into actions.
• Customer Relationship Management: Ability to build long-term client & Stakeholder relationships to drive customer retention and satisfaction.
• Collaboration & Cross-Functional Alignment: Ability to collaborate effectively across multiple departments and manage multiple projects simultaneously working closely with both internal and external stakeholders to align strategies.
• Adaptability: Resilient, driven, and motivated by results. Comfortable operating in fast-paced, target-driven environments with changing priorities. Has a proactive and innovative mindset, with a drive to improve existing processes and strategies.
• Experience in developing and executing marketing campaigns is desirable.

Leadership and Management

• Leadership - Describe aims, encouraging people to meet them and showing a real belief in people by trusting them to deliver.
• Communication - Communication of key issues to a wide audience, listening to suggestions, asking probing questions to ensure full understanding of messages.
• Teamwork - Develop relationships with people quickly; work to build longer term individual, team and department relationships, creating trust and credibility.
• Commercial acumen - Show a sound understanding of the financial and relationship management of your own area.
• Customer focus - Ensure that internal and external customer satisfaction is always a high priority.
• Planning and prioritising – Ensure tasks are completed by you and your team, always achieving high standard and results.
• Commitment - Bounces back from setbacks maintaining enthusiasm even when obstacles are beyond personal control.
• Managing change - Decide how best to implement changes for yourself and others, whilst achieving key tasks.
• Persuading and influencing - persuades others through a well-structured and well-reasoned case.

Management of Employees

• Manage, motivate and develop employees within the team to ensure that they are able to deliver their responsibilities.
• Identify development areas and where appropriate provide mentorship, coaching and agree training plans as appropriate.
• Record and manage absence procedures in accordance with company procedures as required, highlighting any concerns that need to be addressed.
• Participate in disciplinary, grievance and performance management processes in accordance with company procedures as required.
• Consider and report welfare and safety matters, taking into account instructions and guidelines issued.
• Ensure your team is trusted and works efficiently with other departments to guarantee the successful operation of the Club, attending meetings and providing support when necessary.

Forest For Everyone

At Nottingham Forest Football Club we are committed to creating an environment where differences are respected, individuality is celebrated, everyone feels valued, supported, and included. Our goal is to ensure every member of our team can be themselves, contribute fully, and reach their potential without barriers.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Mental Wellbeing

As an equal opportunities employer, we welcome applications from talented people of all backgrounds regardless of age, disability, gender identity or reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We continue to develop policies and practices that promote equality, diversity, inclusion and mental wellbeing across our workforce. To help us measure progress and hold ourselves accountable, we ask all applicants to provide accurate diversity information during the recruitment process.

Disability Confident Committed Employer

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer, taking positive steps to attract, recruit, and support disabled people. As part of this commitment, we work hard to ensure our recruitment processes are fair, inclusive, and accessible to everyone. We are committed to offering interviews for disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria for a role and provide reasonable adjustments at every stage from the application process through to ongoing support in the workplace.

If you are likely to meet the definition of being a "disabled person" according to the Equality Act 2010, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme. Please indicate this in your application form. The information you share with us about your health or disability will not be used in recruitment selections.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

As part of the Club’s commitment to safeguarding, the successful applicant may be required to undergo a Disclosure Barring Service (“DBS”) check or an enhanced DBS check. The results of a DBS check will be considered on an individual basis, and the Club will act in a proportionate manner when deciding whether or not to proceed with the appointment.

An FA Enhanced DBS disclosure is required for all relevant new appointments to the Club. Individuals will be asked to declare any convictions, cautions or reprimands, warnings or bind-overs that may have been incurred. The Club reserves the right to carry out risk assessments where content has been disclosed on a DBS disclosure if it feels that it is relevant to the job requirements. Failure to satisfy the Club and the PL's safeguarding requirements may lead to the job offer being withdrawn or, if they have already started employment, summary termination of the employment.

Health and Safety

At Nottingham Forest Football Club, we are committed to ensuring a safe and healthy working environment for all employees. In accordance with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974, you are required to take reasonable care for your own health and safety and that of others who may be affected by your actions or omissions at work. You must also cooperate with the Club's health and safety policies and procedures. Should you identify any health and safety concerns, please report them promptly to your manager or a member of the Health and Safety/Facilities team.