Head of Sales

Universal Business Team; Hemel Hempstead; On-site; GBP 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Car allowance

Performance-related bonus

Longer-term incentive arrangements

Standard benefits

Job summary

Universal Business Team is seeking an accomplished sales leader to drive growth in interior fit-out, modular construction and related sectors from Hemel Hempstead. The role demands managing demand generation, pipeline integrity and high-value closes, with accountability for forecasting and board reporting.

The successful candidate will personally close significant business while building a strong BD unit and guiding successors, aiming to progress into a Sales Director role within a growing

Qualifications

• Proven experience selling refurbishment, new build or modular construction into the education sector.
• Senior sales leadership experience in long-cycle, high-value, project-based B2B environments.
• Experience building or professionalising a sales function.
• Experience owning marketing accountability to commercial outcomes.
• International business development experience.

Responsibilities

• Own marketing, business development, closing and sales support as one integrated pipeline.
• Personally close business, including larger or more complex UK projects.
• Build and lead the dedicated business development unit and outbound activity.
• Own conversion from lead to closed business with reliable forecasts for the board.
• Manage marketing spend and activity and provide robust pipeline reporting.
• Lead and develop Marketing & Demand, BD Unit, Closers and Sales Support.
• Set standards for pipeline honesty and reporting discipline.
• Contribute to strategy and growth planning with senior leadership.

Skills

Sales leadership

Education sector

B2B sales

Pipeline management

Negotiation

Team leadership

International business development

Marketing accountability

Job description

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 Hemel Hempstead.
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.

This role will quickly look to transpire 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, honest 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:

• Own marketing, business development, closing and sales support as one integrated pipeline
• Personally close business, particularly larger or more complex opportunities 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 honest, stage-gated reporting the board can trust.
• Own marketing spend and activity
• Provide reliable, evidenced pipeline forecasts that finance and the board can rely on for reporting.
• 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.
• Proven experience selling refurbishment, new build or modular construction into the education sector- This is essential, the candidate must already 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.
• Salary- £100,000- £150,000 basic
• Performance-related bonus
• Car allowance, and standard benefits.
• Longer-term incentive arrangements available