Head of Sales – Power & Grid Systems

Schneider Electric; Leeds; On-site; GBP 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Schneider Electric UKI Power Systems seeks a Senior Manager to drive growth strategies and lead the sales team across the UK & Ireland. You will optimise resources, steer portfolio penetration, and implement consultative sales approaches to hit growth targets and customer satisfaction.

You will collaborate with go-to-market teams to enhance prescription and project execution, while developing strategic plans aligned with corporate objectives and a strong emphasis on energy transition and digital

Qualifications

• 7 years’ experience in sales / Systems business.
• Commercial experience across the UK & Ireland, including strong knowledge of the Irish market.
• Proven experience in Digital Grid solutions (grid automation, control, monitoring, software, data).
• Strong strategic capability with multi-year plans and investment decisions.
• Ability to engage, influence and build credibility with C-suite and senior leaders.
• Proven sales leadership in a matrix organisation and cross-functional alignment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the UK & Ireland sales strategy and execution.
• Collaborate with Sales, Tendering, Equipment Centre, ETO/CTO factories & One Solution Centre UK&I.
• Own forecasts, budgets and governance for the business.
• Build and recruit a high-performance sales team and optimise resources.
• Translate market and customer insights into clear portfolio priorities and growth plans.
• Drive the Digital Grid commercial agenda and value propositions.
• Foster executive relationships and facilitate strategic negotiations.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

People development

Decision making

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering or Business

Job description

As a Senior Manager, you drive growth strategies and initiatives for designated accounts or segments. You optimise resource allocation to maximise portfolio penetration and implement consultative sales approaches to achieve growth targets and customer satisfaction.

You collaborate with go-to-market teams and ecosystems to enhance prescription and project execution. Your mission is to lead the PS Power & Grid Systems sales team in developing and executing comprehensive sales strategies that align with departmental objectives. You have a significant impact on revenue growth, customer relationships and market expansion through strategic decision‑making and innovative solutions.

You oversee operational objectives within your area of responsibility, focusing on planning, prioritising and guiding the work of others. Strong management skills are essential for effectively directing resources to achieve both short‑term goals and long‑term strategies. You set the overall work direction for teams in alignment with internal policies and objectives. You make independent decisions and recommend changes to processes, procedure and policies with large impact on costs, objectives and overall process.

You regularly make decisions and recommendations on complex issues affecting the department or cross‑functional area, often requiring complex analyses and processes. You address problems that are complex and often non‑recurring, determining new processes / procedures.

Key Reponsibilities:

• Ensure strong collaboration between Sales, Tendering (PAEs), Equipment Centre team, ETO/CTO factories & One Solution Centre UK&I.
• Commit and achieve financial KPIs (rolling forecasts, sales, cash, gross margins). Own financial performance, forecasting and business review governance for the xx business.
• Deliver the highest level of customer satisfaction and full sharing of customer focus culture within the team.
• Structure, build and recruit team members, optimizing resources to drive performance management.
• Own the sales strategy and execution plan across the UK & Ireland, with a clear and dedicated growth plan for Ireland covering priority customers, channels, partners, pipeline and resource requirements.
• Lead the Digital Grid commercial agenda, accelerating growth across grid automation, control, monitoring, software and data‑enabled solutions, and ensuring these capabilities are embedded in strategic customer propositions.
• Develop and execute the medium and long‑term Power & Grid Systems strategy, translating market, customer, competitor and regulatory insight into clear portfolio priorities, investment choices, growth initiatives and measurable delivery plans.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with customer executives, including CEOs, CFOs, COOs, CIOs, CTOs, Board members and senior business leaders, positioning Schneider Electric as a strategic partner in energy transition, grid modernisation and digital transformation.
• Lead executive‑level discussions on business outcomes, investment priorities, risk management, sustainability objectives and digital transformation, then translate agreed priorities into clear actions for sales, tendering, project delivery and engineering teams.
• Communicate complex technical, commercial and strategic concepts effectively across diverse audiences, adapting the message from C‑suite and Board‑level business cases to detailed discussions with consultants, project managers, technical specialists and field engineers.
• Act as executive sponsor for selected strategic accounts, leading executive reviews, investment proposals and strategic negotiations while ensuring customer requirements are converted into deliverable technical and commercial plans.
• Establish a high‑performance sales culture through clear direction, coaching, talent development, succession planning, disciplined pipeline management and accountability for profitable growth.

Experience and Qualifications:

• University bachelor’s or master’s degree (Engineering and/or Business) or equivalent
• 7 years’ experience in sales / Systems business
• Demonstrable commercial experience across the UK & Ireland, including a strong understanding of the Irish power, utility and infrastructure market, its customers, partners and routes to market.
• Proven experience in Digital Grid solutions and value propositions, ideally spanning grid automation, control, monitoring, software, data and digitally enabled services.
• Strong strategic capability, with a track record of developing and executing multi‑year business and sales strategies, setting priorities, making investment choices and converting strategy into measurable commercial outcomes.
• Ability to interpret market, customer, competitor and regulatory trends across the UK & Ireland and use them to shape portfolio, go‑to‑market and resource decisions.
• Demonstrated ability to engage, influence and build credibility with stakeholders ranging from C‑suite executives and Board members through to operational leadership, technical specialists and field engineers.
• Proven experience presenting business cases, growth strategies, investment proposals and transformation programmes to executive leadership teams, with the ability to simplify complex technical and digital solutions into clear business value.
• Proven sales leadership experience, including building and developing high‑performing teams, leading strategic accounts, driving sales excellence and aligning cross‑functional stakeholders within a matrix organisation.
• Proven people management experience, ideally within multi‑cultural, multi sites and/or matrix organisation
• Business developer mindset vs financials (cash and margin, CCO)
• Team player/builder to put in place collaborative climate to leverage diversity and implement changes
• Strong leadership skills (effective communication, collaboration)
• Strong capabilities to negotiate and influence in a matrix environment

Health, Safety and Wellbeing

• Own Health, Safety and Wellbeing performance across the role’s span of control
• Provide visible field leadership and set clear expectations that support a Zero Harm culture.
• Ensure operational performance is never achieved at the expense of safety, and hold leaders accountable for compliance, risk management and safe execution.
• Partner closely with the Vice President Power Systems and Power Systems Leadership Team
• Build strong relationships across the wider business to increase focus on pulling through width of wallet
• Influence senior stakeholders to accelerate investment in Power Systems UKI