Head of Solutions - Manchester

Sanderson; Manchester; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Sanderson Government & Defence in Manchester seeks a Head of Solutions to lead, grow and evolve our Solutions business. This senior role combines commercial strategy, operational excellence, and innovative solution development to drive profitable growth with public sector and defence clients.

You will create scalable workforce solutions, strengthen trusted relationships, and align Managed Services, Permanent Recruitment, and future solutions into a high-performing function.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in a solutions or services business, preferably in government/defence.
• Strong track record of driving profitable growth and complex client engagements.
• Ability to develop scalable workforce and service solutions.

Responsibilities

• Own the commercial performance, growth, and profitability of the Solutions business.
• Lead and develop the Solutions function with clear accountability and high standards.
• Deliver outcomes across programmes and recruitment engagements.
• Develop innovative workforce and talent solutions to differentiate in the market.
• Create scalable operating models that protect service quality and profitability.
• Maintain governance, pricing, contracts, and margin management.
• Build strategic client relationships and identify new opportunities.
• Collaborate with Sales, Client Services and Executive Leadership to shape opportunities.
• Develop workforce solutions portfolio aligned with client demand.
• Lead with pace, clarity, and accountability to enable teams to perform.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Commercial acumen

Team development

Stakeholder management

Job description

Head of Solutions
Sanderson Government & Defence
Location:Manchester
Salary: competitive package
Employment type: Permanent, full-time
Sanderson Government & Defence is looking for an ambitious and commercially focused Head of Solutions to lead, grow and evolve our Solutions business.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for someone who can combine commercial strategy, operational excellence, and innovative solution development. You will be responsible for delivering profitable growth, strengthening our existing services, and creating scalable workforce solutions that respond to the evolving needs of public sector and defence customers.

You will play a central role in helping us build on our reputation as a trusted workforce partner, developing strategic client relationships and bringing together Managed Services, Permanent Recruitment, and future solutions into one high-performing function.

What you’ll be responsible for

• Owning the commercial performance, growth, and profitability of the Solutions business.
• Leading and developing the Solutions function, creating clear accountability and consistently high standards.
• Delivering excellent outcomes across existing programmes and recruitment engagements.
• Developing innovative workforce and talent solutions that differentiate Sanderson Government & Defence in the market.
• Creating scalable operating models that support growth while protecting service quality and profitability.
• Maintaining strong commercial discipline across pricing, contract negotiation, and margin management.
• Building strategic client relationships that generate sustainable growth and increase our share of client spend.
• Working closely with Sales, Client Services and Executive Leadership to identify, shape and secure new opportunities.
• Ensuring robust governance, operational processes and service standards are in place.
• Leading the development of our workforce solutions portfolio so that our services remain differentiated, commercially attractive and aligned with client demand.
• Leading our people You will lead with pace, clarity, and accountability, creating an environment where managers and teams can perform at their best.

A key part of the role will be to:

• Develop, motivate, and coach managers to deliver strong commercial, operational and customer outcomes.
• Create alignment across Managed Services, Permanent Recruitment, and emerging solution areas.
• Build leadership capability and a strong succession pipeline.
• Address underperformance constructively and consistently.
• Foster a culture of ownership, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Develop future leaders and support an engaged, high-performing team.
• What we’re looking for We are looking for a credible and commercially astute leader who can balance strategic growth with exceptional operational delivery.

You will bring:

• Strong commercial leadership and financial discipline.
• Experience leading and developing high-performing teams.
• A track record of growing workforce, recruitment, managed service, or talent solutions.
• The ability to build trusted relationships with senior client stakeholders.
• Experience identifying client challenges and turning them into viable commercial solutions.
• Confidence in pricing, negotiation, margin management, and contract discussions.
• A collaborative approach to working across sales, client services, and senior leadership teams.
• The ability to create scalable, differentiated services that meet changing market needs.
• A proactive and innovative mindset, with the confidence to challenge existing approaches.
• A strong commitment to customer outcomes, service quality, and continuous improvement.
• Experience within Government, Defence, the wider public sector, or regulated environments would be valuable.

How success will be measured

Success in this role will include:

• Achieving revenue, gross profit, and profitability targets.
• Growing Managed Services, Permanent Recruitment, and wider Solutions revenues.
• Identifying, qualifying, and converting new business opportunities.
• Maintaining strong client satisfaction and retention.
• Delivering consistently against agreed KPIs and service standards.
• Successfully launching and scaling new services.
• Improving employee engagement, retention, and development.
• Receiving positive feedback from clients, candidates, and internal stakeholders.

Why join us?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a strategically important business area and help define the next generation of workforce solutions for Government and Defence customers.

You will have the scope to influence our commercial direction, develop new services, strengthen strategic partnerships, and build a connected, high-performing Solutions function.