Sales Director

Macfarlane Packaging; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Performance bonus

Company car

25 days leave

Pension

Employee discounts

Volunteering day

Eye care support

Job summary

Barum & Dewar, part of Macfarlane Group PLC, is seeking a Sales Director to lead the commercial strategy across UK and international markets, leveraging an established portfolio while pursuing major new business opportunities.

Reporting to the Managing Director, you will shape growth, manage pricing and profitability, and collaborate with Design, Production and Operations to deliver technically led protective packaging solutions.

Qualifications

• Senior technical sales or commercial leadership experience.
• Experience selling complex engineered solutions to aerospace, defence, space tech or precision engineering sectors.
• Proven success in winning major new business and building long-term strategic relationships.
• Strong commercial acumen with pricing, profitability and negotiations responsibilities.
• Ability to translate complex technical requirements into practical customer solutions.
• Excellent presentation, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong CRM discipline and pipeline management experience.
• Self-motivated, resilient and entrepreneurial, with autonomy.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel nationally and internationally.

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver the commercial strategy to achieve sustainable sales and profit growth.
• Identify, secure and convert new business opportunities across aerospace, defence, space tech, precision engineering and other demanding sectors.
• Lead complex solution-based sales projects from initial engagement through to contract award.
• Build long-term strategic relationships with major customers and ensure ongoing account growth.
• Provide commercial leadership on pricing, margin, forecasting and business planning.
• Develop robust sales pipelines, monitor performance and report against objectives.
• Collaborate with Design, Manufacturing and Operations to deliver solutions.
• Represent Barum & Dewar at customer meetings, exhibitions and industry events.
• Support strategic initiatives, marketing activity and market positioning.

Skills

Senior leadership

Technical sales

Strategic thinking

Negotiation

CRM & pipeline management

Stakeholder management

Presentation skills

Travel readiness

Driving licence

CRM software

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Location: UK (National role with regular travel)

Package: Competitive Executive Salary + Performance Bonus + Company Car/Allowance + Excellent PLC Benefits

Sector: Bespoke Packaging Design & Manufacturing solutions

Protecting What Matters, Together

We're dedicated to protecting what matters most – our people, our customers, our communities and the environment. At Macfarlane Packaging, our commitment to customer satisfaction, sustainability and continual improvement creates a highly collaborative, supportive and friendly workplace where you can unpack a career that grows.

With over 75 years of heritage, Macfarlane Group is the UK's leading packaging specialist. As part of the Group, Barum & Dewar occupies a unique position, designing and manufacturing highly engineered protective packaging solutions for some of the world's most technically demanding industries.

Working with organisations including aerospace, defence, space technology and precision engineering, Barum & Dewar has built an outstanding reputation for solving complex packaging challenges where product protection simply cannot be compromised.

This is a rare opportunity to join the senior leadership team of a specialist business with ambitious growth plans and a clearly defined pathway towards broader business leadership.

The Sales Director Role

Reporting directly to the Managing Director, this is one of the most influential appointments within Barum & Dewar.

You'll lead the commercial strategy for the business, taking ownership of business development, major customer relationships, sales performance and commercial growth across both UK and international markets. Whilst you'll inherit an established portfolio of prestigious customers, this is far from an account management role alone. You'll relish identifying new opportunities, winning complex technical projects and helping shape the future direction of the business.

Working collaboratively with Design, Production and the wider Macfarlane Group, you'll ensure customers continue to receive innovative, technically led protective packaging solutions whilst maintaining a relentless focus on profitable growth.

Alongside your own commercial responsibilities, you'll contribute to strategic planning and play an integral role within the senior leadership team.

For the right individual, this role offers a genuine opportunity to develop towards a future General Manager position within the business.

What You'll Be Doing

• Develop and deliver the commercial strategy to achieve sustainable sales and profit growth.
• Identify, secure and convert new business opportunities across aerospace, defence, space technology, precision engineering and other technically demanding sectors.
• Lead complex solution-based sales projects from initial engagement through to commercial negotiation and contract award.
• Build long-term strategic relationships with major customers, ensuring exceptional levels of service and continued account growth.
• Provide commercial leadership across pricing, margin management, forecasting and business planning.
• Develop robust sales pipelines, monitor performance and report against agreed commercial objectives.
• Work closely with internal Design, Manufacturing and Operations teams to deliver outstanding customer solutions.
• Represent Barum & Dewar at customer meetings, exhibitions, industry events and sector forums.
• Support wider strategic initiatives, marketing activity and market positioning across key industry sectors.

What You Will Bring

We're looking for an accomplished commercial leader who combines technical sales expertise with genuine strategic capability. You'll be equally comfortable engaging with senior decision makers, negotiating complex commercial agreements and inspiring those around you to deliver exceptional results.

Ideally, You'll Bring

• A proven track record of success in senior technical sales or commercial leadership roles.
• Experience selling complex engineered solutions into sectors such as aerospace, defence, space technology, precision engineering or similarly demanding industries.
• Demonstrable success in winning major new business and developing long-term strategic customer relationships.
• Strong commercial acumen with experience managing pricing, profitability and commercial negotiations.
• The ability to understand complex technical requirements and translate them into practical customer solutions.
• Excellent presentation, negotiation and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong CRM discipline and pipeline management experience.
• A self-motivated, resilient and entrepreneurial approach with the ability to operate autonomously.
• Full UK driving licence and willingness to travel nationally and internationally where required.

Previous experience within specialist protective packaging, transit cases, engineered products or technical manufacturing environments would be most advantageous.

What You Will Get

We offer a competitive executive remuneration package together with the opportunity to influence the future direction of a specialist business operating within some of the world's most exciting and technically advanced industries. Our flexible benefits package can include:

• Competitive executive salary
• Performance-related bonus
• Company car or cash allowance
• 25 days annual leave (rising with service) plus bank holidays
• Additional holiday purchasing scheme
• Contributory pension scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Annual paid volunteering day
• Employee discount scheme
• Simplyhealth/Dental Cover or BUPA (role dependent)
• Enhanced family-friendly policies
• Long service awards
• Financial support with eye tests and DSE glasses
• EE Mobile discount scheme
• Candidate referral scheme
• Your future with us

This role represents considerably more than a traditional Sales Director opportunity. Working closely alongside the Managing Director, you'll play a key role in shaping the continued growth of Barum & Dewar whilst benefiting from the strength, investment and stability of Macfarlane Group PLC.

For an ambitious commercial leader with the capability to broaden their leadership responsibilities, this role offers a genuine pathway towards General Manager level, supported by ongoing leadership development, executive mentoring and the opportunity to influence the strategic direction of a growing specialist business.

We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds irrespective of your age, gender, disability, race, nationality, ethnicity, gender expression, religion or sexual orientation. Should you require any specific support or adjustments during the recruitment process, please email our recruitment team directly.