Sales Manager

About the job

Job Title: Sales Manager – Manufacturing & Retail
Location: West Yorkshire
Salary: Up to £70,000 Basic DOE + £120,000 OTE

About the Role

We’re recruiting on behalf of an established and growing manufacturing business looking for an ambitious Sales Manager to lead its commercial growth and develop the sales function through its next phase.

This is much more than maintaining an existing customer base. The business is looking for someone with the commercial drive to win new business, develop opportunities with major retail customers and create a structured, high-performing sales environment.

You’ll take ownership of sales strategy and performance while remaining close enough to the market to lead from the front. Alongside developing new customer relationships, you’ll lead and develop the existing sales team, introduce greater structure around lead generation and KPIs, and use data to identify where the strongest opportunities for growth lie.

For the right person, this offers genuine longer-term progression, with the potential to develop beyond the Sales Manager position as the business continues to grow.

Key Responsibilities

Sales Strategy & Commercial Growth

• Lead and develop the sales function, creating a clear strategy for sustainable revenue growth.
• Identify, target and convert new business opportunities, particularly across large multi-site and national retail customers.
• Build and develop strategic relationships with key customer stakeholders.
• Strengthen existing customer relationships while identifying opportunities for further commercial growth.
• Monitor customer trends, competitor activity and wider market opportunities.
• Work collaboratively with operational and senior leadership teams to ensure commercial strategy can be effectively delivered.

Sales Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach and develop the sales team, creating clear expectations and accountability around performance.
• Establish a structured, high-performing sales environment focused on new business development and customer growth.
• Introduce and monitor meaningful sales KPIs, pipeline activity and conversion metrics.
• Help shape the longer-term sales structure as the business grows.
• Encourage a proactive, commercially focused and collaborative sales culture.

Business Development & Lead Generation

• Develop a structured, data-led approach to lead generation and new customer acquisition.
• Identify and pursue opportunities with national retailers, multi-site operators and other strategic customers.
• Analyse the performance of different lead generation channels to improve effectiveness and return on investment.
• Evaluate different routes to market and identify opportunities to improve customer acquisition.
• Remain actively involved in business development activity, leading from the front when pursuing key opportunities.

Sales Performance & Commercial Reporting

• Monitor sales performance against agreed KPIs and commercial objectives.
• Provide clear sales forecasting, reporting and commercial insight to support wider business decisions.
• Use sales data, pipeline analysis and conversion metrics to identify opportunities for improvement.
• Support senior leadership with insight into market opportunities, customer trends and future revenue potential.
• Introduce greater structure and consistency across sales processes and performance management.

Candidate Profile

• Strong track record within B2B sales, with demonstrable experience winning and developing new business.
• Experience selling products into large, multi-site or national retail customers.
• Commercially driven and comfortable combining strategic thinking with hands-on sales activity.
• Strong understanding of sales KPIs, pipeline management and performance metrics.
• Interest in using data and modern lead-generation approaches to improve sales performance.
• Confident analysing different routes to market and identifying where commercial investment will generate the strongest return.
• Strong relationship-building, influencing and negotiation skills.
• Comfortable challenging existing ways of working and introducing greater structure where required.
• Collaborative leadership style with the ability to engage and motivate an established team.
• Entrepreneurial mindset with the ambition to contribute to the long-term growth of the business.

Desirable Experience

• Background within manufacturing, timber, building materials, retail display, interiors or another product-led environment.
• Previous experience leading or developing sales or business development colleagues.
• Experience managing relationships with major national retail customers.
• Exposure to developing sales strategies, implementing KPIs or improving sales processes.
• Experience using sales data and lead-generation analytics to improve commercial performance.

We welcome applications from candidates with different career backgrounds and experiences and are committed to an inclusive and equitable recruitment process.

What Our Client Offers

• Basic salary of up to £75,000, dependent on experience.
• OTE of approximately £120,000.
• Potential opportunity for equity participation.
• Significant autonomy to shape and lead the sales strategy.
• Opportunity to develop and build a high-performing commercial function.
• Established business and customer base with considerable scope for further growth.
• High level of visibility and influence within the senior leadership team.
• Genuine long-term career progression as the business develops.

How to Apply

If you’re an ambitious Sales Manager or experienced business development professional with a proven track record of winning new business, developing major retail customers and driving commercial growth, we’d love to hear from you.

Apply with your CV for a confidential discussion about this opportunity.