Head of Sales & Commercial Development (MICE) in Coventry

Location: Coventry

Salary: £55 - 60,000 per annum (depending on senior sales experience) plus Targeted bonus structure.

• 35 Days holiday including bank holidays
• Plus your birthday off
• 24 weeks enhanced maternity leave
• Secondary carer leave
• Wedding/commitment day leave
• Free meals on shift
• Bespoke training and development opportunities
• Apprenticeships opportunities for all experience levels
• Pension and life insurance
• Discounts available on our Perkbox app; high street shops, holidays & cinema
• Access to employee assistance programme
• Cycle to work scheme

Do you have a passion for leading the way in providing genuine hospitality and impeccable service? Can you motivate a team? Are you friendly, professional and efficient? Yes? Then this is the role for you. At BaxterStorey, we believe that every interaction is an opportunity to create a lasting impression, that’s why we’re looking for a Head of Sales & Marketing who motivates their team to exceed expectations at every turn.

The Head of Sales & Commercial Development will lead the Sales and Marketing department, set the commercial direction for the venue and personally drive new business. The role will take ownership of sales strategy, business development, major accounts, agency relationships, marketing activity, brand awareness, pipeline management and revenue forecasting.

The role is the senior commercial lead for proactive and reactive sales, new-business development, strategic partnerships, major accounts, agencies, marketing and commercial development across the University venue portfolio. This is not a desk-based management position and it is not simply an escalation point for incoming enquiries. The successful candidate will be expected to be visible in the market, build relationships, open doors and convert opportunities.

Create the structure, standards and commercial discipline needed for the team to perform consistently. Lead the commercial development of large, multi-space and strategically important opportunities across the University estate, coordinating Sales, Catering, Operations, AV, Facilities and relevant University stakeholders from initial concept through to confirmed operational handover.

The immediate priority is to secure at least £200,000 of additional external business by 31 July in the first year. Alongside this, the postholder will build the client base, qualified pipeline and market presence needed to support annual external conference revenue of £1 million in the following financial year, with a longer-term ambition to grow beyond £2 million.

Qualifications

• Strong experience in a senior sales, commercial or business development role within conference venues, hotels, meetings and events, hospitality, venue finding or a closely related sector.
• Clear evidence of personally winning new business, developing high-value accounts and delivering measurable revenue growth.
• Experience of leading and developing a sales, events or commercial team, including setting objectives, reviewing performance, coaching individuals and creating clear accountability.
• Strong proactive business development skills, including prospecting, networking, account planning, negotiation, proposal development, closing and maintaining relationships after the first sale.
• A working understanding of sales and marketing as connected commercial functions.
• Strong pipeline management and forecasting capability, with confidence using CRM or booking systems to manage opportunities and report performance accurately.
• Commercial confidence with budgets, pricing, targets, conversion, average booking value and revenue reporting.
• Credibility with senior clients, university stakeholders, agencies, partners and internal leaders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including proposal writing, client presentations, commercial reports and team communication.
• Good judgement, balancing immediate revenue opportunities against operational capacity, margin, client experience and long-term account value.
• A full understanding of the conference and events sales journey, from lead generation and qualification through to proposal, negotiation, contracting, handover and rebooking.

We are proud to be an inclusive employer and welcome applications from candidates of all backgrounds. We celebrate individuality and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.