Strategic Specification Manager - London

As a Strategic Specification Manager, you will play a key role in driving Karndean's growth within the Central London Architect & Design and project specification community, a fast-paced, design-led and commercially influential market. You will be responsible for developing and strengthening strategic relationships with architects, interior designers, fit-out specialists, developers and contractors, positioning Karndean as the flooring partner of choice for high-profile commercial projects.

Working across long-cycle specifications, you will navigate complex stakeholder networks and support projects from early RIBA stages through to final installation. With a strong focus on sectors including workspace, multi-residential, hospitality, retail and education, this role is critical to delivering sustainable, design-led growth in one of the UK's most competitive and opportunity-rich regions.

How You Will Contribute

• Build and nurture strong, influential relationships with architects, interior designers, fit-out firms, developers, and main contractors across Central London, ensuring Karndean is their go-to partner at the earliest stages of project specification.
• Take ownership of the full project lifecycle, from RIBA Stage 1 through to delivery, securing and protecting specifications while managing procurement, value engineering, and installation stages.
• Drive specification growth and conversion by linking early design decisions with contractor and sub-contractor engagement, ensuring project vision is successfully translated into site-level execution.
• Proactively map the market and pipeline using Glenigan, CRM, and local intelligence, identifying upcoming opportunities, key stakeholders, and target practices to engage strategically.
• Collaborate effectively with national accounts, customer experience, marketing, and technical teams to ensure a seamless, high-quality experience for clients throughout every stage of a project.
• Champion Karndean's design, sustainability, and wellbeing credentials, articulating how our solutions meet evolving client needs, including acoustic, accessibility, neuro-inclusive, and ESG-conscious considerations.
• Represent Karndean within the London design and construction ecosystem, attending networking events, industry forums, and sector exhibitions to raise visibility and influence.
• Achieve and exceed annual territory sales, specification, and margin targets, contributing directly to Karndean's commercial success and reinforcing our strategic position in one of the UK's most competitive regions.

What Will Make You Successful in This Role

We’re looking for a driven specification expert to grow Karndean's presence across London's design-led commercial market. You’ll work with architects, interior designers, fit-out specialists, developers, and contractors to ensure Karndean is the flooring partner of choice for high-profile projects. You will bring:

• A thorough understanding of London's design-led commercial market, including workspace, hospitality, education, retail, and high-density residential sectors.
• Robust skills in leading specification-driven sales across complex stakeholder networks.
• Confidence in managing relationships across architects, designers, contractors, developers, and project managers, ensuring consistent alignment between design intent, product selection, and project execution.
• Proficiency in CRM systems (Dynamics 365), using them to maintain visibility across a project pipeline.
• Demonstrable understanding of flooring solutions in the context of volume multi-residential construction, including subfloor conditions, performance classifications, installation methods, and acoustic and sustainability requirements.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, effectively liaising with commercial, operations, and marketing teams to ensure seamless execution of framework agreements.

Join Karndean and make a real impact on London's most exciting commercial projects while driving design-led, sustainable growth.

Our Values

Our values shape everything we do from the floors we design to the experiences we create for our customers and colleagues. If you're someone who thrives in a creative, collaborative, and purpose-driven environment, you'll feel right at home here.

• Deliver the Promise: behaving with integrity, keeping commitments, and being accountable to customers, colleagues, and partners.
• People Matter: valuing individuals, recognising achievement, trusting one another, and making sure employees feel empowered.
• Pioneering Spirit: encouraging boldness, innovation, creative thinking - traits that are part of the company's founding.
• Positive Energy: bringing enthusiasm, dynamism and a 'can-do' attitude to work every day.

Why Join Us

We’re more than just a flooring company; we’re a community of passionate, innovative people who love what we do and have fun doing it. We know that engaged employees create great work, so we make sure our teams are well looked after with a wide range of rewards and benefits, including:

• Flexible and hybrid working
• Employee discounts on our stunning floors
• Health cash plan
• 25 days' holiday including your birthday off and more days as you grow with us
• Enhanced pension, maternity, paternity, and sick pay
• Learning and development opportunities to support your career journey
• A paid volunteering day to give back to your community
• Competitive bonus and commission schemes
• Regular employee awards with up to £1,000 monetary prizes
• Access to an employee benefits platform packed with national discounts

We’re committed to building a diverse, inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and supported. As a proud Armed Forces Covenant Silver Employer and Disability Confident Committed organisation, we welcome applicants from all backgrounds.