Head of Commercial in Hunmanby

Head of Commercial

Cirrus Research | Hunmanby, North Yorkshire

£75,000 - £85,000 basic | OTE £100,000 | Car Allowance

Castle Employment Solutions is leading a retained search on behalf of Cirrus Research for the appointment of a Head of Commercial.

This is a key addition to the Senior Leadership Team, with responsibility for shaping commercial strategy, strengthening performance and supporting the next phase of UK and international growth.

Established in 1970, Cirrus Research is a British manufacturer specialising in acoustic measurement instrumentation for occupational health, environmental noise and noise nuisance applications. From its headquarters in Hunmanby, North Yorkshire, the business designs and manufactures its products in the UK and has developed an international presence spanning more than 100 countries.

With routes to market including direct sales, OEM relationships, international distributors and tenders, this is a varied commercial environment and an opportunity to have a genuine influence on the future direction of an established British manufacturer.

The Opportunity

As Head of Commercial, you will take ownership of the commercial strategy and its delivery across UK and international markets, working closely with the Managing Director and wider Senior Leadership Team.

You will inherit an established business with strong technical expertise, long-standing customer and distributor relationships and an experienced team. Your initial focus will be on understanding the business, its people, customers and markets, recognising what already works well and identifying where there is opportunity to improve.

Cirrus is looking for someone who is strategic but equally comfortable being hands-on. You will lead and develop the commercial team while remaining close to customers, distributors and key opportunities.

A significant part of the role will be bringing greater structure and visibility to commercial performance. This will include strengthening sales processes, CRM utilisation, pipeline management, forecasting and conversion, alongside developing a clear understanding of turnover, margin and profitability.

International growth will also be an important focus. You will build on existing distributor and partner relationships, assess the potential within individual territories and identify opportunities to strengthen Cirrus Research's position in both established and developing markets.

Working closely with marketing and other areas of the business, you will ensure commercial decisions are informed by customer insight, market opportunity and meaningful data.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver the commercial strategy in line with the wider objectives of the business.
• Lead, coach and develop the commercial team, creating clear expectations and accountability.
• Drive UK and international sales performance across direct, distributor and partner channels.
• Strengthen existing international distributor relationships and identify opportunities within new and underdeveloped territories.
• Improve sales processes, CRM discipline, pipeline management, forecasting and conversion.
• Use commercial data to provide greater visibility of revenue, margin, profitability and overall performance.
• Maintain involvement in strategically important customers, opportunities and negotiations.
• Ensure sales and marketing activity is closely aligned around clear commercial priorities.
• Provide meaningful commercial reporting and insight to support SLT decision-making.
• Build effective relationships across technical, product, operational and customer-facing teams.
• Bring constructive challenge and identify opportunities to improve performance without losing sight of what already works well.

About You

We are interested in speaking with established Commercial Directors, Heads of Commercial, Sales Directors, Heads of Sales and senior international sales leaders who have operated within an international B2B environment.

Experience within a technical, engineering or manufacturing-led business would be particularly relevant. You do not necessarily need to come from the acoustic measurement sector, but you will need the commercial and technical capability to understand a specialist product, its applications and the markets in which it operates.

You will ideally bring:

• Experience leading sales or commercial teams within an international B2B environment.
• Strong international distributor, agent or channel management experience.
• Evidence of delivering sustainable growth across existing and new markets.
• Strong commercial and numerical capability, including an understanding of revenue, margin and profitability.
• Experience improving CRM utilisation, sales processes, forecasting and pipeline visibility.
• The ability to operate strategically while remaining close to customers and commercial opportunities.
• Strong people leadership, coaching and development capability.
• The credibility to operate as part of an SLT and contribute to wider business decisions.
• A consultative and relationship-led approach to customers, partners and colleagues.

Just as importantly, how you lead will matter.

Cirrus is a close-knit business with considerable technical knowledge and a number of long-serving employees. The successful person will need to build trust and credibility, listen to the people around them and understand the business before deciding where change will add value.

They are looking for someone with integrity, curiosity and a collaborative leadership style, who can challenge constructively, make commercially sound decisions and bring people with them.

Working at Cirrus Research

The position is based at Cirrus Research's headquarters in Hunmanby, North Yorkshire.

The successful person will initially be predominantly site-based for their first three months. Spending time with the team and understanding the products, customers, operation and culture will be an important part of establishing yourself within the business.

Regular international travel will form part of the position.

Cirrus has a strong history of investing in its people and supporting professional development through external training, professional qualifications, conferences and industry events.

The Package

• £75,000 - £85,000 basic salary, with flexibility for an exceptional appointment.
• OTE £100,000.
• Car allowance.
• Company performance bonus.
• Regular international travel.
• Significant opportunity to develop your career as the business and its leadership structure continue to evolve.

The Appointment

This is an opportunity for an experienced commercial leader who wants to do more than inherit an established sales function.

You will have the scope to shape how Cirrus approaches its markets, develop its people and build on an established international presence, while having a voice at Senior Leadership Team level.

For Cirrus, this appointment is as much about finding the right person and leadership style as it is finding the right experience on paper.

Castle Employment Solutions is managing this appointment exclusively as a retained search on behalf of Cirrus Research.

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