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- Tasks: Lead and inspire a national sales team to achieve ambitious growth targets.
- Company: Join Panda, a forward-thinking waste management company making a positive environmental impact.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, career development opportunities, and a collaborative work culture.
- Why this job: Be at the forefront of driving sales success in a dynamic and impactful industry.
- Qualifications: 5-8 years in B2B sales leadership with a strong focus on SME markets.
- Other info: Opportunity to work cross-functionally and influence key business decisions.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
As Head of Sales – UK SME, you will lead the UK SME sales function to deliver ambitious growth targets across new business acquisition and profitable revenue expansion. You will build, coach, and performance-manage a high-performing national team of B2B sales professionals, while working closely with Operations, Finance, Marketing and Customer Services to ensure seamless customer onboarding and mobilisation. This is a hands-on, visible leadership role, combining strategic direction with frontline sales execution, deal support, and rigorous performance management.
Key Accountabilities
- Sales Leadership & Performance
- Lead, mentor and coach a national team of New Business-focused Business Development Managers and Sales Executives.
- Set clear performance expectations and KPIs aligned to revenue growth, margin, and activity targets.
- Build and sustain a high-performance, proactive sales culture with a strong bias toward new business win-rate and account expansion within the SME sector.
- Conduct regular performance reviews, pipeline inspections, and structured coaching sessions.
- Identify skills gaps and lead training and development initiatives to continuously raise capability across the team.
- Sales Execution & Growth Delivery
- Own and drive the UK SME new business pipeline across defined regions, territories and target verticals.
- Maintain a highly visible, hands-on presence to support the team in closing high-value and complex deals.
- Lead and approve pricing models and P&Ls for larger or more complex SME opportunities, ensuring profitable growth aligned to business objectives.
- Identify and exploit market opportunities across core service lines including general waste, recycling, equipment, shredding, and hazardous waste.
- Ensure sales activity delivers both short-term wins and sustainable long-term customer value.
- Opportunity & Pipeline Management
- Embed best-in-class CRM discipline across the SME sales function to ensure accurate, timely and value-driven data capture.
- Oversee prospecting, lead generation and pipeline management activity to support reliable forecasting and reporting.
- Ensure all sales activity is tracked and reported to inform commercial decision-making.
- Work closely with Telesales, Marketing and Tendering teams to align campaigns, bids and lead generation activity to SME growth objectives.
- Collaboration, Mobilisation & Customer Handover
- Own and lead the end-to-end onboarding and mobilisation process for all new SME customer wins.
- Work cross-functionally with Operations, Finance, Customer Services and Commercial Support teams to ensure smooth, compliant and timely contract mobilisation.
- Lead and formally sign off all sales-to-account handovers, ensuring clarity of scope, service expectations and commercial terms.
- Support early-stage account management transition to protect revenue, margin and customer experience.
Key Requirements
- 5–8 years’ experience in B2B new business sales, with at least 2 years in a senior sales leadership role.
- Proven experience leading and managing managers (e.g. Regional Sales Managers) to deliver consistent performance.
- Demonstrated success in building, scaling and leading SME-focused sales teams.
- Strong commercial acumen with the ability to assess pricing, margin and deal profitability.
- Excellent negotiation, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
- Ability to translate high-level sales strategy into clear, executable tactical plans.
- Results-driven, resilient and hands-on leadership style.
Knowledge & Attributes
- Strong understanding of SME customer behaviour and buying cycles.
- Confident user of CRM systems and data-led sales performance tracking.
- Commercially astute with a strong grasp of pricing models and margin management.
- Willingness to travel nationally across the UK as required.
- Collaborative leadership style with the ability to influence cross-functional teams.
Qualifications
- Degree-level qualification in Business, Sales, Marketing or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).
- Experience within waste management, recycling, environmental services or a similar operationally complex sector is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of waste and environmental regulations is advantageous.
- High level of data literacy and comfort working with reporting and analytics tools.
About Panda: We are a waste management company focused on protecting people, supporting customers, and creating positive environmental impact. We value safety, innovation, and collaboration. We are committed to attracting a skilled and diverse workforce and to DE&I policies.
Head of Sales UK SME employer: Greenstar
Contact Detail:
Greenstar Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Sales UK SME
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Get out there and connect with industry professionals on LinkedIn or at local events. Building relationships can open doors to opportunities that aren’t even advertised.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its culture. Understand their values and how you can contribute to their goals, especially in the SME sector. Tailor your pitch to show how your experience aligns with their needs.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your sales pitch! Whether it’s a mock interview or a casual chat with a friend, honing your communication skills will help you articulate your value effectively. Remember, confidence is key!
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about joining our team.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Sales UK SME
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Head of Sales role. Highlight your experience in B2B sales and leadership, focusing on achievements that align with our goals at StudySmarter. We want to see how you've driven growth and built high-performing teams!
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to tell us why you're passionate about leading sales in the SME sector. Share specific examples of how you've successfully managed teams and closed complex deals, showing us your hands-on leadership style.
Showcase Your Commercial Acumen: We love candidates who understand the numbers! In your application, demonstrate your commercial acumen by discussing your experience with pricing models, margin management, and how you've used data to drive sales performance. This will show us you’re ready for the challenge.
Apply Through Our Website: Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you’re considered for the role. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore more about StudySmarter and what we stand for!
How to prepare for a job interview at Greenstar
✨Know Your Numbers
As the Head of Sales, you'll need to demonstrate a strong grasp of sales metrics and KPIs. Brush up on your understanding of revenue growth, margin management, and deal profitability. Be ready to discuss how you've used data to drive sales performance in your previous roles.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Style
This role requires a hands-on leadership approach, so be prepared to share examples of how you've built and managed high-performing sales teams. Talk about your coaching techniques, how you set performance expectations, and any training initiatives you've led to close skills gaps.
✨Understand the SME Landscape
Familiarise yourself with the SME sector and its unique challenges. Be ready to discuss your insights into customer behaviour and buying cycles. Highlight any previous experience you have in this area, especially if it relates to waste management or environmental services.
✨Collaboration is Key
This role involves working closely with various departments. Prepare to discuss how you've successfully collaborated with teams like Operations, Finance, and Marketing in the past. Share specific examples of how cross-functional teamwork has led to successful customer onboarding and mobilisation.
