Director of Sales Marketing

Mackinnon Bruce are proud to be retained on a strategic assignment to appoint a Director of Sales & Marketing for a repeat client in the Animal & Crop Nutrition industry.

This is a field‑based position with one office day per week. Preferred location would be the West Midlands, East Midlands, East Anglia, Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Cambridgeshire, Bedfordshire, Oxfordshire or Gloucester.

The role

The Director of Sales and Marketing is responsible for leading the UK commercial strategy, with full accountability for profitable growth and margin expansion, ownership of the Marketing & Commercial P&L, and direct leadership of the Sales and Product Management teams.

The role starts with a strong strategic mandate: analysing the UK market (farmers, segments, regulation, competition) and designing the future UK sales model, a service‑led, agronomy‑driven approach that combines soil analysis, advisory services, and product solutions, capable of sustainably increasing customer loyalty and lifetime value. The role combines strategic vision with disciplined execution: setting clear commercial priorities, allocating resources to the most valuable opportunities, and ensuring disciplined delivery in the field.

The position covers commercial performance, market and solution development, business development, and key customer relationships, with a strong emphasis on prioritisation, clarity, and impact.

Key responsibilities

• Own, design and execute the UK Sales & Marketing strategy, including building and implementing a high‑performing sales model
• Drive the translation of the sales model into day‑to‑day field activity, ensuring full alignment and execution across the sales team
• Analyse market dynamics (farmers, segments, competition, regulation, agronomic context) to design a high‑performing UK commercial model, ensuring our customers are at heart of what we do
• Position us as a trusted agronomic partner, not a product supplier
• Translate insights into clear, actionable plans (segments, channels, priorities)
• Build a structured go‑to‑market approach with strong accountability

Business Development & Market Access

• Act as a key opinion leader and industry ambassador
• Develop strong relationships with distribution, processors and key industry stakeholders
• Build strategic partnerships with distribution to create access to farms with purpose (beyond cold calling)
• Identify and develop new business opportunities and margin streams
• Lead market expansion initiatives (new segments, regions, team setup)
• Lead, manage and develop the Product Management team
• Translate complex agronomy into simple, actionable solutions for farmers
• Build strong, clear and ROI‑driven product arguments for the field
• Ensure Product Managers are present in the field to support sales effectiveness, ensuring a boots‑on‑the‑ground approach
• Drive the development and launch of future products and services aligned with the UK strategy
• Act as a key interface with the Group (R&D, Marketing, Innovation pipelines)
• Build a differentiated, science‑based value proposition aligned with future regulatory changes

Sales Leadership & Field Excellence

• Lead, structure and challenge the UK sales force
• Define clear prioritisation frameworks (segments, customers, campaigns, product mix) #Increase our field effectiveness, focusing on high‑value opportunities
• Instil a culture of proximity, intensity and discipline in the field
• Drive capability uplift (technical, sales skills, execution, follow‑up)
• Ensure strong pipeline management and predictable performance
• Increase customer loyalty and retention through high‑quality advisory and consistency
• Build strong relationships with key accounts (including distribution)
• Personally engage in the field to set standards and accelerate performance

P&L Ownership & Business Performance

• Own and drive the UK commercial P&L (margin, cost control)
• Ensure all upstream commercial decisions translate into profitable growth
• Deliver ambitious growth and profitability targets
• Implement strong performance management routines (KPIs, forecasting, discipline)
• Ensure consistency between strategy, execution and financial results

Leadership & Culture

• Act as a key pillar of the UK leadership team
• Recruit, develop and challenge teams to reach high standards
• Translate the UK’s strategic sales vision into execution, leading transformation and driving full engagement across the sales organisation.

Your background

• Proven experience in a senior commercial leadership role (Commercial Director, Sales Director, or similar)
• Extensive experience leading successful teams and managing key customer relationships
• Strong track record of delivering margin growth and improving commercial performance. Experience in building strategic relationships and developing distribution channels.
• Solid understanding of financial management and ability to monitor KPIs.
• Extensive experience in a commercial environment with proven success and measurable achievements.
• In‑depth knowledge of the local agricultural market and its key players.
• Degree or equivalent qualification in Agriculture, Agronomy, Crop Science, Business or a related discipline is desirable.
• FACTS and BASIS qualification.
• Proficiency in IT tools and business software.
• Must have a Full UK Driving Licence.
• This is a national role where frequent travel around the UK is required