Sales Director (Evesham, UK)

About Align-Pilates

At Align‑Pilates, headquartered in Evesham, Worcestershire, UK, we are proud to be a leading provider of commercial-quality Pilates equipment since 2010. Our mission is to make high-quality apparatus accessible and affordable for studios and home users alike. We offer a comprehensive range of innovative equipment—including reformers, Cadillacs, combo chairs, barrels, and accessories—designed to enhance the Pilates experience. With UK-based warehouses, delivery and installation services, and a showroom where customers can try our equipment firsthand, we are dedicated to exceptional service. Distributed in over 28 countries and now part of Merrithew, we continue to grow our global presence and drive innovation in the Pilates industry.

Position Overview

Reporting to, and in close collaboration with the CRO, this individual oversees UK Sales for Merrithew and Align-Pilates’ Commercial product lines for all existing and new customers and other key partnerships. Growing an inbound and field Sales team to cover various market segments including: boutique Pilates & Yoga studios, fitness clubs, leisure centres, rehab, schools & universities and hospitality is essential to the continued growth of the business. This person will work collaboratively with the Marketing team to facilitate campaigns and the promotion of Merrithew and Align-Pilates products to drive sales revenue with existing customers and develop new customers and key accounts. Preparing annual sales projections, visiting accounts, attending and recommending tradeshows as well as training staff are all key components of this role.

Major Responsibilities

• Sales
  • Work with CRO and Vice-President, Commercial Sales to prepare annual budget outlining projected revenue, growth strategies and expenses for the UK.
  • Ensure business objectives, sales targets and expenditures are tracked against the business plan and that the entire Sales team is aligned with annual goals and profitability.
  • Review business plan goals on a quarterly basis with CRO.
  • Ensure the sales team is aligned and understands the sales strategy and areas of focus to drive revenue.
  • Visit customers, key accounts, Resellers and oversee key strategic partnerships.
  • Create strategies to service, maintain and increase volume of business currently coming in from existing clients.
  • Determine KPIs and establish targets, per key market segment and Sales team, to increase market share.
  • Attend key tradeshows and events to secure new business.
  • Manage and develop the internal and field Sales through extensive product training to deliver the annual sales objectives.
• Marketing & Promotions
  • Work closely with the Marketing department to ensure marketing efforts are effective and aligned to sales goals including channel-specific marketing programs.
  • Work with marketing to develop an annual marketing plan for the website and for 3rd party partnerships, like APPI.
  • Develop training materials with Marketing including: a Sales Playbook for Merrithew and Align-Pilates as well as case studies for key channel segments including: Boutique Pilates Studios, Fitness Clubs, Yoga Studios and Hospitality.
  • Review and recommend trade shows to be included in annual budget.
  • Work with Education team to maximize equipment referrals with local partners (LTCs, Host Sites and 3rd party education providers).
• Team Leadership
  • Build and manage a high-performance team that drives business results, while managing company guidelines and expectations.
  • Provide coaching and feedback to employees.
  • Conduct team meetings and ensure best practices are leveraged.
  • Monitor staff performance and delegate amongst the team to ensure that workloads are managed.
  • Set annual goals for direct reports and complete annual performance reviews.
  • Manage vacation schedule and sick days for the team.
• Operations
  • Review and prioritize open orders with plant production team, as required.
  • Oversee and recommend sales-specific CRM development of new gadgets and reports to increase efficiencies.
  • Work with Operations team to provide sales projections for the S&OP meetings.
  • Other duties as assigned.

Skills And Qualifications

• Post-secondary education in business, coupled with 8+ years’ supervisory / management experience in Sales.
• A proven track record in business development and exceeding sales targets.
• Proven industry experience with established buyer contacts within the fitness club and hospitality sectors.
• Strong business judgment and decision-making skills; ability to identify, prioritize and articulate highest impact initiatives.
• Ability to travel to key international tradeshows and visit key accounts and customers.
• Experience with building a high-performance Sales team and the ability to succinctly train partners and customers.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial environment.
• Experience using Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems to track leads, manage pipelines, and drive sales performance (Salesforce).
• Excellent MS Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint) and presentation proficiency.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal), both in articulating ideas and gathering input from key stakeholders.
• Bilingualism is an asset.

Align-Pilates may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human review. All final hiring decisions are made by Merrithew’s recruitment team. Align-Pilates is committed to providing a barrier-free access workplace. If you need accommodation at any stage of your application, or want more information on our accommodation policies, please contact us "careers@merrithew.com".