Global Head of Sales, Economist Intelligence Unit in London

Since 1843, The Economist Group has championed independence, excellence and openness, helping people understand and tackle the critical challenges shaping the world. Today, we are building on that legacy as a global media and information-services company powered by digital innovation, analytical rigour and evidence-based insight. Across our three businesses - The Economist, Economist Enterprise and Economist Education - we deliver trusted analysis and insights to individuals and organisations in more than 170 countries. United by a shared purpose to drive progress, we empower decision-makers to make sense of change and chart a course through an increasingly complex world.

As a colleague, you will be part of a culture that values ideas, encourages ownership and holds itself to high standards. We invest in people who are curious, thoughtful and adaptable, whether they are launching new products, reporting on global events or harnessing emerging technologies such as AI to improve how we work. Here, fresh thinking is taken seriously, ambition is matched by integrity, and great work is recognised. Working across disciplines, geographies and perspectives, we are united by a commitment to innovation, excellence and creating meaningful impact.

About the EIU: Amid rising geopolitical tension, economic fragmentation and structural change, organisations are under increasing pressure to make high-stakes decisions with imperfect information. EIU exists to close that gap. As the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, EIU delivers data, analysis and foresight that help organisations understand global developments and what they mean for strategy, investment and risk. Governments, multinational organisations and financial institutions rely on EIU to navigate political and economic uncertainty, assess exposure and make better-informed decisions.

The role: We are looking for an ambitious and highly commercial Head of Sales to lead and accelerate growth for EIU. This is a senior sales leadership role for someone with a strong track record in B2B SaaS, data, business intelligence or information services, who understands how to sell complex, subscription-based products to enterprise customers. Reporting into the CRO, you will be responsible for driving new business, expansion and retention, while building a high-performing, disciplined and customer-focused sales organisation.

The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with hands-on commercial leadership. You will be comfortable operating in complex enterprise sales environments, engaging senior decision-makers and translating sophisticated data and intelligence products into clear business outcomes for clients. You will also play an important role in shaping our go-to-market approach, bringing customer and market insight back into the organisation to influence product, marketing and commercial strategy.

Key responsibilities:

• Commercial strategy and growth: Develop and execute a clear sales strategy to deliver ambitious revenue growth across new business, expansion and renewals. Identify priority markets, customer segments and enterprise accounts with the greatest potential for growth. Build and execute go-to-market strategies for EIU's subscription, data and intelligence products. Work closely with Product and Marketing to strengthen positioning, packaging and routes to market. Use customer, competitor and market insight to identify new commercial opportunities and inform product strategy. Develop strategies to increase customer lifetime value, retention and penetration within key accounts.
• Revenue delivery: Own delivery against revenue targets across new business, upsell, cross-sell and retention. Build and maintain a high-quality enterprise pipeline with strong forecasting accuracy and visibility. Establish rigorous qualification and deal-management disciplines to improve conversion and sales velocity. Lead commercial negotiations with C-suite executives, procurement teams and other senior stakeholders. Champion consultative, outcome-based selling, ensuring the team clearly connects EIU's products and intelligence to the business decisions our clients need to make.
• Sales leadership: Lead, coach and develop a high-performing sales organisation, including directly managing and developing sales managers and senior sales leaders, with a strong culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. Provide effective second-line leadership, coaching managers to become stronger people leaders, raise the performance of their teams and consistently deliver against commercial objectives. Set clear expectations and accountability across the sales leadership team around pipeline creation, conversion, forecasting, sales productivity and revenue performance. Build leadership capability across the organisation, ensuring managers are equipped to coach their team.