Head of Sales and Bids

Opportunity Brief:  Head of Sales and Bids
Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Group) are a leading Executive search firm to the UK, North American and European Engineering, Technology, Sustainability & Heavy Manufacturing industries.
Our search directors, search consultants and research teams specialise in all horizontal functions of our clients' organisations with expertise spanning engineering, commercial, procurement, HR, IT, finance, HSQE, sales, projects, operations and c-suite.
We are trusted by over 100 leading organisations when they seek to make a leadership appointment, be that a permanent appointment or an interim solution.
We have been retained and appointed by our client company on a retained search for a Head of Sales and Bids, a hands-on, pragmatic leader who can drive growth across the businesses and own bid governance for the group.
Below you will find an ‘opportunity brief’ developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Business Manager and Managing Consultant of Ford & Stanley Executive Search and the newly appointed CEO of the client company. This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.
Client Opportunity Statements:
“We have seen consistent success in the rail freight industry across the group since our inception. We are now applying significant resource to grow our pipeline, reputation and business in the passenger market. The successful Head of Sales and Bids will be the catalyst to this success and push the business forward on our continued growth journey.”
“As our sales pipeline builds in the passenger market, we expect the incoming Head of Sales & Bids to take charge of bid process and governance at a group level.”
“The successful candidate will need to be relentless in building our sales pipeline in the passenger market and, with the support of our 3 Managing Directors, will be fully supported in the growth strategy of our business”.
Challenges expected within the first 12 months include:
Seen as an integral hire to the continued growth of the group, we expect this role to come with pressure to build a sales pipeline, with a particular focus on their rolling stock maintenance and overhaul business.
Key deliverables within the first 12 months include:

• To have successfully built a sales pipeline of opportunity for one of their businesses worth £5 million.
• Increased bid conversion rate to 50%.
• To have implemented a uniform bid process and taken full ownership for ongoing bid governance.

Essential Hard Skills (Skills & Experience)

• Experience selling solutions/services into the Traction & Rolling Stock market.
• Well networked and coming with a black book across Rail.
• Sales biased and relationship-led in their sales approach. Strong experience with leading end-to-end bid process is needed, but secondary.
• This individual needs to have an understanding of the technical side of the products and services they are selling but does not need to be an engineer.
• *Desirable: Experience selling overhaul & maintenance into the Passenger Rolling Stock sector.

Essential Soft Skills (Attributes & Behaviours)

• Engaging both externally and internally.
• Emotionally intelligent, strong ability to read situations.
• Success-driven, ambitious and a desire to win.
• Hands-on in approach and capable of bringing others on a journey.
• Solutions-focused, being proactive to overcome obstacles.

Working Arrangements & Location:

• We expect candidates to spend 2 days in one of their businesses East Midlands Facility. The rest of the time we anticipate being spent at client facilities and other businesses in the group.
• Candidates are likely to be more present in the office during the first few months.
• Otherwise, we expect this role to be present at client sites consistently.

Our Client’s Interview Process:

• 1st Stage interview: Face-to-face interview at their East Midlands HQ, conducted by Managing Director of the rolling stock overhaul and maintenance business and Managing Director of their rail freight sector manufacturing business.
• 2nd Final Stage interview: Face-to-face interview East Midlands HQ, conducted by Group CEO.

Ford & Stanley Interview Process:

• 1st Stage: Candidate Discovery: An open, conversational and consultative discussion where interested candidates are assessed on their suitability for the role in the context of the above and challenged on how the opportunity lines up with their career aspirations, motivations, financial expectations and personal circumstances.
• 2nd Stage: The ‘shortlist’: Candidates are asked to reflect on the candidate discovery discussion, take time to reflect on the opportunity and undertake subsequent research on the client business reporting back on their thoughts, questions and providing additional specific information on their suitability (if applicable). Final checks of role, package and logistical alignments made.

Good to know:

• The Group is a privately owned holding company that owns companies in long-term partnership with management.
• The Group consists of a number of smaller rail sector SMEs.
• The Head of Sales and Bids will report directly into the CEO of the Group and be directly accountable for all Sales/Bids activity across the group. 
• As a group, our client’s business are profitable, have a good mix of people and receive consistent investment for growth.
• One of the companies within the group are a specialist engineering business with strong capability in overhaul and repair. The business is made up of varied project values and sizes from £50k-£2m.
• The second business are a specialist rail freight sector manufacturer.
• The other main business are a leading maintainer of rail freight wagons, with a predictable stable performance, they tend to grow in line with the investment provided into them. They have so far outperformed expectations and are on a stable trajectory.
• All though this is a group-focused position, we expect the majority of sales work to be focused on the maintenance and overhaul business, in particular, growth in the passenger market. This is where the group see the greatest opportunity for growth.
• This role is a newly created position within the structure aimed at enabling the business to retain its position within the freight market whilst bolstering its offering within the passenger sector. 
• We expect this role to work very closely with the Group CEO and MDs of each business, collaborating on the client approach and developing accounts further once secured.
• Sales activity and pipeline growth are the primary focus of this role, followed closely by full ownership of the bids function.
• As this role develops, and the need for support on sales/bids activity grows, we expect new hires to come into the team under the management of the Head of Sales & Bids.

Budget:

Low: £75,(Apply online only) / Mid: £85,(Apply online only) / High: £90,(Apply online only)

Supporting benefits - Please enquire directly

Executive Search Delivery Team:

• Tom Norton – Business Manager (Client Recommendations/Advisory, Offer Negotiations, Headhunting, Networking)
• Billy Jackson – Managing Consultant (Shortlisting, Offer Negotiations, Headhunting, Networking, Research, Search, Longlisting, Interviews, Data & Market Intel)
• Ralitsa Kuzeva – Executive Assistant (Diary Management, Coordination, Candidate Experience)

About Ford & Stanley Executive Search:

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership and occupational mental fitness. We support our clients in their most challenging business areas - recruiting, developing and retaining the best talent from shop floor to boardroom.

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Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.

Services advertised by Ford & Stanley are that of an employment consultancy business.