Sales Manager - Structural Steel

Location: Huddersfield, West Yorkshire
Salary: Negotiable, depending on experience
Job Type: Full-time, Permanent
Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday-Friday, with flexi-time
Sector: Structural Steel / Construction

The Opportunity

Steel doesn't sell itself. The right relationships do.

In structural steel, winning work is about much more than submitting a competitive price.

It's understanding what the client needs, knowing where the opportunities are, building relationships with the right people and having the technical knowledge to show why your business is the right choice.

This is an opportunity for an experienced Sales Manager to take a leading role within an established structural steelwork business, helping drive business development, strengthen existing client relationships and identify new opportunities across the UK construction market.

Reporting into the Commercial Director, you'll play a key role in converting opportunities into secured projects while leading and developing the sales function.

This is a hands-on management role for someone who enjoys being in front of clients, understands structural steel and has the commercial confidence to turn relationships into revenue.

The Role

As Sales Manager, you'll be responsible for driving sales activity and developing long-term relationships with clients, contractors, consultants and other key stakeholders within the construction and structural steel sectors.

You'll be expected to identify new opportunities, develop existing accounts and work closely with the estimating and operational teams to ensure opportunities are converted into commercially successful projects.

This isn't a role focused purely on cold calling or hitting a sales target.

You'll need to understand structural steel, construction methodologies, project requirements and the commercial drivers behind a successful project.

You'll be the person building the relationship at the front end and ensuring the business is positioned to win the work.

What You'll Be Doing

Leading and developing the Sales function
Developing and implementing a structured sales and business development strategy
Identifying new business opportunities across the structural steel and construction sectors
Developing strong, long-term relationships with principal contractors, developers, consultants, engineers and architects
Managing and developing existing key client accounts
Identifying upcoming projects and getting the business involved at an early stage
Monitoring market activity, tenders and future project pipelines
Managing the sales pipeline and ensuring opportunities are progressed effectively
Working closely with the estimating team to convert enquiries into successful tenders
Supporting the preparation and presentation of tenders and proposals
Attending client meetings, pre-tender interviews and post-tender presentations
Presenting the company's capabilities, experience and technical offering to prospective clients
Negotiating commercially with clients and key stakeholders
Identifying opportunities for repeat business and increased market share
Tracking sales performance and reporting pipeline activity to the Leadership Team
Developing sales forecasts and providing accurate information on future workload
Building relationships with new and existing supply-chain partners
Working with internal departments to ensure client expectations are understood and achievable
Monitoring team performance and providing coaching and development
Identifying market trends and areas for future growth
Supporting the wider commercial strategy of the business

What We're Looking For

We're looking for an experienced Sales Manager, Business Development Manager or Senior Sales professional with a strong understanding of structural steel, construction or a closely related sector.

You'll ideally have:

Proven experience in a sales or business development role within structural steel or construction
Strong knowledge of the UK construction market
Existing relationships with principal contractors, developers, consultants or other relevant stakeholders
A good understanding of structural steelwork and construction processes
Ability to understand technical drawings and specifications
Strong commercial awareness
Experience developing and managing key client accounts
Proven ability to identify and convert new business opportunities
Experience managing a sales pipeline from initial opportunity through to secured project
Strong negotiation and presentation skills
Excellent written and verbal communication
Previous team leadership or line management experience
A proactive and commercially driven approach
Ability to work independently and take ownership of opportunities
Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple opportunities simultaneously
High levels of self-motivation and commitment to achieving results
Competent Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, Word and PowerPoint

Experience with Tekla or other structural steel software would be advantageous, as would experience working alongside estimating, design and project delivery teams.

Why This Role?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of the sales and business development function within an established structural steel business with a strong reputation and ambitious growth plans.

You'll have the opportunity to influence which projects the business targets, build relationships with major clients and help shape the future commercial direction of the company.

You'll be joining an employee-owned business with more than 40 years of successful trading, an experienced workforce and a strong track record of delivering structural steelwork on high-profile projects.

For the right person, this is a role where relationships, commercial judgement and results will genuinely make a difference.

If you're an experienced Structural Steel Sales Manager, Business Development Manager or senior commercial professional looking for an opportunity to take ownership of a growing sales function, this could be the next step in your career.

Sales Manager