Sales Manager - Structural Steel
Location: Huddersfield
Salary: upto £65,000
Employment: Full-time, permanent
Sector: Structural Steel
Are you an experienced Sales Manager with a strong structural steel or construction background looking for an opportunity where you can genuinely influence growth?
This is a chance to join an established, employee-owned structural steel business with a long-standing reputation across the UK.
The business works closely with principal contractors, engineers, architects and other project stakeholders, delivering structural steelwork for a wide range of major projects.
With ambitious growth plans and an expanding pipeline of high-profile projects, they're now looking for a Sales Manager to help identify new opportunities, develop key relationships and convert enquiries into profitable projects.
The Role
As Sales Manager, you'll play a key role in growing the structural steel order book.
You'll manage incoming opportunities from initial enquiry through to tender and conversion, working closely with estimating, engineering and commercial teams to ensure opportunities are properly qualified, competitively priced and commercially viable.
You'll also be responsible for developing and maintaining relationships with main contractors, engineers, architects, consultants and other key decision-makers, identifying opportunities for repeat and new business.
This is a hands-on role, combining business development, client relationship management, tendering and commercial awareness.
What You'll Be Doing
- Identify and develop new structural steel sales opportunities.
- Manage and qualify incoming enquiries and maintain an active sales pipeline.
- Develop strong, long-term relationships with contractors, clients, engineers, architects and consultants.
- Work closely with the estimating and commercial teams to ensure opportunities are progressed effectively.
- Personally drive opportunities through the sales process from initial enquiry to conversion.
- Support the team in achieving enquiry and conversion targets.
- Attend pre-tender interviews and post-tender presentations.
- Liaise with clients, engineers, architects, designers and internal departments.
- Understand project requirements and identify potential commercial opportunities.
- Review project information, drawings and technical specifications to understand the scope and requirements.
- Work with estimating teams and subcontractors to ensure competitive and commercially viable proposals.
- Identify opportunities for value engineering and practical solutions.
- Monitor market activity and identify potential new clients and projects.
- Maintain accurate pipeline and sales reports for senior management.
- Track enquiry performance, conversion rates and sales activity.
- Support and develop the wider sales and estimating team.
- Present sales plans, pipeline information and opportunities to senior leadership.
About You
We're looking for someone who combines strong sales and relationship-building skills with genuine knowledge of construction and structural steel.
You'll ideally have:
- Previous experience in a Sales Manager, Business Development Manager, Estimating Manager or similar commercial position.
- Experience within structural steel, steelwork, construction or a related specialist subcontracting environment.
- Strong knowledge of the UK construction industry.
- Existing experience dealing with main contractors, engineers, architects and consultants.
- Strong understanding of how construction projects are priced and delivered.
- Experience managing sales pipelines and converting enquiries into projects.
- Strong commercial awareness.
- Ability to understand drawings and technical specifications.
- Experience with projects involving significant quantities of structural steel.
- Understanding of construction techniques and value engineering.
- Strong negotiation and presentation skills.
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
- Ability to work independently and take ownership of opportunities.
- Strong organisational skills and attention to detail.
- Previous line management experience would be advantageous.
Technical Knowledge
You don't necessarily need to be a structural engineer or steelwork designer, but you'll need enough technical understanding to have credible conversations with clients and understand the opportunities you're developing.
Experience with:
- Structural steelwork
- Steel fabrication
- Construction projects
- Project pricing
- Tendering
- Value engineering
- Technical drawings and specifications
- Tekla models / constructability
would all be highly relevant.
A BSc/HNC in Building Studies or a similar discipline would be advantageous.
MCIOB or RICS chartership would also be beneficial but isn't essential.
Why Consider the Role?
- Negotiable salary based on experience.
- Full-time, permanent position.
- 37.5-hour working week.
- Monday-Friday with flexi-time.
- Opportunity to play a key role in the growth of an established structural steel business.
- Employee-owned company with a strong reputation and long-standing client relationships.
- Opportunity to work on high-profile structural steel projects.
- Profit-related bonus scheme.
- 33 days' holiday including Bank Holidays.
- Contributory pension - employee 3%, company 5%.
- Employee discounts through the company Benefits Portal.
- Opportunity to build and develop long-term relationships across the UK construction sector.
If you're a Sales Manager or commercially focused construction professional who understands structural steel and knows how to build relationships and turn opportunities into projects, we'd be interested in speaking with you.
