We are seeking a hands-on Sales Director to lead the rapid growth of our business as we expand sales of subscription products and dissemination services to research groups and departments, universities, funders and corporations

About Kudos

An exciting opportunity to join a small but rapidly expanding team focused on providing an innovative communications service for academic researchers, research groups, institutions, publishers, societies and funders.
Kudos provides tools for planning and managing research dissemination to accelerate and maximize reach and impact. This multi-award-winning service has a global client base, including major publishers and institutions (such as Taylor & Francis, Wiley, SAGE, the Universities of Manchester, Helsinki, Stockholm and ETH Zürich), and 250,000+ researchers and academics.

About this role

This is a key role within the Kudos senior management team, reporting to the CEO. The Sales Director will be responsible for developing and implementing the Company’s sales strategy, identifying and prioritising new business opportunities and channels and developing business from existing customers. In addition, this role will help determine optimal business models and pricing to balance profit with customer satisfaction, and articulate customer needs to ensure our products are aligned with those needs. As a young, fast-growing company, you will take a hands-on approach as you grow your team, leading by example, managing sales discussions with universities, consortia and funders and ensuring smooth processes are in place for sales to individual research groups and departments.

Responsibilities

Develop and implement company sales strategy:

• Plan and manage the sales function for rapid scaling
• Recruit, manage and motivate an expanding sales team
• Recommend business models/pricing to optimize market uptake and profitability
• Oversee renewals activities to ensure maximum customer retention
• Produce annual budget: sales forecast by revenue stream and by month
• Set targets for sales staff and agree these along with associated bonus structure
• Track and analyze sales and pipeline and provide management reports
• Manage sales staff and analyze their performance
• Oversee SalesForce as a reliable and accurate source of pipeline data
• Oversee commercial relationship with key accounts
• Manage commercial partners
• Provide competitor intelligence and market feedback

Personal characteristics

• Entrepreneurial flair and drive plus a structured and analytical approach
• Able to challenge, improve and develop existing practices
• Strong commercial management skills
• Proven strategic skills to assess priorities, developing and implementing effective long-term plans
• Numerate, with strong financial and commercial awareness
• Strong IT capability
• Able to develop business relationships in the customer base at the highest level and manage growth
• Enlightened, progressive, results orientated management style
• "Hands on" operator with evidence of strong leadership and personal authority, as well as communication and people management skills
• A team player and developer, providing constructive interpersonal relationships within the business
• High degree of integrity
• Optimistic, outgoing and focused
• An interest in the research sector would be advantageous

Salary and benefits

This is an office-based full-time role with a salary, bonus and benefits package commensurate with the seniority of the role and its pivotal position in our growth plan; 25 days annual leave.

The role would ideally be based in or near the Oxford area; otherwise the willingness to travel regularly to the Kudos office for meetings.

How to apply

To apply, please send your CV together with a covering letter outlining why you’re right for this role, to:

Melinda Kenneway
CEO
melinda@growkudos.com

Closing date for applications is 23 January 2019.