Department: Business Development
Location: Birmingham
Description
The Head of Sales Operations will lead and continuously improve the commercial operations that enables Dains to acquire, retain and grow client relationships. The role will bring together sales operations, HubSpot CRM, data, reporting, governance and commercial cadence to improve productivity, pipeline visibility, cross-sell and decision-making across the firm.
Working closely with the Marketing, Business development, Partners and some members of the Executive team, the role will own the adoption of HubSpot CRM by client-facing teams, the pipeline reporting and optimisation roadmap of the client relationship process. The role will combine commercial experience with hands-on delivery, ensuring HubSpot operates as a growth platform.
The successful candidate will be a credible and collaborative leader who thrives on delivering results. They will challenge constructively, build trust through reliable insight and create simple, scalable processes that make it easier for teams to deliver growth.
Key Responsibilities
Sales operations and commercial performance- Lead the sales operations function, developing the commercial operating rhythm across Partners, Business Development teams, service lines and regional offices.
- Own the end-to-end sales pipeline framework, including opportunity stages, definitions, controls, review cadence and escalation.
- Lead new business forecasting, pipeline analysis and results reporting, providing clear insight and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Support Partners and FP&A on annual planning and revenue growth objectives for new clients and client expansion.
- Develop consistent ways of working that improve conversion, sales productivity, accountability and operational efficiency.
- Support acquisition integration and new service-line development by establishing common commercial processes, data and reporting
HubSpot CRM strategy, ownership and optimisation- Act as the business owner and senior product lead for HubSpot, setting the CRM strategy and owning the roadmap in line with growth, marketing and client experience objectives.
- Lead implementation, configuration, optimisation and adoption of HubSpot, including lifecycle stages, pipelines, properties, data models, automation and workflows.
- Consolidate appropriate manual sales and marketing processes into CRM, working with Technology and external specialists on integrations and technical support.
- Ensure our client management system drives commercial visibility, marketing and client growth without becoming an unwieldy and confusing set-up for our client-facing users
- Assess and prioritise feature and process enhancements based on commercial value, usability, data integrity and proportionate complexity
Data, governance and insight- Establish and maintain firm-wide standards for data quality, permissions, definitions, compliance and CRM governance.
- Create dashboards and management reporting covering pipeline health, forecast, cross-sell, funnel performance, conversion, win/loss trends, campaign effectiveness, retention and client engagement signals.
- Combine data from multiple sources and translate analysis into concise, actionable commercial recommendations for the Executive Team, Partners and investors.
- Embed reporting discipline and clear ownership across regional offices, service lines and commercial teams.
- Monitor CRM use and data quality, identifying root causes and coordinating practical corrective action.
Client engagement, acquisition and growth- Define how CRM supports acquisition, onboarding communications, engagement, retention, reactivation, cross-sell and upsell across accountancy and advisory services.
- Partner with Marketing to develop targeted, compliant and data-led campaigns and client lifecycle programmes.
- Enable Partners and Business Development teams with clean data, clear pipelines, relevant triggers and actionable client insight.
- Develop approaches that identify and track cross-sell opportunities while respecting client ownership and service-delivery responsibilities.
Adoption, enablement and stakeholder leadership- Build strong relationships with Partners and senior leaders, influencing consistent adoption of commercial processes and CRM standards.
- Design and deliver user training, guidance and support so teams can use HubSpot, dashboards and pipeline processes effectively.
- Work cross-functionally with Marketing, Finance, Technology, Business Development and regional leadership to align go-to-market execution and revenue processes.
- Communicate performance insight clearly, turning complex information into a compelling and practical commercial story.
- Manage relevant external HubSpot partners, suppliers or technical support arrangements.
Role boundaries- The role enables client growth and commercial visibility but does not own day-to-day client relationships or client account delivery.
- CRM will support our client-facing teams with client insight, prompts and visibility; responsibility for service-delivery processes remains within partner teams.
- The role is not responsible for operating CRM as a case-management or practice-management platform.
Skills, Knowledge & Expertise
Skills and experience- Experience in sales operations, revenue operations, commercial operations, CRM management within a B2B environment.
- Strong hands-on experience of HubSpot as an enterprise CRM platform.
- Proven ability to improve pipeline management, forecasting, sales productivity, operational efficiency and revenue performance.
- Advanced analytical and reporting capability, with experience simplifying multiple data sources and converting insight into action.
- Experience establishing CRM governance, data quality standards and reporting discipline across multiple teams, regions or business units.
- Stakeholder management and influencing skills, including confidence working with Partners, executives and senior leaders.
- Clear and persuasive communication skills, with the ability to present data and recommendations to senior and non-technical audiences.
- Commercially minded, pragmatic, highly organised and comfortable managing competing priorities in a high-growth environment.
Additional experience desired but not essential- Experience in professional services, preferably a regulated sector such as accountancy, legal or financial services.
- Experience leading a CRM implementation or significant optimisation programme, involving HubSpot.
- HubSpot certifications or equivalent CRM / sales operations qualifications.
- Experience designing client lifecycle, retention and cross-sell programmes.
- Working knowledge of GDPR and regulated professional-services environments.
What success looks like- Improved forecast accuracy, pipeline visibility and sales productivity.
- Successful implementation and adoption of HubSpot
- Improved cross-sell visibility and measurable progression of opportunities across service lines.
- Clear, timely and actionable insight supporting executive, Partner and investor decision-making.
- Consistent commercial cadence and reporting across regional offices and service lines.
- Strong collaboration between Partners, Marketing, Business Development, Finance and Technology.
Job Benefits
At Dains, we’re committed to helping our people build rewarding careers in an environment where they can learn, develop and succeed. From day one, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your skills, broaden your experience and shape a career that reflects your ambitions. We offer ongoing professional development tailored to your role, strengths and future goals, supported by clear career pathways so you can see how you’ll progress. Alongside a competitive salary, our benefits package is designed to support your wellbeing and reward your contribution, including
- Flexible and hybrid working options
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with service, with the option to buy or sell days
- Financial security through life assurance and a competitive pension scheme, with access to private medical insurance through both company-funded and self-funded options
- Greener travel options through our electric car scheme and cycle to work programme
- A vibrant social culture with regular team and firm-wide events
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay to support you and your family through life’s important moments
- Employee resource groups promoting inclusion and connection
- “Dains in the Community”, supporting charity, wellbeing and local initiatives
