Sales Director

Position Title: Contract Services Sales Director (LBUs)

Reports to: Sales and Bidding Director

Location: Hybrid, with frequent travel across the U.K.

Position Summary

To support and lead the Managing Directors and Commercial Directors of our Local Business Units (LBUs) to maximise their growth opportunity by increasing the volume of business delivered through B2B/contract services. This includes developing qualified pipelines of local B2B/contract services (featuring both new and retention opportunities) with each LBU, and working with them to increase the local capability, capacity and confidence to successfully bid. The CSSD (LBUs) will act as the liaison point into the broader sales and bidding community, so that LBUs have access to the most up to date and competitive solutions, costs and content.

This is a ‘soft skills' leadership role, where powers of relationship building, persuasion and confidence building will be key to success in getting busy LBU teams to approach their growth opportunities more broadly.

The CSSD (LBUs) will help LBUs to:

• Position First Bus as the preferred partner for businesses and authorities with local contract bus service needs, including workplace, airport and park and ride shuttles. Where these opportunities cover a broad geography, are too high in value, complex or cover a broad geography they will be pursued by the central sales and bidding team, with input from LBUs.
• Build strong, trusting relationships with key client stakeholders and decision makers, and uses those relationships to create intelligence-led win strategies which result in winning bid submissions.
• Appropriately manage opportunities from first contact to contract signature; ensuring full responsibility for the development of the offer, including both quality and pricing submissions, is taken by the LBU, and seeking support from within the business where needed

Acting with integrity, they will role model First Bus values and behaviours (‘Our Way') in all interactions, and through effective leadership and stakeholder management, they will ensure the needs of local authorities, investors, customers, partners, and colleagues are met.

Key Accountabilities & Responsibilities

Lead and assist LBUs to:

• To identify opportunities in local contract bus services
• Build a comprehensive pipeline of contract bus service opportunities, continuously improving details including timelines, geographies, phases, values, client view of First Bus, competitor interest, commercial structure, legal terms, early view of win likelihood
• Identify key stakeholders and decision makers in client and supporting organisations
• Gain access to key stakeholders and decision makers, and build strong trusting relationships
• Utilise relationships to successfully position First Bus; selling our capabilities, performance, innovation, people and culture to align to client preferences for contract service partners
• Steer client thinking pre-tender to shape the documents; highlight potential risks and issues with their positions and concepts, offering insight and alternatives that improve their procurement whilst reducing risk to First Bus
• Gather intelligence relating to client needs, wants and dislikes to steer the proposal team and to augment tender document content when seen i.e. we should be able to close gaps in tender contents with prior intelligence, rather than asking CQs or making an educated guess
• Monitor competitor actions and gather intelligence on likely bidders and bid strategies
• Capture all opportunity specific intelligence, and to offer a pre-tender document bid strategy, potential differentiators, key client terms and phrases, pen portraits of key client stakeholders and decision makers etc. to inform the colleagues assisting in developing the proposal
• Consider the voice of the customer throughout; using prior knowledge and intelligence to guide colleagues and using informal relationships (where appropriate) to test proposed positions and concepts.
• Present tender submissions for internal approval, following all internal guidance and adhering to policies and procedures.
• Work with colleagues in sales, bidding and mobilisations to identify opportunities for contract bus service sales performance improvement
• Represent First Bus at industry events where there is a clear commercial benefit from doing so

Skills, Experience and Leadership behaviours required

Skills / Experience

• Business Development / Bid / Sales Manager/Director for a transport, FM, outsourcing contract services provider
• Strong track record of identifying opportunities and building fully qualified pipelines
• Evidence of building strong and trusting relationships with key client stakeholders and decision makers, positioning firms as ideal partners and gathering intelligence to support competitive tender pursuits
• Strong interpersonal skills; able to influence through the quality of their interactions and the strength of relationships rather than relying on hierarchy and structure
• Experience of developing the capabilities of others to successfully win and retain contracts
• Evidence of owning the entire deal from identification to signed contract; able to successfully lead on quality and pricing elements and to navigate internal governance to achieve sign-off
• Evidence of proactive, self-starter, resilient sales and relationship management
• A team player, wholly committed to working with and supporting their peer group and other colleagues to achieve the First Bus business strategy
• Self-sufficient, down to earth and values driven
• Tenacious and resilient, with the capability to remain calm and work effectively under pressure
• Proven ability to analyse data at a high level to assess risk and take informed commercial decision making.
• Ability to engage with professional leaders in a network and use examples of external best practice and thought leadership to improve internal strategies.
• Strong presentation and communication skills, with the ability to engage with senior leaders both internally and externally.
• Acts with a high degree of diplomacy and professionalism and the ability to progress tasks with minimal direction
• Commercially astute, emotionally intelligent; and an effective networker and communicator with the ability to quickly forge strong working relationships at all levels and build trust
• Highly motivated with the ability to work autonomously as well as part of a team.
• Advanced IT skills with proficiency in all Microsoft packages.

Behaviors (“our Way”)

• Always care: show warmth and compassion; be fair and respectful; listen intently to others and interpret findings to support business improvement; always think about your customer
• Do what's right: have a can-do attitude; be open and explain the “why”; do what you say you will; do the best you can, every chance you get; challenge behaviours when necessary across all levels of the business
• Succeed together: work across teams and learn from each other; be supportive of other views and ideas; offer up your knowledge and experience; recognise others; share everyday successes
• Shape the future: see possibilities, not problems; explore ideas big and small; be considerate of others when making decisions; never stop learning and improving

Team / Direct Reports - N/A

Key Performance Indicators (on a local level for each LBU)

• Contract bus service market share change vs. competitors
• Value of 36-month pipeline plus extent of evidence of qualification
• Value of 12-month pipeline plus extent of evidence of qualification
• Strength of working relationships with bidding and mobilisation leads
• Confidence of Bus Exec and Group
• Quality scores
• Price scores
• Win rate (pursuit conversion to win)
• Revenue secured above EBIT hurdle
• Client feedback

Rewards & Benefits

• Your health is important to us which is why we offer Simply Health & Smart Health for you and your dependents at no cost to you This offering includes cash back benefits across optical & dental as well as virtual GP appointments, mental health support and nutrition and fitness advise. Our EAP provision offers 24hr, 365 days a year mental health support
• We are also committed to your financial wellbeing, and we offer a platform with many discounts on high street brands and supermarkets etc
• Working at First you also receive discounted train travel for you and your family after 6 months service as well as a free bus pass
• Cycle to work scheme
• 25 days' holiday + bank holidays
• Pension scheme and chance to buy discounted First Group shares
• Enhanced maternity / paternity pay
• Flexible working

We put a big focus on physical and mental wellbeing at First Bus. We recognise that anyone can be affected by the stresses and strain of work, or life outside it. You'll find a range of health-promotion initiatives, and you will have 24/7 access to our confidential Employee Assistance Programme.

Please apply now. We look forward to receiving your application.

Public transport serves everyone, whatever their differences. At First Bus, we want to be an employer open to you, no matter what your differences are. We aspire to be an inclusive organisation because diverse backgrounds, thinking and experiences bring so many benefits to our customers, communities and people. We welcome applications from all.

Applicants are advised that background checks will be conducted as a standard part of our recruitment process.