Head of Pre-Sales

We're seeking an experienced Head of Pre-Sales to lead our pre-sales function across the People Division. You'll have responsibility for our Value Consultancy, Solution Consultancy, and Bid teams - driving commercial success through exceptional customer engagement and strategic positioning of our Access People solutions. You'll build and lead high-performing teams that translate customer business challenges into compelling AI-enabled solution propositions, support revenue growth, and position Access as the trusted partner of choice in the HRIS technology market. A core part of this role is championing AI innovation both internally - transforming how your teams work - and externally, helping customers understand how AI will reshape their HR operations. Responsibilities Lead the Pre-Sales Function: Provide vision and direction for pre-sales, aligning team capabilities with growth objectives and Access's AI-first strategy. Build frameworks that leverage AI and pre-sales technology to ensure consistency, quality, and commercial effectiveness. Champion AI-powered tools that enhance team productivity, proposal quality, and customer insights. Drive AI Transformation: Lead the integration of AI across the pre-sales function - from generative AI for proposals and bids, to AI-powered analytics for opportunity scoring, and increasing the team's capacity through innovative use of AI tech. Ensure your teams articulate Access's AI capabilities compellingly, demonstrating how Access Evo will transform HR operations. Drive adoption of pre-sales technology including interactive content & videos, and AI-powered content libraries. Build & Develop Teams: Lead, coach, and develop the Value Consultancy, Solution Consultancy, and Bid teams. Build a culture where AI literacy is core to team capability. Ensure your teams are skilled in both consultative selling and leveraging AI tools to work smarter. Drive recruitment, retention, and succession planning. Deliver Commercial Results: Take commercial responsibility for pre-sales contribution to revenue targets. Work with sales leadership to drive pipeline progression, improve win rates, and maximize deal value. Oversee business case development and ROI modelling that differentiate Access in competitive situations. Lead Strategic Engagements: Engage with C-level stakeholders at key accounts, positioning Access as their guide to AI-enabled HR transformation. Shape Strategy: Stay ahead of market trends in AI and HR technology. Feed insights back to product, marketing, and commercial teams to shape roadmaps and go-to-market strategy. Build strong relationships across sales, product, delivery, and customer success teams. Key Qualifications Proven track record leading pre-sales or solution consulting teams in B2B software, ideally HR technology or enterprise SaaS Demonstrated success driving commercial outcomes through effective pre-sales leadership Experience managing Value Consultancy, Solution Consultancy, or Bid teams Strong understanding of HR & Payroll processes and challenges facing HR leaders Track record building and developing high-performing teams AI & Technology Leadership Deep curiosity about AI and its applications in pre-sales operations and customer solutions Experience with pre-sales technology, demo automation, or AI-powered sales tools Ability to articulate AI concepts in business terms and translate capabilities into customer value Understanding of how AI will reshape HR, workforce management, and employee experience Vision for how AI can transform pre-sales effectiveness Leadership & Commercial Skills Strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen Excellent stakeholder management across sales, product, and executive leadership Ability to drive change and scale teams in a technology-led environment Data-driven approach to performance management Exceptional communication and presentation skills Additional Requirements Understanding of bid and tender processes, particularly public sector Comfortable with travel to support key engagements Self-motivated with passion for customer success and innovation We're looking for people to join the Access family, who share our passion for believing in better, and who will help us continue to grow. Love Work. Love Life. Be You. - is central to our success and how we give our customers the freedom to do more of what's important to them. What does Access offer you? We offer a blended approach to office working, encouraging you to collaborate and connect in one of our thriving offices. We deliver on what we say, taking the development of our people seriously. We'll work with you to progress your success plan and provide opportunities to accelerate your career. On top of a competitive salary, our standard 25 days holiday (which goes up the longer you're with us), and a matched pension scheme, you'll also be able to choose from a range of benefits to suit you. We're an organisation that likes to give back, so you'll also have one charity day allocated to support a cause that matters to you. #J-18808-Ljbffr