Sales & Marketing Director

Candidate Opportunity Brief

Position: Sales and Marketing Director

Reporting to: UK Managing Director  

Confidentiality: No Confidentiality

Ford & Stanley Executive Search (Part of the Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group) are a leading Executive search and talent advisory firm specialising in the following sectors:

• Rail & Transportation
• Civils & Construction
• Manufacturing & Supply Chain
• Technology & Cyber Security
• Logistics & Intermodal Freight
• Defence

Our search directors, search consultants and in house research team specialise in retained opportunities at the highest level of organisational leadership and management.

Our success is based upon a blend of trust-driven relationships, robust market knowledge, and working practices that ensure the best possible alignment of organisational need with experience and personal ambition.

Working with business leaders on bespoke assignments for over a decade, we understand exactly what our customers expect from an executive search and talent advisory service – whether there is a pressing business need for an executive interim or that of a long-term permanent appointment – Ford & Stanley Executive Search provide the solution.

We have been exclusively appointed by Wabtec UK on a retained search for a Sales and Marketing Director.

Below you will find a ‘Candidate Opportunity Brief’ developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Head of Executive Search & Research Manager of Ford & Stanley Executive Search along with the UK Managing Director, current Sales and Marketing Director, UK HR Director & Regional Talent Acquisition Leader of Wabtec Corporation.

This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents, and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.

 Client Opportunity Statements:

“We have embarked upon a journey of modernisation to ensure that we remain head and shoulders above our competition in the coming years. Along with our brand new world-class facility based in Barton it is critical that we continue to transition the sales and marketing function into one fit for building our business for the future. It is vital that we secure a senior director who is passionate about this and can lead from the front in ensuring a strategic and dynamic approach to our sales strategy.

“It’s of paramount importance that our new Sales & Marketing Director recognises the opportunity that presents itself with our brand new site and diverse product lines. We must capitalise on our recent successes and continue to establish ourselves as the go-to technology and maintenance partner within UK Rail. In order to achieve this, our Sales and Marketing Director will need to be competent in ‘cutting through the noise’ and identifying what will genuinely ‘move the needle’.”

“In addition to our business-wide objectives that will see us continue to grow as an organisation, there is a targeted initiative within the sales and marketing function to ensure we grow all 17 product lines and reduce reliance on two key product/service lines. We are looking to secure a Director of Sales and Marketing who can improve revenue across a more diverse range of offerings.”

 
Challenges expected within the first 12 months include:

• Successfully navigating the complexity (and sometimes frustrations) of a corporate, matrix organisation.
• Successfully articulating and understanding complex and varied product lines and the solutions they provide to customers.
• Continuing to build on recent, successful growth trajectory and profit margins within an environment of diminishing returns and higher expectations.

Key deliverables within the first 12 months include:

• Successfully achieving the £250m annual sales target.
• Integrate fully into the matrix organisation and demonstrate a strong personal brand internally.
• Articulate a thorough understanding of all product lines, the solutions they provide and key customer relationships.

Essential Hard Skills (Skills & Experience)

Essential Soft Skills (Attributes & Behaviours)

 
Working Arrangements & Location:

• Wabtec are adopting a flexible approach to this search, meaning there is a high degree of trust for this individual to manage their own diary.
• Having said that, it is important that the successful individual will be able to spend time on site in Barton and directly with both their team and peers.
• Additionally, we are expecting the Sales and Marketing Director to be spending a significant amount of time onsite with customers in the UK.

Wabtec Interview Process:

• 1st Stage interview: Teams / Face-to-Face interview 
• 2nd Stage interview: Face-to-face interview 
• 3^rd Final Stage interview: Remote Corporate ‘rubber stamping’ session. 

Good to know:

• This role is a replacement for Simon Evans who is retiring after a successful 10 years with the business.
• Ultimately, the incoming Sales and Marketing Director will have full ownership of the strategic direction of the sales strategy for all 17 product lines within the UK Wabtec Rail Business.
• The role will be primarily based out of the new Wabtec Rail Technology Village at Barton and will have an excellent opportunity to ‘ride the wave’ of positive message surrounding the site in the industry.
• The key customers for the business are Rolling Stock OEM’s, ‘ROSCO’s’, and Train Operators.
• It would be beneficial for the incoming Sales and Marketing Director to have a working understanding of Rail Rolling Stock, the ‘Sub Systems’ involved and most importantly the lease & maintenance agreements typically in place.
• Additionally, it will be vital that the incoming Sales and Marketing Director to be able to ‘string together’ multiple products and work with clients to create a solution as a sale.
• The role will cover all areas of commercial, sales, bidding and business development, although it is accepted that there is a strong bias towards Business Development / Solutions Selling within the business.
• It’s expected that there will be a mix of ‘hands-on’ and ‘strategic’ responsibility within the role, with an emphasis on the strategic leadership.
• It’s worth noting that there will be heavy interaction with the two Product Line Directors already in place within the UK.
• The role comes with a team of 7 direct reports and 14 indirect reports. It’s widely accepted that the team is performing well, contains plenty of potential and is structurally strong in terms of diversity and level of experience.
• The business is on track to achieve it’s budgets this year and has been on a continued journey of improvement with regards to sales margins and market reputation. It is expected that the incoming Sales and Marketing Director will ‘pick up the baton’ and continue these efforts.
• Each product line within the UK portfolio has demonstrated growth over recent performance.
• Wabtec is a complex, corporate and matrix organisation and whilst this has countless benefits it’s important that the inbound candidate can operate effectively within this environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Strong ability to build and maintain relationships with key customers and influence stakeholders.
• Ability to listen to customers, understand market trends, and inform the business on industry developments to shape strategic direction.
• Experience in developing and executing strategic sales plans, including forecasting, budgeting, and delivering against targets.
• Skilled in using data to make informed decisions, build models and databases, and report to senior leadership.
• Capable of preparing high-quality presentations, reports, and tender documentation for internal and external stakeholders.
• Experience working closely with finance, product line managers, and corporate teams to align on strategy, budgeting, and governance.
• Comfortable with day-to-day planning across teams, managing multiple tenders and opportunities, and ensuring smooth operational effectiveness.
• Willingness to travel extensively across the UK and Europe, attending customer meetings, site visits, and industry events.
• Hands-on involvement in preparing for meetings, understanding customer needs, and confidently presenting and selling engineering services.
• Commitment to investing in team growth through support, coaching, and development initiatives

Budget:

Low: £80,000 Mid: £100,000 High: £120,000

Supporting benefits

• Bonus 20%
• Car Allowance: £750 per month
• Sick Pay
• Private Healthcare (Bupa)
• Pension 8% company contribution
• Life Assurance 4 X
• Salary Reviews: Annual
• Perks 

Executive Search Delivery Team:

• Tom Norton – Head of Executive Search: (Client Recommendations/Advisory, Offer Negotiations, Consulting, Networking, Shortlisting)
• Oliver Nunn – Research Manager: (Headhunting, Networking, Research, Search, Longlisting, Interviews, Data & Market Intel)
• Ralitsa Kuzeva – Executive Assistant (Diary Management, Coordination, Candidate Experience)

About Ford & Stanley Executive Search:

Ford & Stanley Talent Services Group Ltd is a Disability Confident employer that is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination. We will treat everyone equally irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy.

Services advertised by Ford & Stanley Executive Search are that of an executive search and talent advisory business.

.