Head of Sector - Construction & FM

Role:  Head of Sector – Construction & FM

Location: Preston (with hybrid working flexibility)

Hours: Mon – Fri 8am – 5pm

Salary: £65-£75K dependant on experience, plus commission plus car allowance/company car

The Role:

The Head of Sector will hold strategic ownership of Recycling Lives Services relationships and market position in the FM and Construction sectors. They will lead the sales and account management team in defining and executing a sector-specific strategy that balances immediate revenue growth with long-term customer value creation.

Beyond day-to-day leadership, they will drive the commercial conversation with key clients, develop a deep understanding of sector dynamics and customer needs, and work closely with operational leaders to shape service innovation and delivery excellence that strengthens competitive positioning.

The Business:

Recycling Lives Services is not a typical recycling company. Since 2008, the business has been structurally built around social value, employing people from disadvantaged backgrounds, partnering with the justice system to reduce reoffending, and delivering environmental excellence at scale. The social mission is not a layer added on top of commercial activity. It is the reason the business operates in the way it does.

As a certified B Corp (scoring 103.5 against a business median of 50.9), Recycling Lives Services generated £42.9m in social value in 2024, achieved a 61% reduction in CO2 emissions, and diverted 97% of waste from landfill. 15% of our team have been welcomed through our rehabilitation programmes, and only 6% of people we support reoffend — compared to a national average of over 25%.

We operate UK-wide across construction, manufacturing, retail, utilities and public sector markets, offering total waste management, WEEE recycling, and specialist hazardous waste services. Our customers choose us because we deliver commercial excellence and meaningful social impact in the same contract.

Key Responsibilities

Sector Strategy & Revenue Growth

Develop and own the FM and Construction sector strategy, including market analysis, competitive positioning, customer segmentation, pricing strategy and growth targets.

Define the sales pipeline, forecast methodology and key performance metrics aligned to commercial targets, with monthly forecasting and quarterly performance reviews with the Commercial Director.

Identify, prioritise and own the engagement with key accounts — those with highest revenue potential, strategic significance or opportunity for service expansion — ensuring relationships are managed at the appropriate executive level.

Lead account reviews and opportunity identification with major customers, understanding their business challenges, long-term needs, and expansion opportunities for Recycling Lives Services service portfolio.

Sales & Account Management Leadership

Lead, coach and performance-manage the sales and account management team, setting clear expectations, providing feedback, and creating a culture of commercial discipline and customer obsession.

Define the sales process, activity standards and customer engagement model, ensuring consistency, transparency and accountability across the team.

Drive personal sales activity where strategically important, particularly in relationship initiation, complex deal closure and strategic account expansion.

Recruit, onboard and develop high-performing sales talent, with a focus on building a team that combines commercial acumen with genuine understanding of the social value proposition.

Hold dotted-line responsibility for customer service and telesales teams focused on FM and Construction, ensuring their activity is coordinated with account management, responsive to customer needs, and supportive of broader commercial objectives.

Strategic Client Relationships & Value Creation

Move key customers from transactional to strategic partnerships by deepening understanding of their business, identifying unmet needs, and positioning Recycling Lives as a trusted advisor rather than a service vendor.

Articulate and embed Recycling Lives Services social value and ESG credentials into the customer conversation, leveraging these as genuine differentiators in sectors increasingly focused on corporate responsibility.

Develop business cases for service expansion into existing customers (new waste streams, new sites, additional services), with clear ROI and implementation plans.

Work collaboratively with operations, finance and HR leadership to ensure service delivery excellence, resolve customer issues rapidly, and communicate transparently about performance and improvements.

Market & Customer Intelligence

Maintain deep understanding of FM and Construction sector dynamics — customer consolidation, procurement trends, regulatory change, major tenders and strategic acquisitions.

Monitor competitive activity, pricing trends and customer win/loss intelligence, providing the Commercial Director with quarterly market updates and strategic recommendations.

Proactively identify and communicate emerging opportunities — customer needs, market gaps, adjacent sectors — to support commercial strategy and business development.

Commercial Collaboration

Partner with the Marketing team to ensure sector-specific marketing materials, messaging and campaigns accurately reflect customer value propositions and support lead generation.

Collaborate with the Commercial Director on pricing strategy, commercial contracts, terms of trade and commercial risk assessment for the sector.

Participate in business development activities, including tender responses, industry events, and customer partnership initiatives, to amplify Recycling Lives Services presence in target markets.

Reporting & Performance

Provide monthly pipeline and performance reporting to the Commercial Director, with clear analysis of progress against targets, opportunities and risks.

Establish and maintain CRM discipline and data integrity within Salesforce, ensuring the sales pipeline is accurate, up to date and accessible to the commercial leadership team.

Conduct regular pipeline reviews with team members, providing coaching on deal strategy, customer engagement and opportunity progression.

Essential Experience & Skills

Proven track record of account management and revenue growth — demonstrable success in closing deals, retaining customers and expanding relationships into existing accounts while also setting strategy for acquiring new ICP wins

Experience leading and developing cross-functional teams to deliver best-in-class service and client engagement, using data and customer insight to drive activity.

Strong strategic thinking — able to develop sector strategy, analyse market dynamics, identify growth opportunities and communicate commercial priorities to internal stakeholders.

Excellent relationship-building skills — able to build trust, establish credibility and communicate with C-suite and procurement professionals at key accounts.

Commercial acumen and numeracy — comfortable with P&L understanding, pricing logic, margin analysis and commercial risk assessment.

Experience with CRM systems (Salesforce preferred) and sales analytics, with ability to use data to drive sales strategy and performance improvement.

Strong written and verbal communication skills, with ability to present to senior stakeholders and articulate complex commercial propositions clearly and persuasively.

Highly Desirable

Experience in B2B sales leadership, ideally in FM, Construction, Facilities Management, Waste Management or a closely adjacent sector.

Experience leading and developing sales teams, including capability in hiring, coaching, performance management and creating a high-performance sales culture.

Experience in FM or Construction specifically — understanding of procurement practices, regulatory requirements (CDM Regulations, Health & Safety, Environmental), and customer buying dynamics in these sectors.

Track record of growing revenue through account expansion and service innovation — identifying and winning new opportunities within existing customer relationships.

Understanding of or interest in ESG, social value and sustainability — ideally with experience communicating these themes to customers in a B2B commercial context.

Experience in a B Corp, social enterprise or purpose-led organisation, demonstrating commitment to balancing commercial growth with social impact.

Network within the FM and Construction sectors — established relationships with decision-makers, specifiers or industry influencers.

Benefits:

The Head of Sector role is a genuine leadership opportunity in a business at an inflection point. We are moving from product-focused, transactional commercial operations to sector-led, relationship-driven growth — a transformation that creates real scope and impact for the right leader. What we offer in return:

A leadership role with strategic responsibility for developing our largest existing customers and further developing the sector portfolio, reporting directly to the Commercial Director, with the scope to shape commercial strategy and operations in a significant market segment.

The opportunity to lead a talented sales and account management team, with genuine investment in capability development, and access to external training and industry networks.

A clear commercial mandate: grow revenue, retain customers, expand relationships and improve margins — with the autonomy to define the strategy and the support to execute it.

A distinctive purpose: the chance to prove that a social enterprise can build strategic customer relationships and drive sustainable growth without compromising on social impact.

A business with authentic credentials: B Corp certified, data-backed social impact, and a structural commitment to employing people from disadvantaged backgrounds — not aspirational claims but lived practice.

Hybrid working flexibility alongside a collaborative base in Preston, investment in professional development, and access to the networks and communities that matter to purpose-led businesses.

The chance to work with a team that is unambiguously proud of what it does and committed to telling that story — both internally and in the market.

Healthcare cash back plan*

Access to ethical loan and savings products *

Enhanced maternity & paternity pay*

Cycle to work scheme*

*Employees become eligible after 12 months service.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitable qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age.