Head of Sales, Corporate & Government

Job description

## About us The Financial Times is one of the world’s leading news organisations, globally recognised for its authority, integrity and accuracy, with a mission to deliver quality information and services worldwide. At the FT, curiosity thrives and ambitious thinking is rewarded. Here, you’re given the chance to reach millions, create work that matters and deliver impartial journalism in a polarised world. In our warm, collaborative culture, you’ll connect with a diverse community of experts who support your growth, career aspirations and wellbeing. Your future at the FT will be filled with opportunities that challenge and inspire you. With no fixed path, you’ll discover new skills and forge a career that can take you anywhere. Build a newsworthy career at the FT. ## Our commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion We believe in the power of unique perspectives and want all voices in our organisation to be heard, respected and valued. A supportive workplace is one where employees feel they can be themselves and operate to their full potential. We are committed to removing barriers for everyone, with a focus on addressing those faced by underrepresented groups. ## The Role The Reader Revenue Group (RRG) brings together the Financial Times' subscription and licensing businesses into a single commercial organisation, creating new opportunities to build broader, deeper and longer-term relationships with organisations around the world. Corporate Licensing sits at the centre of that ambition, bringing together enterprise subscriptions, specialist products, content licensing and emerging opportunities such as AI Licensing and Text & Data Mining into one organisation. **Reporting to the Global Sales Director**, the **Head of Sales** for each sector is responsible for the commercial performance and growth of one of Corporate Licensing's priority industry sectors. The role will also help deepen our understanding of the markets we serve, strengthen customer relationships and identify new opportunities for sustainable growth across the Financial Times' enterprise portfolio. First and foremost, this role is a commercial leadership position responsible for revenue generation via corporate licenses. It brings together sales and account management functions around a common sector strategy, develops market expertise and creates the conditions for sustainable commercial growth. Within their home region, the Head of Sales provides direct management for the sales and account management staff, while working with regional sales managers in other regions. As the organisation matures, the role will increasingly become a recognised source of customer insight and market intelligence, helping Corporate Licensing identify emerging opportunities and shape future commercial priorities. The role works closely with Regional Sales Directors (Asia & CEMEA), the Head of Total Account Management and the Head of Solutions to ensure customers experience one Financial Times while benefiting from the full breadth of the organisation's expertise. Success will be measured through attaining sales goals, delivering long-term growth, fostering stronger customer relationships, deeper market understanding and the ability to build a high-performing commercial organisation. ## Key Responsibilities ### Commercial Performance - Deliver commercial performance across new business, renewals, expansion and strategic account development. - Work with Regional Sales Directors (Asia & CEMEA) and Regional Sector Leads (where applicable), and the Head of Total Account Management to ensure the global sector strategy is executed consistently across all markets. - Contribute to the commercial strategy for the sector, aligning priorities and resources with the greatest opportunities for sustainable growth. - Identify emerging customer needs, changing market dynamics, competitor activity, and commercial trends that influence sector priorities that may influence the Financial Times' future commercial strategy. - Identify potential partnership, investment and acquisition opportunities that could strengthen the Financial Times' position within the sector, bringing those opportunities to the attention of senior leadership where appropriate. - Build relationships with key customers, industry bodies and market influencers, strengthening the Financial Times' profile and credibility within the sector. - Act as the commercial voice of the sector, bringing customer insight and market intelligence into Corporate Licensing leadership discussions. ### Team Leadership - Provide direct management of Business Development Managers, Customer Relationship Managers, Customer Success Managers and Sales Development Representatives within the home region. - Lead, coach and continue to develop a high-performing regional commercial team through clear objectives, regular coaching and effective performance management. - Drive commercial execution through effective pipeline management, forecasting and customer planning. - Ensure the regional team remains aligned with wider sector priorities while contributing to Corporate Licensing objectives. ### Cross-functional Leadership - Work closely with Regional Sales Directors (Asia & CEMEA) and Regional Sector Leads to ensure sector strategies are implemented consistently across all markets. - Partner with the Head of Total Account Management to embed consistent account management principles across the sector. - Collaborate with the Head of Solutions to ensure customers benefit from the full breadth of the Financial Times' enterprise capabilities. - Work closely with Marketing, Product and Editorial teams to bring customer insight into wider commercial and product discussions. - Contribute to the continued development of Corporate Licensing as a member of the leadership team. ## Required Skills and Experience The successful candidate is likely to demonstrate: - Significant experience leading enterprise B2B commercial teams within complex markets. - Strong understanding of one or more of Corporate Licensing's priority sectors, together with the ability to develop deep market expertise over time. - A proven track record of delivering sustainable commercial growth through new business, strategic account development and customer retention. - Strong commercial judgement, balancing immediate commercial performance with long-term customer relationships. - A naturally curious and entrepreneurial mindset, with the ability to identify emerging market opportunities, competitive developments and strategic growth opportunities. - Experience leading integrated commercial organisations, including Business Development, Customer Relationship Management, Customer Success and Sales Development functions. - Experience operating successfully within a matrix organisation, building influence across functions rather than relying solely on formal authority. - Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build credibility both internally and externally. - Strong leadership capability, creating and sustaining high-performing teams through coaching, clarity, accountability and collaboration. - A genuine interest in the role trusted information, journalism and specialist intelligence play in helping organisations make better decisions. ## What Success Looks Like The Head of Sales for a sector will have ultimate responsibility for delivering sales targets for the sector, and strengthening customer relationships. Within their home region, they will lead a high-performing commercial organisation, bringing together Business Development, Customer Relationship Management, Customer Success and Sales Development around a common sector strategy and consistently delivering strong commercial performance. Across the wider organisation, the Head of Sales for a sector will become recognised as a trusted source of market intelligence and customer insight, helping Corporate Licensing anticipate industry change, identify emerging commercial opportunities and contribute to the continued evolution of the Financial Times' enterprise portfolio. Most importantly, customers within the sector will increasingly experience one Financial Times. Teams across regions, solutions and customer success will work from a shared understanding of customer priorities, creating broader relationships, stronger commercial outcomes and greater long-term value for both customers and the Financial Times. ## What's in it for You? Our benefits vary by location but we are committed to providing best-in-class perks across all our offices. These include generous annual leave, medical cover, inclusive parental leave packages, subsidised gym memberships and opportunities to give back to the community. Full details of our benefits are available here. We currently operate a hybrid model which requires staff to work onsite 50% of the time, subject to role requirements & regular review. While flexible working requests will be considered, not all patterns are suitable for all roles. We believe this balanced approach supports flexibility and protects our culture, making collaboration and communication easier, building stronger relationships and team cohesion, and supporting peer learning. We reserve discretion on reasonable notice to change this approach either generally or for specific individuals or teams. ## Accessibility We are a disability confident employer and Valuable 500 signatory. Please let us know if you require any reasonable adjustments/personalisation as part of the application process or to enable you to attend an interview. If you would like to discuss your requirements or have any questions, email [talent@ft.com](mailto:talent@ft.com) and a member of our team will be happy to help. ## Further Information At the FT, we embrace innovation and the use of technology and appreciate that individuals may leverage AI tools as part of their job application process. Whilst we are happy for you to use AI to assist with your application, it is essential that all information provided is authentic and accurately represents your skills, experience, and qualifications. Candidates should be aware that the use of AI throughout the application process may be monitored to ensure a fair and transparent hiring process for all. Please beware of fraudulent job postings and offers claiming to be from the Financial Times. All legitimate opportunities will direct you to apply through the official Financial Times careers site, and the FT will never ask for financial information, payments, or referrals to third parties during the hiring process. If you have any concerns about the legitimacy of a job posting or suspect any scam activity, please contact [talent@ft.com](mailto:talent@ft.com).