Senior Head of Public Sector Sales

Job description

Role Purpose: The Senior Head of Public Sector Sales is a senior sales leadership role for Vodafone Business Ireland across central government, public safety, Defence, health, education, local government and semi-state organizations. The role is accountable for protecting and growing a EUR 50M+ customer revenue base while winning strategic new opportunities across mobile and fixed connectivity, managed services, cyber security and digital solutions. This leader must understand how the Irish public sector procures, how frameworks and procurement rules shape outcomes, and how government priorities are moving toward resilience, national security, digital public services, cyber protection and critical infrastructure modernization. The role requires deep knowledge of central government, semi-state procurement, public-sector governance, competitive frameworks, stakeholder mapping and long-cycle strategic bids. In addition, a key understanding of relevant Irish and European regulation e.g. NIS2 is important, especially as Vodafone is leading in several mission critical strategies’. The successful candidate will combine outstanding sales leadership, commercial discipline, public-sector credibility and customer-first thinking. They will lead a large team, coach senior sellers, influence complex buying groups, shape future tenders ethically and position Vodafone as a trusted partner to the State and semi-state sector. Key Accountabilities: Strategic Public Sector Sales Leadership: Define and execute Vodafone Business Ireland’s Public Sector sales strategy across central government, public safety, health, education, local government and semi-state accounts. Protect and grow a EUR 50M+ customer revenue base while delivering sustainable annual growth of double digit or greater. Build a multi-year opportunity strategy around public-sector digital transformation, resilience, secure connectivity, managed services and cyber security. Government, Semi-State & Procurement Expertise: Demonstrate deep understanding of Irish public procurement, OGP frameworks, competitive tendering, public-sector governance and value-for-money requirements. Build early insight into upcoming frameworks, renewals and strategic programmes while operating to the highest standards of integrity and compliance. Understand the distinct buying dynamics of central government, semi-state bodies, regulated utilities, public safety agencies and national infrastructure organisation. Customer Excellence & Public Trust: Act as Executive Sponsor for Vodafone’s most strategic government and semi-state customers. Build trusted relationships with senior civil servants, CIOs, CTOs, commercial directors, procurement leaders and operational stakeholders. Drive a culture where public-sector customers experience Vodafone as responsive, credible, secure, accountable and easy to do business with. Proactively identify customer risks, service challenges and reputational issues, then work across Vodafone to resolve them sustainably Defence, Cyber & Critical Infrastructure Growth: Translate Irish Defence, cyber and resilience priorities into credible Vodafone sales plays across secure connectivity, mobile, fixed, IoT, managed services, cyber, SASE, SD-WAN, private networks and cloud collaboration. Build propositions relevant to Defence, Garda, NCSC-adjacent stakeholders, ports, transport, energy, water and other critical infrastructure organisations. Lead pursuit strategies for opportunities connected to secure communications, resilience, pre-emption, emergency response, cyber monitoring, data protection, campus connectivity, maritime communications and operational technology connectivity. Partner with Vodafone Group, technology partners and specialist cyber providers to create differentiated, credible and compliant public-sector propositions Commercial leadership Own commercial outcomes across revenue, margin, retention, growth, pipeline and forecast accuracy. Lead major negotiations, complex renewals, strategic bids and high-value framework responses. Maintain pricing discipline, governance, risk management and contracting control in complex public-sector opportunities. Balance long-term customer value, public-sector affordability, regulatory compliance and profitable growth People Leadership, Coaching & Capability: Lead, inspire and develop a 50+ person public-sector sales organisation and sales leadership team. Coach teams in strategic account management, procurement navigation, negotiation, executive engagement and outcome-led selling. Build capability in public-sector frameworks, bid excellence, cyber and resilience propositions, commercial judgement and customer improvement planning. Develop succession plans and create a leadership bench capable of sustaining Vodafone’s public-sector growth agenda. Product & Solution Portfolio: The role is accountable for growth, retention and customer value across mobile connectivity and enterprise mobility, Fixed connectivity, Ethernet, broadband and networking, SD-WAN, SASE, secure access and managed network services, Cyber security, managed detection, SOC-aligned services and compliance-led security propositions Unified communications, collaboration and Microsoft solutions Essential Experience: Significant senior sales leadership experience in telecommunications, technology, ICT, cyber or managed services. Proven experience leading large B2B or public-sector sales organisations with material revenue accountability. Demonstrated success managing an established revenue base while delivering new growth. Deep understanding of Irish government, public-sector and semi-state buying dynamics. Experience with frameworks, public procurement, large-scale tenders, complex renewals and multi-stakeholder governance. Strong commercial acumen, negotiation capability and board-level stakeholder presence. Ability to lead sales transformation, improve forecasting and embed coaching-led performance management. Credibility in conversations around secure connectivity, resilience, cyber security and digital transformation. Desirable Experience: Experience selling into Defence, public safety, critical infrastructure, health, education, energy, transport, water or regulated semi-state sectors. Knowledge of Irish national digital strategy, cyber security strategy, procurement reform and government technology programmes. Experience partnering with global technology vendors, cyber partners, systems integrators and managed service providers. Understanding of NIS2, critical entity resilience, sovereign data considerations and secure public-sector operating environments. Who we are: We are a leading international Telco, serving millions of customers. At Vodafone, we believe that connectivity is a force for good. If we use it for the things that really matter, it can improve people’s lives and the world around us. Through our technology, we empower people — connecting everyone regardless of who they are or where they live — and we protect the planet, whilst helping our customers do the same. Belonging at Vodafone isn’t a concept; it’s lived, breathed, and cultivated through everything we do. You’ll be part of a global and diverse community with many different minds, abilities, backgrounds and cultures. We’re committed to increasing diversity, ensuring equal representation, and making Vodafone a place where everyone feels safe, valued and included. Vodafone is committed to supporting candidates with disabilities during the recruitment process. If you require any adjustments, please let us know. ________________________________________ Together we can. #LI-JB1