SaaS & B2B Software gtm recruitment in York
RevOps, Sales Engineering, GTM Engineering, Demand Gen and Enablement hires for B2B SaaS scale-ups. We help scope the seat as well as fill it, particularly for first-of-kind hires. On the ground in York and across the wider Yorkshire saas & b2b software cluster.
York's commercial base is smaller than Leeds or Sheffield but disproportionately senior. The bioscience cluster around York Science Park, the insurance and financial services anchor of Aviva's UK headquarters, and a growing community of mid-market SaaS and consultancy businesses around the city walls give the city a distinctive mix. The University of York's computer science and economics departments feed a steady flow of analytical and commercial graduates.
York's SaaS commercial story runs through InsurTech (Aviva, Hiscox) and HealthTech-adjacent commercial roles around the NHSE Transformation Directorate. The pool is smaller and more senior than Leeds but with very high average tenure — passive search is the dominant route for senior York SaaS hires.
Aviva (UK HQ)
Insurance / FinTech
York's largest single commercial employer with substantial digital and SaaS-adjacent commercial roles.
Hiscox
Specialty insurance / InsurTech
Substantial York-based commercial team.
NHS Digital (NHSE Transformation Directorate, York)
HealthTech
Major York public-sector HealthTech employer with adjacent vendor commercial market.
SaaS commercial talent supply at SDR, AE and Customer Success Manager level is now genuinely competitive in Leeds, Manchester and Sheffield, with healthy graduate inflow. Senior SaaS leadership (Sales Director and above) is thinner and most strong candidates are passive, equity-locked and approached on warm referrals. Hybrid working two or three days a week is the dominant pattern for senior SaaS roles in the North; full-remote is more common in pure scale-ups than in PE-backed businesses.
SaaS comp in the North runs broadly 10-20% below London for equivalent seats but the gap closes at CRO and VP level where the market is genuinely national. A typical Series A-Series B Head of Sales in Leeds or Manchester earns £90k-£130k base with OTE £140k-£200k. CRO seats in PE-backed Northern SaaS businesses commonly hit £150k-£200k base with OTE of £250k-£400k plus equity.
York salary nuance
York SaaS commercial salaries run 5-10% below Leeds at Director level, with InsurTech-trained commercial leaders commanding the regional benchmark for moves into wider Yorkshire FinTech and SaaS roles.
York Station gives 25-minute services into Leeds and direct services to Edinburgh, Manchester and London. The A1(M) and A64 link the city to Harrogate, Selby and the wider region.
How we work
01
Before we recruit, we pressure-test the role itself against your GTM operating model. Many businesses ask for a GTM Engineer when they actually need a RevOps Lead, or vice versa. This step saves a six-figure mis-hire.
02
We build a role scorecard that captures cross-functional accountabilities (sales, marketing, finance, product) and the systems environment the person will own (CRM, MAP, data warehouse, attribution).
03
GTM talent is concentrated in a narrow set of scale-ups and consultancies. We map it deliberately, including in your region, and approach passive candidates with a clear narrative about the problem to be solved.
04
Two screens: one commercial (impact delivered, cross-functional credibility, business judgement) and one technical (tooling fluency, data literacy, systems design where relevant).
05
Considered shortlist plus a 30-60-90 integration plan. GTM hires fail when they are dropped into an unclear matrix without authority. We build the authority lines into the offer.
FAQs
Yes. We support both pre-Series A scale-ups (often via fractional CRO before a permanent hire) and PE-backed SaaS businesses through retained executive search. Our partners have personally led commercial functions in both stages.
Broadly 10-20% below London at SDR, AE and Director level for equivalent seats. The gap closes materially at VP and CRO level, where the market is national and most candidates compare across regions.
Yes, increasingly so. Hybrid working, the cost-of-living differential and the maturity of the Northern SaaS scene make Leeds and Manchester credible bases for senior London-resident commercial talent. Evara has run multiple successful searches on this model.
Yes, particularly if recruiting is run across the wider Leeds-York-Harrogate triangle. York alone is small, but the combined catchment delivers a genuinely competitive talent pool for SaaS and FinTech roles.
Insurance and financial services (anchored by Aviva and Hiscox), bioscience around York Science Park, specialty professional services, and a growing layer of SaaS and digital around the city centre.
Related
Email Rachel Lunn and the team. We will reply within one working day with a York-specific saas & b2b software market read for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn/gtm-recruitment/york/saas
Sales recruitment, GTM recruitment and revenue advisory for SMEs UK-wide. We reply within one working day.
Email Rachel Lunn