Supply Chain Visibility & Software leadership recruitment in Manchester
Confidential search for software sales leadership, including Heads of Sales, Sales Directors and VP Sales for visibility and supply chain software businesses. We run these appointments discreetly to protect both the hiring business and the leaders being approached. On the ground in Manchester and across the wider North West supply chain visibility & software cluster.
Manchester sits at the centre of the North West's distribution economy, anchored by Trafford Park and a dense network of logistics parks along the M60, M62 and M6, plus significant air freight through Manchester Airport. That concentration of warehousing, fulfilment and manufacturing creates one of the deepest markets in the country for forklift dealers, racking and storage installers, conveyor and sortation suppliers, and warehouse automation integrators. The city's universities produce one of the largest engineering and commercial graduate pools in the UK, keeping commercial and technical supply strong.
The North West, led by Manchester's large technology and digital cluster and sitting within a major logistics region served by the M6 and M62 and the Port of Liverpool, gives supply chain software businesses access to both enterprise software sellers and people who understand transport and supply chain operations.
project44
Supply chain visibility
Provider of a real-time transportation and supply chain visibility platform.
FourKites
Supply chain visibility
Provider of a real-time supply chain visibility platform.
Shippeo
Supply chain visibility
Provider of a real-time transportation visibility platform.
Descartes Systems Group
Logistics and supply chain software
Provider of logistics, transport and supply chain software.
e2open
Supply chain software
Provider of a connected supply chain management platform.
Transporeon
Transport management and visibility
Provider of transportation management and visibility software, part of Trimble.
Infor Nexus
Supply chain network software
Provider of a supply chain network and collaboration platform.
Kinaxis
Supply chain planning software
Provider of supply chain planning and orchestration software.
Supply chain visibility and software commercial talent overlaps the wider enterprise software market while needing logistics credibility. The strongest sellers combine enterprise software commercial discipline with a real understanding of transport and supply chain operations, and they move between visibility platforms, transport software and adjacent supply chain technology. Enterprise account executives and pre-sales consultants who can carry long, complex deals into supply chain buyers are in high demand, so confidential, well-briefed approaches are important.
Pay in supply chain visibility and software follows enterprise software patterns, driven by deal size, sales cycle length and whether a role is new logo, enterprise or strategic account focused. Enterprise sellers and pre-sales consultants who carry large, complex deals are rewarded above transactional roles, with commission a significant part of the package. Reward rises with the scale of deals carried, the seniority of buyers engaged and the consultative depth required to win.
Manchester Piccadilly and Victoria provide direct national rail. The Metrolink tram network connects MediaCityUK, Spinningfields, the Northern Quarter and Trafford. Manchester Airport gives the city national and international reach unique among UK regions.
How we work
01
We start with the commercial mandate the leader must deliver: the growth plan, the team they inherit or build, the customers and channels, and the stakeholders they answer to. We design the seat before we search for the person.
02
We build a confidential map of the relevant leadership pool across competitors and adjacent intralogistics sub-sectors, protecting both the hiring business and the leaders we approach.
03
Senior people are approached with a sanitised, credible narrative. Named-employer messaging is held back until second-stage conversations, so a sensitive search stays sensitive.
04
Leadership assessment goes beyond track record to judgement, team building, change capability and the ability to operate at board level. We test the things that actually predict success in the seat.
05
A considered shortlist, then full support through offer, acceptance and a structured first-100-days plan agreed with the board. We are as comfortable advising on team design and succession as filling a single seat.
FAQs
Account executives, enterprise sellers, business development managers, pre-sales and solutions consultants, customer success and strategic account managers, and sales leadership up to VP Sales, for visibility, transport and supply chain software businesses.
Selling these platforms needs enterprise software discipline combined with genuine logistics credibility. A specialist recruiter screens for sellers who understand the supply chain, not just generalist software closers.
Yes. Enterprise account executives and pre-sales consultants who can carry long, complex deals into supply chain buyers are central to winning and are a core part of our work in this segment.
Manchester is anchored by Trafford Park, one of the largest industrial estates in Europe, with dense logistics parks along the M60, M62 and M6 and significant air freight. That concentration of end users makes it one of the deepest markets in the country for handling, storage and automation.
A typical senior commercial search runs 8 to 12 weeks. The market is competitive, the best candidates are passive, and counter-offers are common, which lengthens the close phase.
Email Rachel Lunn and the team. We will reply within one working day with a Manchester-specific supply chain visibility & software market read for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn/leadership-recruitment/manchester/supply-chain-visibility
Specialist commercial search for the intralogistics industry. We reply within one working day.
Email Rachel Lunn