WMS & WES Software leadership recruitment in Manchester
Confidential search for software sales leadership, including Heads of Sales, Sales Directors and VP Sales for WMS and WES vendors. 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 wms & wes 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, and Manchester in particular, is one of the UK's largest technology and digital clusters, sitting alongside a major warehousing and distribution region served by the M6 and M62. That combination gives WMS and WES vendors access to both software commercial talent and people who understand warehouse operations.
Manhattan Associates
Supply chain and WMS software
Provider of warehouse management and supply chain software.
Blue Yonder
Supply chain and WMS software
Provider of supply chain, warehouse and fulfilment software.
Infios
Supply chain and WMS software
Supply chain software business, formerly Korber Supply Chain Software.
Microlistics
Warehouse management software
Provider of warehouse management software, part of WiseTech Global.
SSI Schaefer
Warehouse software and automation
Provider of the WAMAS warehouse management and execution software alongside automation.
Mecalux
Warehouse management software
Provider of the Easy WMS warehouse management software alongside storage systems.
Generix Group
Supply chain and WMS software
Provider of warehouse management and supply chain software.
Tecsys
Warehouse and supply chain software
Provider of warehouse management and supply chain software.
WMS and WES commercial talent is a hybrid pool. The strongest sellers combine software commercial skill with real warehouse and supply chain knowledge, and they often move between the established WMS vendors, the software arms of automation businesses and adjacent supply chain technology. Pre-sales and solutions consultants who can run a credible demo and discovery against operational buyers are particularly scarce. Because these people are in demand across the wider technology market, confidential, well-briefed approaches matter.
Pay in WMS and WES software follows wider enterprise software patterns, shaped by deal size, sales cycle length and whether a role is new business, enterprise or strategic account focused. New logo 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 the buyers engaged and the technical 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, business development and enterprise sales managers, pre-sales and solutions consultants, strategic account managers and sales leadership up to VP Sales, for warehouse management and warehouse execution software businesses.
Selling warehouse software needs both software commercial discipline and genuine operational credibility. A specialist recruiter screens for sellers who understand the warehouse, not just generalist software closers.
Yes. Pre-sales and solutions consultants who can run credible discovery and demos against operational buyers are scarce and central to winning, so they 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 wms & wes software market read for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn/leadership-recruitment/manchester/wms-wes-software
Specialist commercial search for the intralogistics industry. We reply within one working day.
Email Rachel Lunn