Sales Recruitment in Chester
Most sales hires fail before the candidate is even chosen. We do this for SMEs and scale-ups across Chester and the wider North West, with on-the-ground knowledge of the Chester commercial market.
Chester punches above its size for senior commercial talent thanks to MBNA's long-standing UK headquarters (now Lloyds Banking Group), a substantial professional services base, and the proximity of the Daresbury science cluster. The Chester Business Park and the city centre host a meaningful concentration of FinTech, insurance, life sciences and B2B SaaS employers. The University of Chester and Liverpool John Moores supply local graduate flow.
MBNA (Lloyds Banking Group)
FinTech
Anchor commercial employer in Chester, with deep commercial and digital teams.
Bank of America Merrill Lynch (Chester)
FinTech
Major Chester operations and commercial site.
Urenco
Energy and nuclear
Chester-headquartered global nuclear enrichment business.
Iceland Foods
Retail
Headquartered in nearby Deeside, with a substantial commercial team.
Airbus (Broughton)
Aerospace
Anchor industrial commercial employer near Chester.
Bristol-Myers Squibb (Moreton)
Pharma
Major life-sciences commercial site near Chester.
Chester's commercial talent pool is mid-sized but disproportionately senior, with strong FinTech, insurance and life-sciences representation. The city draws on both the Liverpool and North Wales catchments, plus a meaningful share of senior leaders living in Cheshire and commuting into Manchester or Liverpool. Cost of living relative to Manchester is competitive given the higher property values, but the talent advantage is meaningful.
Chester Station gives direct services to Liverpool (45 min), Manchester (60 min) and Crewe. The A55 connects to North Wales and the M53 to Liverpool. Manchester Airport is under an hour by car.
Chester salary benchmarks
| Role | Chester band |
|---|---|
| SDR / BDR | £30k-£40k |
| Account Executive | £55k-£80k (Base + OTE 95k-150k) |
| Head of Sales | £90k-£130k (Base + OTE 145k-205k) |
| Sales Director | £115k-£165k (Base + OTE 190k-270k) |
Bands reflect the Chester market as of 2026. Talk to us for live, role-specific data.
How we work
01
We start with a structured kick-off that captures the commercial objective, not just the title. Reporting line, comp envelope, the deal sizes the person will sell, the buyers they will sell to, and the behaviours that will succeed in your environment.
02
We map where the right people actually sit, across direct competitors, adjacent industries and proven environments in your region. This becomes the long-list of candidates we approach, not just whoever is on the job boards this week.
03
Candidates are approached with a clear commercial narrative, not a job advert. We communicate the opportunity, the leadership environment, the expectations and the growth path, so only genuinely relevant people move forward.
04
Two structured commercial screens before a candidate ever reaches you. Track record validation, deal-stage probing, motivation, and a credibility check on the numbers they have actually delivered.
05
You receive a considered shortlist, not a CV flood. Each candidate is presented with strengths, potential risks and a fit assessment. We then support the process through to offer, acceptance and the first 90 days.
What you get
Why Evara
Local
On-the-ground in North West. We know the Chester employer base, the talent pools and the comp norms first-hand, not from a database.
Operator-led
Every Evara partner has carried a number. Sales Recruitment engagements are run by people who have built and led commercial functions, not pure intermediaries.
Honest
If a hire is the wrong move for your stage in Chester, we will say so. We would rather lose the fee than place a senior leader into a seat that will not work.
FAQs
MBNA, now part of Lloyds Banking Group, with deep commercial and digital teams in the city. MBNA anchors a meaningful share of mid-level and senior FinTech commercial talent in the Chester market.
Yes, particularly for FinTech, insurance or life sciences-adjacent SaaS. The senior talent concentration and the dual Liverpool-Manchester catchment make Chester a credible commercial base.
FinTech (MBNA, BofA Merrill Lynch), insurance, life sciences (Bristol-Myers Squibb at Moreton), aerospace (Airbus at Broughton) and a growing layer of B2B SaaS.
At mid-level, Chester sits broadly in line with Manchester and slightly above Liverpool. At Director level, comp is competitive thanks to the senior FinTech anchor.
A typical retained search runs 6 to 10 weeks from kick-off to offer accepted. Director-level searches sit at the longer end of that range. We will not rush a shortlist to hit an arbitrary deadline.
No. Every Evara search is retained on a two-payment structure: a commitment deposit paid up front to cover the strategic work, and a completion fee invoiced on day 60 of the placed candidate's employment. This protects the rigour of the process and means we are accountable for the outcome, not for activity.
Nearby
Chester-based engagements regularly cover the wider commuter belt, including Ellesmere Port, Wrexham, Mold, Northwich, Frodsham.
Related tools
Related Guide chapters
Operator playbooks
Decision guides
Email Rachel Lunn and the Evara team. We will reply within one working day with live market data for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn