SaaS & B2B Software sales recruitment in Manchester
Retained search for SaaS Sales Directors, VP Sales, Heads of Customer Success and CROs. Each search is anchored by a named partner who has personally led the equivalent function in a SaaS business. On the ground in Manchester and across the wider North West saas & b2b software cluster.
Manchester is the dominant commercial centre in the North of England. The MediaCityUK campus in Salford anchors a national broadcast and digital media cluster. NOMA, Spinningfields and the Northern Quarter host a deep concentration of FinTech, B2B SaaS, MarTech and AdTech employers. The University of Manchester, Manchester Metropolitan and Salford produce one of the largest STEM and commercial graduate flows in the UK. Senior talent supply is national, with the city pulling regularly from London, Leeds, Birmingham and beyond.
Manchester is the senior-SaaS gravity centre of the North. THG, Auto Trader, BookingGo, On the Beach, Travel Counsellors and Peak together create the largest single SaaS commercial talent pool in the North of England, with a particularly deep bench at VP Sales and CRO level. The Manchester market also pulls senior London-resident commercial leaders into hybrid roles more readily than any other Northern city.
The Hut Group (THG)
Commerce SaaS
Manchester-headquartered global commerce platform and the largest single SaaS-adjacent commercial employer in the city.
Auto Trader
Marketplace / SaaS
Manchester-headquartered FTSE 100 marketplace with a substantial enterprise commercial bench.
Peak
AI / Decision intelligence
Manchester-headquartered enterprise AI scale-up.
BookingGo (Rentalcars)
Travel SaaS
Manchester-headquartered travel-tech business.
Travel Counsellors
Travel platform
Manchester-headquartered platform business with commercial scale.
On the Beach
Travel SaaS
Manchester-headquartered listed travel-tech.
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.
Manchester salary nuance
Manchester SaaS commercial salaries are the strongest in the North and within 5-10% of London for senior seats. CRO seats in PE-backed Manchester SaaS routinely hit £170k-£220k base with OTE £280k-£420k plus equity.
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 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.
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.
A typical Sales Director search in Manchester runs 8 to 12 weeks. The market is competitive, the best candidates are passive, and counter-offers from current employers are common, which lengthens the close phase.
A Sales Director in Manchester typically earns £130k-£185k base with on-target earnings of £220k-£310k. FinTech, MarTech and PE-backed SaaS sit at the top of the range.
Related
Email Rachel Lunn and the team. We will reply within one working day with a Manchester-specific saas & b2b software market read for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn/sales-recruitment/manchester/saas
Sales recruitment, GTM recruitment and revenue advisory for SMEs UK-wide. We reply within one working day.
Email Rachel Lunn