SaaS & B2B Software sales recruitment in Salford
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 Salford and across the wider North West saas & b2b software cluster.
Salford's commercial profile has been transformed by MediaCityUK, the BBC's relocation, and the subsequent build-out of one of the largest broadcast and digital media clusters in Europe. The University of Salford, Salford Quays and the wider Greater Manchester catchment together support a deep concentration of commercial, partnerships and AdTech talent. Salford's regeneration around the Quays and Chapel Street has anchored a growing community of B2B SaaS and creative-industries employers.
Salford's SaaS market is built around MediaCityUK and Bruntwood SciTech, and most senior SaaS leaders here are realistically part of the wider Manchester commercial talent pool — Salford and Manchester operate as a single SaaS labour market for senior seats. Industrial SaaS (Hark) and broadcast tech give Salford a distinctive commercial flavour.
dock10
Broadcast tech
Salford-based broadcast post-production.
Hark
Industrial SaaS
Salford-area industrial-data SaaS scale-up.
Bruntwood SciTech (MediaCity)
Tech ecosystem
Anchor for the wider Salford / MediaCity SaaS scale-up base.
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.
Salford salary nuance
Salford SaaS commercial salaries are effectively identical to Manchester for senior seats. Hybrid arrangements based at MediaCityUK with Manchester-resident leadership are the dominant pattern.
Salford Central, MediaCityUK tram and the wider Metrolink network give 10-minute access from central Manchester. The M60 and M602 connect directly to the wider Greater Manchester network.
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.
Salford's media and broadcast anchor (BBC, ITV at MediaCityUK) gives the city a uniquely deep AdTech, partnerships and creative-commercial talent pool. For B2B SaaS and FinTech, Salford and Manchester operate as one talent market.
Yes. The MediaCityUK and Salford Quays campuses offer modern commercial space, and the talent catchment is fully integrated with central Manchester via the Metrolink.
Related
Email Rachel Lunn and the team. We will reply within one working day with a Salford-specific saas & b2b software market read for the role you have in mind.
Email Rachel Lunn/sales-recruitment/salford/saas
Sales recruitment, GTM recruitment and revenue advisory for SMEs UK-wide. We reply within one working day.
Email Rachel Lunn