Commercial Director Recruitment for Profitable Growth
Kingman Lennox recruits Commercial Directors who take responsibility for sales, pricing and contract decisions, so the business wins the right work on the right terms.
- Fixed fee agreed before the search starts
- Shortlist within two weeks
- 12-month replacement guarantee
We help UK businesses appoint Commercial Directors who grow revenue and protect margin at the same time.
A Commercial Director connects what the business sells with what it can profitably deliver. The right appointment brings discipline to pricing, bids and contracts, and gives the leadership team confidence in the work it takes on. The wrong one can grow revenue while the margin underneath it erodes.
Every Commercial Director search we run is built on direct headhunting and evidence-led assessment, so the decision rests on the commercial results a candidate has actually delivered rather than how well they interview.
Why Commercial Director Recruitment Is So Hard to Get Right
No two Commercial Director roles are quite the same. In one business the title means leading sales; in another it covers pricing, bids, contracts and key relationships, with a seat on the board. Without a precise brief, a search attracts candidates whose experience fits the title but not the job.
The role also needs an unusual combination. A strong Commercial Director understands the economics of delivery, is credible with customers and can challenge colleagues constructively when a deal looks better than it is. Candidates who are strong in one of these areas are easier to find than those who are strong in all three.
The best commercial leaders are usually in demanding roles where they are valued. They will consider a move for an opportunity with real authority, and that case has to be put to them properly and discreetly.
We are typically engaged when:
- Growth is coming at the expense of margin
- Pricing and contract decisions are inconsistent across the business
- Sales and operations are not aligned on what the business can deliver
- The leadership team needs a commercial voice at board level
- The appointment needs to be handled confidentially
Winning more work was putting the business under pressure
An owner-managed technical services business was growing, but the Managing Director was increasingly uneasy about the work it was taking on. Some contracts looked attractive when they were signed and much less attractive once delivery was under way. Pricing decisions were inconsistent, and the operations team sometimes discovered commitments after they had already been made to the customer.
We worked with the Managing Director to define a Commercial Director role with responsibility for sales, pricing and contract decisions. The search focused on people who understood the economics of delivering a service and could work constructively with both sales and operations. Candidates were asked to talk through contracts they had negotiated, work they had declined and occasions when they had challenged a growth plan.
The person appointed introduced clearer bid reviews and brought delivery colleagues into discussions earlier. They also helped the business revisit several existing agreements. The company continued to pursue growth, with a better understanding of which work was worth winning and what it would take to deliver it profitably.
How We Recruit a Commercial Director
Every Commercial Director search starts with the brief. We work closely with your leadership team to define the role’s responsibilities and authority: sales, pricing, bids, contracts and key relationships, and how they fit with the rest of the board. That becomes the scorecard every candidate is measured against.
We then identify and approach commercial leaders directly, including those who are not looking, and assess them in depth. Because our assessment is led by people who have run sales teams and owned a number themselves, candidates are questioned as commercial peers, on the decisions they made and the results that followed.
Your shortlist is a small number of candidates who have been properly tested, each with a written assessment. We stay involved through the offer, the resignation and the notice period, a stage that needs careful handling at this level. Read more about how we work.
Pricing
How they have set and defended prices, and what happened to margin as a result
Contracts
The contracts they have negotiated, the terms they protected and the work they declined
Revenue growth
Where growth came from under their leadership, and how sustainable it proved
Alignment
How they have brought sales, operations, finance and delivery together
Board credibility
How they have shaped strategy, and challenged a plan when it needed challenging
Commercial Director and Sales Leadership Roles We Recruit
Our sales leadership and sales management recruitment covers every stage of a growing business, from a first Head of Sales to executive search for Chief Revenue Officers.
Building a sales function
The first dedicated sales leader, who leads from the front while the team is built.
Leading an established team
Leaders who own the revenue plan and run managers or a larger team.
- Sales Director
- Regional Sales Director
- National Sales Director
Executive and board level
Senior leaders responsible for revenue across the business.
- Chief Revenue Officer
- Commercial DirectorThis page
- UK Sales Director for international businesses
A Commercial Director’s decisions show up in the margin as well as the revenue line. Getting the appointment right protects both, and gives the leadership team a commercial partner it can trust.
Commercial Director Recruitment Across B2B Sectors
Our focus is commercial and sales leadership rather than one industry, and we recruit Commercial Directors across the UK’s main B2B sectors, including:
SaaS and technology
Financial services and fintech
Professional services
Industrial and engineering
Energy and sustainability
Healthcare and life sciences
Manufacturing and distribution
FMCG and consumer goods
At this level, experience of a similar commercial model matters most: how the business prices, contracts and delivers its work. Sector knowledge helps, but it is the commercial disciplines that make the difference.
Why Businesses Engage Kingman Lennox for Commercial Director Recruitment
A Commercial Director appointment shapes which work a business wins and how profitably it delivers it. Our role is to make sure it is made on evidence, with a clear view of what the role needs and who can genuinely deliver it. What defines the way we work:
- Specialist focus on sales roles, and nothing else
- Leadership assessed by people who have run sales teams
- Direct, discreet approaches to sales leaders who are not on the market
- Close partnership with your leadership team from brief to start date
- A 12-month replacement guarantee on every placement
- Over 95% of placements still in role after 12 months
Commercial Director Recruitment: Your Questions Answered
If your question is not answered here, the quickest route is a short, no-obligation discovery call.
How much does Commercial Director recruitment cost?
Many agencies charge a percentage of the successful candidate’s first-year salary, which at Commercial Director level is a significant sum and rises with the salary agreed. Every Kingman Lennox search is on a fixed fee agreed before it starts. A fixed fee removes any incentive to put forward candidates at the top of the salary range, and it lets us commit properly to the search. Every placement is also backed by a 12-month guarantee.
How long does it take to recruit a Commercial Director?
A well-run search typically delivers a strong shortlist within two weeks, and most searches reach an accepted offer within four to six weeks. Searches at this level usually sit at the longer end of that range. Senior candidates often have longer notice periods, so it pays to start the search earlier than you would for other roles.
What does a Commercial Director do?
It depends on the business, which is why the brief matters. A Commercial Director is usually responsible for how the business wins and prices its work: sales, pricing, bids, contracts and key customer relationships. In some businesses they also lead marketing or sit on the board. We help you define the role’s responsibilities and authority before the search starts.
What is the difference between a Commercial Director and a Sales Director?
A Sales Director is mainly responsible for the sales team and the revenue it delivers. A Commercial Director usually takes a broader view, covering pricing, contracts and profitability as well as sales, and often works closely with operations and finance. Some businesses combine the two roles; the right choice depends on where the business most needs leadership.
Do you recruit Commercial Directors across the UK?
Yes. We run Commercial Director searches across the UK, covering London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow and Aberdeen. We also help international businesses make their first UK sales hire.
What happens if the Commercial Director you place does not work out?
Every placement is backed by a 12-month guarantee, which is considerably longer than the three months most agencies offer. If the person leaves or is let go within twelve months, we rerun the search at no additional fee. In practice this is rarely needed: over 95% of the candidates we place are still in role after twelve months.
Speak to a Commercial Director Headhunter
If you are planning a Commercial Director appointment, we would be glad to talk it through. An initial conversation is confidential and without obligation: you describe the role and what has to go right, and we tell you honestly whether and how we can help.