Group Head of Commercial

Location: Dublin (Hybrid)

Reporting to: Chief Operating and Financial Officer

Our client is a leading Irish biomedical research & testing organisation specialising in indoor air quality. The group comprises of an 17025-accredited laboratory in Dublin, a Certification and Licensing Programme organisation, an accredited professional education and advisory organization and a thought leadership, research and public policy organistion.

The Group is focused on health and wellbeing in the indoor environment through the advancement of product innovation, scientific research, education and evidenced based data. Their customer base includes some of the world’s leading manufacturing and consumer product groups, including 3M, LG, Knauf and Tarket, and they are investing across the Group to create an integrated end-to- end platform model to act as the Trusted Advisor at the heart of the global Indoor Air Ecosystem.

The founders of the Group are both world-renowned experts in their field and advise a number of national representative bodies in the US and Europe.

The Group is about to embark on a period of sustained expansion and growth and intends to appoint a Commercial Manager to drive the Group’s commercial strategy and growth. The Group Head of Commercial will have overall accountability for the Group's commercial performance, including new business, renewals, account expansion, pipeline development and marketing effectiveness.

This is a hands-on leadership role. The successful candidate will be expected to personally engage in strategic sales opportunities, key account relationships, pricing negotiations and major partnerships as well as leading the wider commercial team.

The Opportunity
Reporting to the Group’s Chief Operating and Financial Officer, the Group Head of Commercial will have the opportunity to build a centralized commercial engine comprising Sales, Marketing and Customer Success to drive revenue growth and customer retention/upsell across the Group.
Role/Responsibilities:
Commercial Strategy & Leadership

• Develop and execute the Group’s commercial strategy across their 4 Groups.
• Build and lead an integrated commercial function spanning Sales, Marketing and Customer Success, with clear objectives, accountability and operating rhythms across each area.
• Translate the Group’s strategic plan into annual revenue, customer acquisition, retention and expansion targets.
• Own the commercial planning and forecasting process, working closely with the COFO and CEO.
• Establish the KPIs, dashboards and management cadence required to measure commercial performance and identify corrective actions early.
• Build a strong performance culture across the commercial team, with clear individual ownership of results.

• Take overall responsibility for delivery of Group revenue targets across new business, renewals, upsell and cross-sell.
• Develop account strategies for major customers and prospects, particularly multinational manufacturers and strategic partners.
• Identify opportunities to sell multiple Group services into existing relationships—for example laboratory testing, certification/licensing, education and advisory services.
• Establish appropriate commercial disciplines around pricing, discounting, proposals, ROI cases and deal approval.

• Own the Group's customer retention and account-development strategy.
• Introduce structured account management for key customers, including account plans, renewal calendars and regular business reviews.
• Drive renewal rates and increase revenue from existing customers through upsell, cross-sell and expansion.

• Build a measurable demand-generation programme capable of creating qualified opportunities for the sales team.
• Establish clear metrics for marketing effectiveness, including lead generation, conversion, customer acquisition and return on marketing investment.
• Develop clear market positioning and propositions for the different businesses within the Group.
• Work with scientific and technical colleagues to translate complex science into compelling commercial propositions.

• Identify opportunities to use partnerships to create market access, credibility, referrals and scalable commercial channels.
• Develop joint commercial initiatives with key partners where appropriate.

• Own CRM discipline, pipeline quality, sales reporting and commercial data integrity.
• Produce reliable revenue forecasts and provide management with clear visibility over pipeline, renewals, customer concentration and commercial risks.
• Develop commercial KPIs covering pipeline generation, conversion, sales cycle, retention, expansion, pricing and marketing effectiveness.
• Work closely with Finance to ensure commercial decisions are grounded in revenue quality, margin and return on investment.
• Continually improve the Group's commercial processes, systems and capabilities as the business scales.

• One integrated Group commercial function operating across Sales, Marketing and Customer Success.
• Clear commercial KPIs, CRM discipline, pipeline management and reliable revenue forecasting embedded.
• Measurable improvement in qualified pipeline and new customer acquisition.
• Increased renewal & retention rates and Customer Satisfaction
• Material growth in revenue from existing customers through upsell and cross-sell.
• Strategic account plans in place for the Group's largest customers.
• Marketing activity demonstrably linked to pipeline and revenue.
• A scalable commercial structure and team capable of supporting the Group's next phase of growth.

• Significant commercial leadership experience in a B2B services, certification, technical, scientific or partner-led business, with a demonstrable track record of revenue growth.
• Previous direct line management of a commercial team (5-10 people including outsourced functions)
• Proven track record of growing existing-account revenue — renewals, expansion, and new business from existing relationships — not just net-new acquisition
• Experience working with industry bodies, foundations, or strategic partners at senior level; comfortable representing the business to chairman or CEO-level counterparts
• Demand generation oversight experience — held PR agencies, content functions, and demand-gen executives accountable to commercial outcomes
• Operated a structured commercial discipline (CRM integrity, deal desk, ROI memos, renewal pricing defense)
• Familiarity with regulated or scientifically grounded industries is a positive — healthcare, life sciences, environmental health, consumer product testing, certification or accreditation

• Strong written communication — comfortable producing ROI memos, commercial briefs, structured proposals, and demanding the same standard from your team
• Comfortable with operational rhythm — weekly cadences, monthly check-ins, quarterly reviews, annual planning cycles
• Numerate — able to read a P&L, build a commercial forecast, defend pricing in front of a CFO, walk a client through a value-versus-cost case
• Honest and direct — willing to give and receive difficult feedback; comfortable with candour
• Personally accountable for outcomes, including the work of the team you manage
• Builder mindset — at home in a scaling environment where structure has to be created, not inherited
• What they Offer:
• Competitive salary
• Performance bonus
• Pension contribution
• Hybrid working model