Technical Sales Manager Recruitment

What the role involves

• Managing and coaching a team of sales engineers or technical sales representatives, covering activity, pipeline, and conversion
• Setting individual and team revenue targets in line with business commercial plan, then holding people to them
• Developing regional or product-line sales strategy and go-to-market plans in partnership with marketing and product management
• Supporting the team on major account bids and technically complex opportunities, often attending critical customer meetings directly
• Reporting pipeline, forecast, and sales performance to senior commercial leadership with accuracy and transparency
• Recruiting, training, and developing the sales team, including onboarding new hires and identifying capability gaps

Who employers are looking for

The non-negotiable for a Technical Sales Manager is technical credibility. Employers need someone the sales team will respect and learn from. That means an engineering degree or HND, plus meaningful time in a field sales or applications engineering role where they sold complex technical products. A candidate who has only managed generic B2B sales teams will not land this role in an industrial business.

At the junior management level, employers will consider strong senior sales engineers taking their first management step. They want to see evidence of informal mentoring, deal coaching, and commercial thinking beyond the individual's own number. CRM and pipeline reporting competence is essential. Budget and P&L awareness matters at mid-career level and above.

Senior appointments require a track record of taking teams to target over multiple years, not just one good quarter. Employers look for clear thinking on sales strategy, the ability to address underperformance directly, and the commercial intelligence to influence product and pricing decisions. People development credentials matter: high-performing sales managers build teams, they do not replace them every year.

Salary benchmarks

Car allowance and substantial bonus are standard. Technical Sales Directors at large industrial groups earn £100,000+ base. Smaller, specialist businesses typically offer higher OTE percentages with lower base salaries.

Industries that hire Technical Sales Managers

• Industrial automation and controls: managing regional sales teams selling PLC, drive, and motion control solutions
• Capital equipment: managing UK or regional sales engineers for machinery and bespoke production system manufacturers
• Instrumentation and measurement: managing specialist product sales teams in process, lab, and industrial sectors
• Engineering services: managing business development and account management teams for service and consultancy businesses
• Construction products and materials: managing specification and contractor sales teams across building envelope and M&E products

Related roles

• Sales Engineer: the individual contributor role below; most Technical Sales Managers were strong sales engineers first
• Business Development Manager: a peer role focused on new business; often managed by or alongside a Technical Sales Manager
• Regional Sales Manager: the next step up, covering a larger geography or higher revenue responsibility
• Sales Director: the commercial leadership level above; the career destination for high-performing Technical Sales Managers

Where we place Technical Sales Manager professionals

We place technical sales manager professionals across the UK. Browse by location or register your CV for roles that match your experience.