Find the sales leader your next stage actually needs.

Permanent recruitment for Heads of Sales, Sales Directors, Vice Presidents of Sales and Chief Revenue Officers at UK startups and scaleups.

Start with the work

The strongest seller is not automatically the person who can build the system.

A founder led sales motion can carry a business a long way. The next leader must understand what already works, turn it into a repeatable operating rhythm and know which parts still need the founder. We look for evidence at the same commercial stage, with a comparable sales cycle, customer and level of market maturity.

Typical mandates

Titles change. The work decides the level.

Head of Sales

Sales Director

Vice President of Sales

Chief Revenue Officer

Evidence we test

What needs to survive a proper conversation.

A repeatable motion

Evidence of turning early wins into a sales process that a team can use, measure and improve.

Forecast discipline

A clear view of pipeline quality, conversion, deal risk and the difference between activity and likely revenue.

Team building

Experience hiring, coaching and setting expectations for the people required at the next stage.

Commercial judgement

The ability to challenge positioning, pricing and target market assumptions without losing focus on execution.

When the role is ready

Signals that the brief is worth writing.

Founder selling is working but cannot remain the whole system.
Pipeline exists, yet conversion and forecasting are inconsistent.
A new segment, geography or sales channel needs clear ownership.
The sales team needs management, coaching and a more useful operating rhythm.

Our initial target

Three to five people worth meeting.

We target an initial shortlist of three to five screened and interested candidates within seven working days of an agreed brief and signed terms.

See the full shortlist standard

Useful answers

Before you brief the search.

Which sales leadership roles does Search Studio recruit?

We recruit permanent sales leadership roles from Head of Sales through to Chief Revenue Officer for UK startups and scaleups.

Can you search beyond our existing sector network?

Yes. We agree the evidence that matters, map relevant adjacent markets and use senior review to decide which backgrounds are credible.

How quickly will we see candidates?

We target three to five screened and interested candidates within seven working days of an agreed brief and signed terms.

Other functions

Search across the leadership team.

Permanent sales leadership search for UK startups and scaleups.

Bring us the role. Leave with a clearer brief.

Book a discovery call