Apprenticeship Sales Manager - Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK

Apprenticeship Sales Manager

Bedford, Bedfordshire, UK

Salary: £35,000 - £40,000 + performance-related commission/bonus

Reporting to: Managing Director

Full time / Permanent

The Role

The Sales Manager will be responsible for driving new business growth while nurturing and expanding existing client relationships. This is a hands-on, consultative sales role, ideal for someone who enjoys building long-term partnerships rather than transactional selling.

You will play a key role in shaping our sales strategy, developing pipelines across education and public-sector markets, and representing us to senior stakeholders including colleges, universities, employers, local authorities, and government-funded bodies.

Key Responsibilities

●        Develop and deliver a sales strategy aligned to our growth objectives

●        Identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities across education, training, and public-sector markets

●        Build and manage a strong pipeline of leads, partnerships, and contracts

●        Lead sales conversations with senior decision-makers (e.g. Heads of Department, Directors, Procurement leads)

●        Manage and grow existing client relationships to maximise retention and repeat business

●        Support bids, tenders, and funding-related opportunities where required

●        Accurately forecast sales activity and performance using CRM systems

●        Collaborate closely with delivery, curriculum, and leadership teams to ensure proposals are viable and high quality

●        Represent us at events, meetings, and networking opportunities

Person Specification

Essential

●        Proven experience in B2B sales, business development, or sales management

●        Experience selling services or solutions (rather than purely product-based sales)

●        Strong track record of building relationships and closing deals

●        Excellent communication and negotiation skills

●        Comfortable working autonomously in a growing organisation

●        Strong organisational skills and pipeline management capability

Desirable

●        Experience within education, training, EdTech, apprenticeships, or professional learning

●        Knowledge of public-sector or government-funded contracts

●        Experience working with CRM systems (e.g. HubSpot, Salesforce, Keap)

●        Background in construction, the built environment, or STEM-related sectors

●        Experience contributing to bids or tender processes

What We Offer

●        Opportunity to play a key role in a growing, mission-led organisation

●        High level of autonomy and influence over sales strategy

●        Competitive salary with performance-related commission/bonus

●        Flexible working arrangements

●        Opportunity to work at the intersection of education, technology, and industry

●        Potential for progression as the organisation grows

We are dedicated to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and expect all staff to share this commitment. You will have a safeguarding responsibility if appointed.

The successful candidate will be subject to enhanced clearance through the Disclosure and Barring Service and employment will be subject to references.

This post is not exempt from the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974.To apply for this opportunity your detailed CV to Clarus Education now to be considered. We will be contacting those shortlisted within 48 hours of an application.

Please see our website page headed ‘About’ and scroll to the bottom to see our ‘Privacy Notice’ for an explanation about how we use information we collect about you.

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