We ensure you\'re rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:Contributory pension schemeGrow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmesQuick access for you and your immediate family to a Digital GP, and wider healthcare benefitsExclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many moreSave money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury\'s, Morrisons and many moreUp to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbusterReceive cash rewards every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brandsUn-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classesYou can share all discounts and offers with your friends and familiesSales Manager (Maternity Cover)This is a hands-on sales leadership role with responsibility for maximizing revenue from weddings and social occasions, while also driving new business from the local corporate market and retaining and growing existing Conference & Events (C&E) accounts.You will bring a strong understanding of key market segments and clients, with a clear focus on optimizing conversion, driving revenue, and achieving agreed financial targets. Working closely with the events planning team, you will lead the delivery of effective sales strategies, ensuring venue KPIs, sales objectives, and profitability targets are consistently met.This role operates on a 50:50 split between proactive and reactive sales activity, combining strategic business development with high-quality enquiry management.Who You AreHighly competent in C&E sales processes and revenue managementProven experience in wedding and social occasions sales, with strong enquiry management and conversion performanceAble to maximize revenue opportunities and develop strong partnerships with wedding planners and industry contacts to raise the venue's profileAn effective people manager, able to motivate, organize, and develop a small sales teamConfident communicator who builds positive working relationships across teams and with clientsOutgoing and personable, with a genuine enjoyment of social interactionExperienced in producing high-quality proposals with excellent attention to detailFully confident in delivering venue showrounds and customer appointmentsProactive, driven, and ambitious, with confidence in decision-makingSelf-motivated with a strong focus on achieving and exceeding sales targetsCompetent in database management and Microsoft 365Thorough, organized, and professional in approachExcellent customer service and communication skillsConfident in proactive telesales and rebooking callsA collaborative team player and key member of the venue's management teamWhat You Will Be DoingDelivering the overall C&E sales and marketing strategy for the venueOwning and driving the wedding sales strategyIdentifying opportunities for C&E sales growth and working collaboratively to implement new initiativesConducting proactive sales activity to secure new business and retain existing accounts, including targeted telesales, showrounds, and appointmentsMaintaining strong awareness of competitor activity and taking a proactive, creative approach to staying ahead of the marketRepresenting the venue at networking events, fam trips, wedding showcases, and fairsManaging reactive sales activity, including handling enquiries and producing compelling proposals within agreed response timesEffective diary management, including internal client bookingsFollowing up enquiries and proposals and arranging site inspections to drive conversionAchieving agreed sales targets through strong conversion performanceLeading daily, weekly, and monthly sales meetings, including weekly forecasts and monthly reviewsEnsuring all promotions are effectively implemented and demonstrate return on investmentParticipating in central sales campaigns and initiativesProducing accurate sales reports and forecasts with clear proactive plans for future monthsMonitoring team performance, conversion rates, and venue standards, including exceeding mystery shopper benchmarksManaging the day-to-day performance of the onsite Event Planner, including regular 1:1s, training, and development plansDemonstrating a consistent “can do” and solutions-focused approachKey ResponsibilitiesAchievement of the C&E sales budgetDelivery of the wedding sales strategyOwnership of the venue's sales and marketing planManagement of marketing and promotional activity, ensuring all websites and online listings are up to date and on brandManagement and delivery of local corporate account plans (in collaboration with the BDM)Oversight of both proactive and reactive sales activity, including internal bookingsProduction of accurate sales reports and forecasts and delivery of venue performance standardsManagement of the onsite C&E Event PlannerOngoing communication with the central sales team and Head of Business DevelopmentExperience RequiredPrevious experience within hospitality salesMinimum of 2 years' experience in a similar roleStrong working knowledge of key market segments, particularly weddingsAwareness of local, national, and global wedding industry trendsGood working knowledge of sales systems and Microsoft 365Proven experience managing and developing a team to achieve and exceed targetsExcellent written and verbal communication skillsStrong commercial awareness with an understanding of the relationship between sales and profitabilityAbout UsPart of Compass Group UK&I, Restaurant Associates provides brilliant hospitality through our food, drink and services. We work with our partners and collaborate with our clients to achieve great things together.Every day, our teams of passionate hospitality professionals strive for excellence in delivering employee dining and hospitality to some of the UK\'s leading workplace as well as inspiring exceptional experiences in iconic cultural and heritage destinations.Job Reference: com/0902/64305001/52789449/SU RA VenuesCompass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!