Job Description
At Smart, our mission is to transform retirement, savings and financial wellbeing, across all generations, around the world.
THE ROLE
The Head of Commercial and Revenue Operations is a strategic leader responsible for driving operational excellence across all aspects of the commercial and revenue cycle. This role ensures the alignment of sales, marketing, and operations teams to optimise pipeline management, sales performance, pricing strategies, sales commissions, and overall revenue growth. You will oversee the development and execution of revenue-related processes, provide insightful data-driven reporting, and implement systems to drive operational efficiency and profitability.
The ideal candidate will have experience in managing sales operations, pipelines and forecast, CRM systems, and a track record of enhancing commercial performance through operational improvements and / or come from a financial analysis background and be able to demonstrate potential to develop a commercial strand to their experience
Key Responsibilities:
Pipeline Management & Sales Forecasting:
* Own and continuously optimise the end-to-end sales pipeline management process, ensuring accurate tracking and forecasting of revenue.
* Implement tools and strategies to monitor pipeline health, identify bottlenecks, and improve deal flow efficiency.
* Lead the development and ongoing refinement of sales forecasts to ensure realistic, data-backed revenue projections.
* Work closely with sales leadership and finance leadership to analyse sales data, track key performance indicators (KPIs), and provide actionable insights to ensure targets are met.
Sales Commission and Bonus Structures & Incentives:
* Work with other Commercial SLT members to design and manage sales compensation plans that drive performance, align with business goals, and incentivise top performance.
* Ensure accurate and timely calculation of sales commissions, ensuring transparency and consistency across the sales team.
* Collaborate with HR and finance teams to develop commission structures that are competitive, fair, and motivating for the sales force.
* Monitor commission plans for effectiveness and adjust as necessary to reflect business priorities and market conditions.
Pricing Strategy & Governance:
* Be a key member of the Commercial team developing the pricing strategy for the business, working closely with product, marketing, and finance teams to ensure pricing is competitive and aligned with business goals.
* Develop and implement pricing models that optimise revenue and margin, ensuring consistency across the organisation.
* Establish and maintain pricing governance processes, ensuring compliance with company policies and regulations.
* Monitor pricing trends in the market and adjust pricing strategies accordingly to respond to competitive pressures.
Sales Management Information (MI) & Analytics:
* Lead the creation and distribution of insightful, actionable sales MI that supports decision-making across sales and executive leadership.
* Along with Finance, jointly build and manage dashboards and reporting frameworks that provide visibility into pipeline performance, sales productivity, and revenue forecasting.
* Establish and track key metrics to measure sales effectiveness and provide actionable insights to improve performance.
* Collaborate with the Data Analytics team to ensure the integrity and accuracy of data being used for reporting and decision-making.
CRM Control & Optimisation:
* Oversee the implementation and management of the CRM system (Salesforce) to ensure it meets the needs of the commercial teams and enables efficient pipeline management and reporting.
* Ensure data integrity in the CRM, and drive user adoption across sales teams by implementing best practices and training initiatives.
* Work closely with IT and the sales operations teams to ensure the CRM system is configured to align with business processes and workflows.
* Monitor CRM usage and work with teams to continuously improve data quality and system functionality.
Process Optimisation & Continuous Improvement:
* Continuously assess, refine, and improve commercial operations processes to increase efficiency, reduce friction, and support scalable growth.
* Identify opportunities to automate manual processes, improve data flow, and streamline the sales cycle to enable sales teams to focus on revenue-generating activities.
* Champion a culture of operational excellence, driving cross-functional collaboration to ensure the seamless integration of systems, processes, and teams.
Cross-Functional Collaboration:
* Act as a liaison between sales, finance, marketing, product, and customer success teams to ensure alignment on strategic objectives and operational execution.
* Provide insights and recommendations to senior leadership to help inform strategic decision-making and business growth initiatives.
* Partner with the finance team to monitor revenue performance and ensure alignment with business targets, ensuring accurate reporting and performance tracking.
WHO WE ARE LOOKING FOR
The skills, experience, and aptitudes we are looking for are listed below but please don’t be discouraged from applying if you don’t meet every single one of these criteria – having a ‘can do’ attitude is sometimes more important than being able to tick every box:
Essential:
* Experience: 8+ years in commercial, finance sales, or revenue operations.. Experience working closely with senior executives to drive operational strategy.
* Expertise: Strong understanding of pipeline management, sales commissions, pricing strategy, and CRM systems.
* Data-Driven: Advanced knowledge of sales analytics, performance metrics, and reporting tools.
* Leadership: Proven track record in managing cross-functional teams and driving operational efficiency across commercial functions.
* Communication: Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to influence and align diverse stakeholders.
* Problem-Solving: Strong strategic and analytical thinking with the ability to address complex challenges and drive continuous improvements.
* Technology Proficiency: Experience with sales enablement tools, CRM systems, and data visualisation tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, Excel).
Desirable:
* Industry Experience: Prior experience in Pensions is highly preferred.
* Certifications: Relevant certifications in sales operations or revenue management (e.g., Certified Sales Operations Professional, Salesforce certifications) are a plus.
* Educational Background: A degree in business, finance, or a related field is preferred.
Key Attributes:
* Strategic Thinker: Ability to translate high-level business goals into actionable operational strategies.
* Detail-Oriented: Strong attention to detail with a commitment to data accuracy and process consistency.
* Collaborative Leader: Skilled in working with multiple teams to achieve common business objectives and drive revenue growth.
* Adaptable: Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and adjust strategies as business needs evolve.
* Customer-Centric: A focus on delivering solutions that improve the sales team's ability to serve customers effectively.
WHO WE ARE
We work in partnerships with governments and financial institutions in the UK and internationally. Our cloud-native digital platform is revolutionising how people around the world think about, and save for, their retirement.
At heart, we’re a financial technology business. What we do is all about innovation, and using the power of digital change to put the customer first. Our Engineers will tell you that working at Smart gives you the opportunity to play your part in developing world-class technological solutions, working with – and learning from – like-minded people.
You’ll also find that, across our business, our colleagues love Smart’s culture, and how what we do means better financial outcomes for savers. That feels worthwhile, and it means that what we do, collectively, goes way beyond the nine to five of a typical working day.
Don’t just take our word for it – you can see what our colleagues say about working at Smart on LinkedIn Life and Glassdoor.
BENEFITS
At Smart, one of the eight principles we work to is “We want happy and good people in our team”. We created a list of benefits that helps us achieve this goal:
* 25 days’ holiday per year, increasing with length of service.
* £500 annual training budget to spend on your professional development
* Extensive private healthcare, including dental, eyecare and EAP
* Enhanced sick leave (three months’ pay per year)
* Enhanced maternity and paternity (maternity – 6 months fully paid/paternity – 3 weeks fully paid)
* Death in service insurance cover
* Fully-paid five-week sabbatical after five years of employment
* In office wellbeing, such as manicures, massages and barbers. We also serve free lunch, breakfasts and social drinks weekly.
* Smart employees also enjoy a 50% discount on orders from our sister company Arena Flowers, Britain's most ethical florist. They offer unique hand-tied bouquets, luxury flowers, letterbox flowers, plants and gifts to spend on friends and loved ones or even for yourself.
Visit our careers page at www.smart.co/careers to find our Recruitment Data Policy.
We think Smart is an awesome place to work. If it sounds like somewhere you’d like to work, too, and if you’re ready to play your part in our continued success in the future, then naturally we’d love to meet you.