Global Head of Sales, Economist… at The Economist… · London

Who we are

Since 1843, The Economist Group has championed independence, excellence and openness, helping people understand and tackle the critical challenges shaping the world. Today, we are building on that legacy as a global media and information-services company powered by digital innovation, analytical rigour and evidence-based insight.

Across our three businesses -The Economist, Economist Enterprise and Economist Education - we deliver trusted analysis and insights to individuals and organisations in more than 170 countries. United by a shared purpose to drive progress, we empower decision-makers to make sense of change and chart a course through an increasingly complex world.

As a colleague, you will be part of a culture that values ideas, encourages ownership and holds itself to high standards. We invest in people who are curious, thoughtful and adaptable, whether they are launching new products, reporting on global events or harnessing emerging technologies such as AI to improve how we work. Here, fresh thinking is taken seriously, ambition is matched by integrity, and great work is recognised. Working across disciplines, geographies and perspectives, we are united by a commitment to innovation, excellence and creating meaningful impact.

Global Head of Sales – Economist Intelligence Unit

About the EIU

Amid rising geopolitical tension, economic fragmentation and structural change, organisations are under increasing pressure to make high-stakes decisions with imperfect information. EIU exists to close that gap. As the research and analysis division of The Economist Group, EIU delivers data, analysis and foresight that help organisations understand global developments and what they mean for strategy, investment and risk. Governments, multinational organisations and financial institutions rely on EIU to navigate political and economic uncertainty, assess exposure and make better-informed decisions.

The role

We are looking for an ambitious and highly commercial Head of Sales to lead and accelerate growth for EIU.

This is a senior sales leadership role for someone with a strong track record in B2B SaaS, data, business intelligence or information services, who understands how to sell complex, subscription-based products to enterprise customers.

Reporting into the CRO, you will be responsible for driving new business, expansion and retention, while building a high-performing, disciplined and customer-focused sales organisation.

The successful candidate will combine strategic thinking with hands-on commercial leadership. You will be comfortable operating in complex enterprise sales environments, engaging senior decision-makers and translating sophisticated data and intelligence products into clear business outcomes for clients.

You will also play an important role in shaping our go-to-market approach, bringing customer and market insight back into the organisation to influence product, marketing and commercial strategy.

Key responsibilities

Commercial strategy and growth

• Develop and execute a clear sales strategy to deliver ambitious revenue growth across new business, expansion and renewals.
• Identify priority markets, customer segments and enterprise accounts with the greatest potential for growth.
• Build and execute go-to-market strategies for EIU's subscription, data and intelligence products.
• Work closely with Product and Marketing to strengthen positioning, packaging and routes to market.
• Use customer, competitor and market insight to identify new commercial opportunities and inform product strategy.
• Develop strategies to increase customer lifetime value, retention and penetration within key accounts.

Revenue delivery

• Own delivery against revenue targets across new business, upsell, cross-sell and retention.
• Build and maintain a high-quality enterprise pipeline with strong forecasting accuracy and visibility.
• Establish rigorous qualification and deal-management disciplines to improve conversion and sales velocity.
• Lead commercial negotiations with C-suite executives, procurement teams and other senior stakeholders.
• Champion consultative, outcome-based selling, ensuring the team clearly connects EIU's products and intelligence to the business decisions our clients need to make.

Sales leadership

• Lead, coach and develop a high-performing sales organisation, including directly managing and developing sales managers and senior sales leaders, with a strong culture of accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement.
• Provide effective second-line leadership, coaching managers to become stronger people leaders, raise the performance of their teams and consistently deliver against commercial objectives.
• Set clear expectations and accountability across the sales leadership team around pipeline creation, conversion, forecasting, sales productivity and revenue performance.
• Build leadership capability across the organisation, ensuring managers are equipped to coach their teams effectively across enterprise SaaS selling, discovery, qualification, negotiation and strategic account development.
• Attract, retain and develop exceptional commercial talent, with a strong focus on leadership development and succession planning.
• Create a high-trust, high-performance culture, empowering sales managers to lead effectively while maintaining clear and ambitious performance standards.
• Act as an active and visible commercial leader, comfortable coaching through managers, getting close to strategic deals when needed, and setting the overall direction and standards for the sales organisation.

Sales operations and performance

• Embed best-practice sales processes and strong CRM discipline.
• Use data and leading performance indicators to understand pipeline health, conversion, deal velocity and sales productivity.
• Establish consistent forecasting, pipeline reviews and account-planning processes.
• Use commercial analytics to identify opportunities to improve sales effectiveness and allocate resources towards the highest-value opportunities.
• Ensure a disciplined approach to pricing, discounting, commercial governance and contract negotiation.

Cross-functional leadership

• Partner closely with Product and Marketing leadership to deliver a joined up customer experience.
• Bring the voice of the customer into product and go-to-market planning.
• Help shape propositions that make EIU's data, intelligence and analytical capabilities compelling and commercially relevant to enterprise buyers.
• Collaborate across The Economist Group to identify opportunities to deepen strategic client relationships.

To succeed in the role you must have

• Significant senior sales leadership experience within B2B SaaS, data, business intelligence, research, information services or another subscription-based technology business.
• A strong track record of delivering sustained revenue growth across enterprise new business and existing accounts.
• Experience selling data-driven, analytics, intelligence, API-enabled or workflow-based products.
• Deep understanding of recurring-revenue and subscription sales models, including acquisition, expansion, renewals and retention.
• Proven experience building, leading and developing sizeable high-performing enterprise sales teams. Experience managing sales managers is essential in this role.
• Strong knowledge of enterprise sales methodologies and consultative, outcome-based selling.
• Experience building predictable pipelines and improving forecasting, conversion and sales productivity.
• Strong commercial judgement with experience of pricing, negotiation and complex enterprise contracts.
• A highly data-driven approach to sales management, with the ability to identify and act on leading indicators of commercial performance.
• Experience working effectively across Product and Marketing to influence go-to-market strategy and product direction.

Skills, capabilities and mindset

• A commercially ambitious and energetic sales leader who is motivated by growth.
• Strong understanding of how enterprise customers buy SaaS, data and intelligence products.
• Executive presence and the ability to build credibility with senior decision-makers.
• Analytical and data-led, with strong commercial judgement.
• An excellent coach who enjoys developing managers and individuals and raising the performance of teams.
• Comfortable operating in an intellectually rigorous, complex and fast-changing environment.
• Collaborative and able to influence effectively across a matrixed global organisation.
• Resilient, pragmatic and comfortable leading through change.

Working arrangements

This role will be based in our London office, with a minimum of three days per week in the office, alongside time spent meeting clients.

#LI-Hybrid

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Working Arrangements

The majority of our roles operate on a hybrid working pattern, with 3+ days office attendance required.

AI usage for your application

We are an innovative organisation that encourages the use of technology. We recognise that candidates may utilise AI tools to support with their job application process. However, it is essential that all information you provide truthfully and accurately reflects your own experience, skills, and qualifications.

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What we offer

Our benefits package is designed to support your wellbeing, growth, and work-life balance. It includes a highly competitive pension or 401(k) plan, private health insurance, and 24/7 access to counselling and wellbeing resources through our Employee Assistance Program.

We also offer a range of lifestyle benefits, including our Work From Anywhere program, which allows you to work from any location where you have the legal right to do so for up to 25 days per year. In addition, we provide generous annual and parental leave, as well as dedicated days off for volunteering and even for moving home.

You will also be given free access to all The Economist content, including an online subscription, our range of apps, podcasts and more.