Through education, people can transform their lives and reach career goals. learndirect has been empowering individuals to reach the height of their potential for many years, with a forward-thinking digital approach.
As the UK’s leading online learning provider, we have helped millions of learners gain qualifications that have led to exciting careers. Our work is to empower, inspire, and transform lives through flexible education made accessible to all.
From Access to Higher Education Diplomas and GCSEs to animal courses and accredited dental nursing qualifications, we offer education to individuals from all backgrounds and at any stage of their life and career.
Through partnerships with industry-leading providers in multiple sectors, learndirect has helped more than 4.5 million learners get the qualifications they need. With rapid expansion well underway, you could become a part of the online solution to educational needs.
Job Purpose:
To lead the commercial strategy and day-to-day execution of the ClickHSE business, with a core focus on driving new business growth, improving customer retention, and expanding market share across SME, mid-market, and corporate segments. This is a hands-on, 360° leadership role with full accountability for sales, marketing, and operational delivery.
The Sales Director will own overall commercial performance, manage and develop a high-performing team, and work cross-functionally to ensure alignment with marketing, course development, and strategic priorities. While responsible for core operational areas such as performance reporting, staff reviews, cash collection, and campaign execution, the Director will be supported by a Head of Operations, internal B2B marketing resource, and shared service functions to help deliver against targets and drive sustained growth.
Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities:
Commercial Leadership:
- Deliver on the sales targets across SME, mid-market, and corporate segments.
- Implement pricing strategies that maximise revenue whilst remaining competitive.
- Monitor and report on KPIs, conversion rates, pipeline velocity, and customer LTV.
- Launch an effective corporate sales strategy to promote the learndirect Professional suite of courses (CMI, CIPD, AAT and CIM).
Sales Strategy and Execution:
- Lead a multi-channel sales approach including outbound SDR function, inbound leads, and account expansion.
- Design and manage weekly sales cadences and pipeline reviews.
- People Management:
- Lead, coach, and develop the internal sales, marketing and operations team.
- Ensure onboarding and performance management structures are in place.
- Recruit as necessary to support growth targets.
Account Growth & Retention:
- Implement a mid-market and corporate account management model including training needs analysis and ATOM platform activation.
- Collaborate with the customer success team to support upselling and customer marketing initiatives.
Partnerships & Channel Sales:
- Explore and deliver new partnerships with platforms like Employment Hero and HiBob to embed learndirect products within corporate HR platforms.
- Develop and deliver a corporate portal model for large employers to access discounted professional training (CIM, AAT, CIPD etc).
Market & Product Development:
- Work with the product and content teams to ensure new course development aligns with commercial opportunity and competitor analysis.
- Feed market insights back into the business for continuous improvement.
The salary for this role is £80,000 per annum, with an excellent bonus structure.
What we are looking for in you -
Essential:
- Proven track record of driving B2B sales within training, compliance, or edtech.
- Strong knowledge of account-based selling and segmentation strategies.
- Experience managing SDR and sales teams.
- Commercial P&L accountability.
- Degree or equivalent commercial experience.
- Proven ability to analyse underperforming sales funnels and identify root causes, whether due to data quality, targeting, collateral, or team capability.
- Experience leading commercial turnaround plans or scaling new business units through process design, team structure, and effective targeting.
- Capable of adapting sales strategy in response to changing market conditions, competitor moves, or internal challenges such as resource bottlenecks or platform limitations.
- Skilled at using data to test hypotheses, iterate sales messaging, and optimise channels (e.g. PPC, outbound, account management)
- Strategic thinker with hands-on execution skills.
- Leadership and coaching capabilities.
- Excellent communication and influencing skills across all levels
- Strong alignment with ClickHSE’s values: Passionate, Agile, Courageous, Empowering
Desirable:
- Understanding of CPD, IOSH, NEBOSH, or ROSPA certification processes.
- Experience launching corporate training portals
- Demonstrable experience and success working with one of our competitors in this space
- Experience launching new revenue streams or routes to market (e.g. channel partnerships, corporate portals, LMS reseller models).
- Track record of commercial innovation – e.g. bundling, tiered pricing models, performance-based pricing.
- Experience feeding market insight back into course development, creating a feedback loop that drives both product and sales performance
Why work with Us?
- Competitive salary.
- Excellent bonus earning potential.
- Complete a funded course of your choice after your probation period.
- Excellent holiday allowance plus bank holidays – to include one extra day’s holiday for your birthday / appreciation day
- £50 Amazon thank you Voucher for your birthday
- Company pension scheme
- Refer a friend scheme
- Inclusive culture and positive working environment
- Staff social events
We are an equal opportunity employer, always looking for the right talent based on merit for every position. learndirect believes passionately in including all employees equally in the learndirect culture and mission. We actively encourage diversity of thought and champion our talented individuals.
Proposition: Empowering people to reach their potential
Our Mission: Removing barriers (time, tech, cost) to enable a ‘learning lifestyle’.
Our Vision: To create the modern approach to learning
Our Values: Working with PACE we strive to be:
Passionate “We show pride, enthusiasm, and dedication in everything that we do, for our learners, our customers, ourselves, and each other”.
Agile “We positively embrace and respond quickly to change through a flexible, proactive workforce that seizes opportunities”.
Courageous “We challenge the norm, creating continuous business improvement and opportunities through entrepreneurial thinking balanced with a sound commercial approach”.
Empowering “We trust and inspire people to do their best and believe in themselves. We are open to a diversity of ideas, approaches, and points of view”.
