Head of Commercial, AI Programmes

About the role

This is essentially a start-up within TechNative. Almost all of our income today comes from publicly funded skills provision. That is good work, and we intend to keep doing it, but it is a single channel. This role leads the second income line: Leading with AI, the programme businesses choose to buy on commercial terms.

We are not another AI training vendor. Employers already know us as an Ofsted-inspected training provider, and that trust gets us into rooms a new AI vendor would struggle to reach. The foundations are in place: a product built on market research, a growing group of Associates, an existing pipeline and a sales kit. What we need now is someone to own it, sell it, run it, and grow a team around it.

What we sell

We sell AI confidence and leadership, not tool training. Most businesses already use AI tools. Far fewer have decided who owns AI, what data can go where, or how their managers should lead people who use it.

The programme blends consultancy and training across four stages, over six to eight weeks:

• Discover: a 60 to 90 minute leadership diagnostic at their offices.
• Decide: two half days with the executive team, producing their AI strategy and plan with a named owner for each area.
• Deliver: two half days with heads of department and team leaders.
• Review: coming back to check every area has an owner, no unknown AI is in use, and data is where it should be.

Beyond that there is a growing menu: a six-monthly sense check, programmes for particular functions, technical build support, and help writing their AI policy.

What you will be doing

Sales

• Hit a year-one revenue target of £130,000 to £200,000.
• Work a target list of around 100 growing mid-sized firms.
• Own the marketing and sales plan for the programme.
• Write the proposals and close the work.
• Oversee each leadership diagnostic.

Running the operation

• Own each engagement from signature through to the closing review.
• Manage the Associate Facilitators who deliver alongside you.
• Handle purchase orders, invoicing and contracting.
• Look after data and consent across every engagement.
• Make sure what gets delivered matches what was sold.

Growing accounts

• Stay close to every client after the programme ends.
• Scope follow-on work from what you learn in the room.
• Capture case studies we can sell on.

Commercial management

• Run the pipeline in HubSpot.
• Forecast revenue and cash.
• Report internally on pipeline, conversion and contribution.
• Keep the sales kit current as the product develops.

Who you are

Five things matter most:

1. You sell consultatively to senior decision-makers. At least five years in a commercial role, selling to people who hold the budget.
2. You have current, hands-on AI expertise in business. Enough depth to be credible in front of a sceptical CEO, not a reading knowledge.
3. You have run discovery sessions or workshops with leadership teams. With the judgement to know what to say yes to, what to price separately and what to turn down.
4. You are an organised operator. You own the CRM and can run an engagement from first conversation to closing review without dropping anything.
5. You communicate clearly and directly. In writing and in person.

Desirable

• Experience selling training, consultancy, change management or professional services.
• Familiarity with the Sussex business community.
• Experience building processes where none existed.
• Having run marketing and sales together.
• A working understanding of AI governance, data protection and responsible use.
• HubSpot as a system of record.

Mindset and working style

The right person will recognise themselves in most of these:

• You can sell.
• You are comfortable with the customer, including picking up the phone and talking about price without apologising for it.
• You would rather hear no early than chase a maybe for months.
• You finish things.
• You can build where not everything is decided yet.
• You work well independently.
• You hold yourself to a high standard.
• You care why it matters. This builds something commercially valuable with a wider social impact.

Right to work

You must have the right to work in the UK. We are not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role. Right to work checks are carried out before any offer is confirmed, as required by the Immigration, Asylum and Nationality Act 2006.

Equal opportunities

TechNative Digital is committed to being an inclusive organisation and to building a team that reflects the communities we serve. We believe our work is stronger for a diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and lived experience, and we particularly welcome applications from people who are underrepresented in the digital, training and education sectors.

If you need any adjustments to apply or to take part in an interview, tell us when you apply. We will make reasonable adjustments, and it will not affect how your application is assessed.

How to apply

To apply, complete the form below. Send a CV and a one-page cover note saying why you are the right person for this role.

The process is a first conversation with Jack Pegram, then an interview with Dan Wallman and Sues Duncan that includes a short diagnostic exercise, with the scenario sent to you in advance.