Director of Sales - Staffing & Recruiting

Accountabilities:: The Director of Sales will lead business development initiatives, manage strategic client relationships, and build a high-performing sales operation focused on sustainable revenue growth and profitability. The role requires a combination of individual sales achievement, strategic planning, team leadership, and close collaboration with recruiting operations. Develop and execute sales strategies targeting employers with staffing, direct-hire recruiting, temporary and contract staffing, and retained search needs. Personally generate new business through outbound prospecting, referrals, networking, industry events, and strategic partnerships. Build and maintain relationships with business owners, executives, HR leaders, and hiring managers to identify workforce needs and secure new client accounts. Lead discovery meetings, assess hiring challenges and budgets, present service offerings, prepare proposals, and negotiate agreements within established guidelines. Secure qualified job orders and recruiting engagements with clearly defined requirements, realistic expectations, and committed client stakeholders. Maintain a healthy sales pipeline and consistently achieve agreed revenue, gross-profit, and profitability targets. Develop account plans to increase repeat business, expand existing relationships, and introduce additional staffing and recruiting services. Conduct regular client reviews, maintain proactive communication, and collaborate with recruiting leadership to resolve service concerns and strengthen retention. Gather market intelligence and use client feedback to refine sales positioning, identify growth opportunities, and improve service offerings. Establish sales targets, prospecting expectations, pipeline standards, reporting practices, and performance accountability across the sales function. Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop sales professionals as the organization expands. Lead pipeline reviews, account planning sessions, and deal strategy discussions to improve sales execution and conversion rates. Maintain accurate CRM records, revenue forecasts, opportunity updates, and follow-up activities. Monitor key performance indicators, including conversion rates, sales-cycle length, collected revenue, gross profit, account performance, and forecast accuracy. Collaborate with marketing on employer outreach campaigns, sales materials, and lead-generation initiatives. Partner with recruiters to evaluate job requirements, compensation expectations, urgency, and delivery feasibility before committing to client engagements. Ensure effective handoffs between sales and recruiting teams, including clear hiring expectations, interview processes, feedback timelines, and commercial terms. Prioritize opportunities based on placement potential, client commitment, recruiting capacity, and profitability. Support client communications, offer discussions, and issue resolution throughout the recruitment and hiring process. During the first 90 days, develop a target-account strategy, build a qualified pipeline, establish a consistent sales cadence, and begin converting opportunities into client engagements. Requirements: The successful candidate will bring substantial experience selling staffing and recruiting services, a proven ability to acquire new clients, and the leadership skills needed to build a scalable sales operation. Industry-specific sales experience is mandatory, as the role requires a strong understanding of recruiting delivery, staffing commercial models, and client profitability. At least 5 years of sales or business development experience within the staffing or recruiting industry. At least 2 years of sales leadership experience within a staffing or recruiting organization. Demonstrated success personally acquiring new staffing or recruiting clients and achieving revenue or gross-profit targets. Experience selling direct-hire recruiting, temporary or contract staffing, retained search, or a combination of these services. Strong understanding of recruiting delivery processes, staffing sales cycles, service agreements, fee structures, and account profitability. Proven ability to prospect effectively, develop relationships, negotiate commercial agreements, close deals, and expand client accounts. Experience coaching sales professionals, setting performance expectations, and maintaining accountability for results. Strong CRM management, pipeline forecasting, organizational skills, and follow-through. Ability to collaborate effectively with recruiting teams and establish realistic expectations with clients. Excellent communication, negotiation, relationship-building, and presentation skills. Strategic thinking and a results-oriented approach to revenue generation, business development, and account growth. A bachelor's degree is preferred; equivalent relevant industry experience will also be considered. Preferred Qualifications: Established client relationships in manufacturing, engineering, construction, skilled trades, or related industries. Experience building a sales team or expanding a staffing firm into new markets. Experience developing local client accounts and larger, multi-location relationships. Familiarity with applicant tracking systems (ATS), CRM platforms, LinkedIn, prospecting tools, and sales automation software. Experience selling multiple staffing and recruiting service offerings. Performance Expectations: Success in this position will be evaluated against agreed business development, revenue, profitability, and leadership objectives, including: New client acquisitions and signed service agreements. Collected revenue and gross profit. Qualified job orders and recruiting engagements. Pipeline development, conversion rates, and forecast accuracy. Client retention, repeat business, and account expansion. Sales team productivity, coaching effectiveness, and professional development. Benefits: Base salary: $100,000–$125,000 annually, depending on experience and demonstrated results. Uncapped commission: Based on collected placement fees or staffing gross profit, according to the applicable compensation plan. Target annual cash compensation: $200,000–$250,000 at established performance goals, with actual earnings dependent on results. Equity ownership opportunity: Potential to earn equity over time, subject to continued employment and the terms of a separate written agreement, including the applicable award and vesting conditions. Leadership bonuses: Additional performance-based earning opportunities. Comprehensive benefits: Health insurance, dental coverage, and paid time off. Hybrid work arrangement: Flexibility to combine remote work with onsite collaboration in Rocky Hill, Connecticut. Training and development: Ongoing training and leadership development opportunities. Entrepreneurial environment: The opportunity to shape sales strategy, build a team, and contribute directly to business growth. Performance-driven culture: Join a collaborative, growth-oriented team that values initiative, professional development, and results. Inclusive workplace: An equal opportunity environment committed to diversity and inclusion.