General Manager - Sales - SMARTLY - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

We are seeking a visionary and results-driven General Manager of Sales to lead our growth ambitions in the SME SaaS sector. This is a pivotal executive role responsible for shaping and executing an integrated sales and marketing strategy that drives sustained revenue growth, deepens customer engagement, and strengthens our brand position in a highly competitive, fast-evolving market.

As the strategic force behind both our field sales and inside sales teams, you’ll be accountable for building, leading, and scaling high-performing teams that convert opportunities into long-term customer relationships. Your leadership will ensure our go-to-market engine is agile, data-driven, and aligned with our product and customer success strategies.

Working closely with cross-functional teams—including Product, Data & AI, and Customer Experience—you’ll champion a customer-centric approach that delivers consistent value at every touchpoint.

This role is ideal for a strategic leader who thrives in high-growth environments and is passionate about scaling businesses. If you're ready to make a transformative impact and lead from the front in both strategy and execution, we’d love to hear from you.

What You’Ll Need To Bring:

• Strategic Thinking: Ability to develop long-term strategies that align with business goals and market trends.
• Leadership Experience: Proven track record in leading and mentoring sales teams to achieve high performance. Experience in managing both Inside Sales and Field Sales Teams preferred
• Market Insight: In-depth knowledge of the SME SaaS landscape, market dynamics, and customer behaviour.
• Data-Driven Decision Making: Proficiency in utilizing data and analytics to inform sales and marketing strategies and measure product performance.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Strong interpersonal skills to effectively work with diverse teams, including product development, operations, and customer service
• Sales Acumen: Understanding of sales processes, CRM tools, and methods to drive revenue generation and account management
• Customer-Centric Mindset: Ability to gather and analyze customer insights to inform product development, sales and marketing initiatives.
• Innovation Orientation: Openness to experimentation and willingness to embrace new methodologies and technologies.

What does the job involve?

Sales Strategy & Leadership

• Lead the Inside and Field sales teams through regular coaching, performance reviews, and feedback sessions that foster skill development.
• Implement customer relationship management (CRM) practices to track sales activities, customer interactions, and deal progress.
• Evaluate and refine sales processes to enhance efficiency and effectiveness, promoting best practices across the team.

Key Account & Partner Sales Development

• Build and maintain strategic partnerships that enhance the company’s market position and sales capabilities
• Ensure regular business reviews are conducted with key accounts to assess satisfaction and identify growth opportunities
• Establish metrics and KPIs for account and partner performance, monitoring progress and adjusting as needed

Collaboration & Reporting

• Create a structured reporting framework for tracking performance against sales, marketing, and customer satisfaction objectives
• Facilitate regular strategy sessions with the wider leadership team to discuss insights from competitive analysis and market research
• Ensure effective communication of company-wide goals and initiatives to all relevant stakeholders, fostering a collaborative environment

People Leadership & Culture Building

• Cultivate a high-performance culture by establishing clear expectations, accountability, and recognition programs.
• Implement ongoing training and professional development programs focusing on leadership, skills enhancement, and industry knowledge
• Actively promote diversity and inclusivity within the team, ensuring varied perspectives and ideas are valued

A bit about Smartly

We exist to make it simpler for Kiwi businesses to look after their people. We're known as the simple way to sort your payroll for over 24,000 businesses. Our slick software combined with our awesome support team help businesses pay their people on time, accurately and in line with legislation.

We wholeheartedly believe that if you put your people first, everyone wins. Great employees and great employee relationships are still one of the most valuable things a business can have. Look after them, and success, however you measure it, gets easier. Your people win, your customers win, you win.