Head of Sales Operations, North America

About Northern Trust:

Northern Trust, a Fortune 500 company, is a globally recognized, award-winning financial institution that has been in continuous operation since 1889.

Northern Trust is proud to provide innovative financial services and guidance to the world’s most successful individuals, families, and institutions by remaining true to our enduring principles of service, expertise, and integrity. With more than 130 years of financial experience and over 22,000 partners, we serve the world’s most sophisticated clients using leading technology and exceptional service.

Summary

The Head of Sales Operations, North America is responsible for overseeing the strategic planning, implementation, and optimization of the sales operations across the region. This role focuses on enhancing sales performance, streamlining processes, and ensuring alignment with overall business objectives. The ideal candidate will possess strong leadership skills, a deep understanding of sales processes, project management acumen, and a proven track record of driving sales growth. In addition, the Head of Sales Operations is responsible for managing, leading, and coaching the Sales Associates function within NA Sales. This includes providing leadership and guidance with overall accountability for the performance management and career development programs of the team managed. As a player/manager role, the individual will also be required to act as the primary lead for the deal management on complex deals on occasion, working with other members of the Sales Team. This role reports into the Global Head of Sales Operations for Asset Servicing to align with global objectives and best practices

Major Duties

Training & Team Management

• Provides leadership and guidance to sales associates, fostering an environment which encourages
  employee participation, teamwork, and communication
• Conducts the performance management process for sales associates
• Identifies training and development needs and establishes performance standards for the unit
• Identifying the talent within the group and aligning operations in the group to maximize performance based on individual talents
• Maintains communication with the Heads of Sales and Sales Mangers to anticipate needs effectively and provide support required
• Allocates work load across the sales associates
• Encouraging the use of the Sales Academy tools for all new business opportunities – to avoid overinvesting in the wrong opportunities, underinvesting in the right opportunities, or missing opportunities altogether. Including:
• Meeting planners (for each meeting)
• Opportunity Worksheets (per opportunity)
• Decision Grid (per opportunity)
• Be an ambassador of the A-Approach, working with Sales Managers, Deal Managers and other Sales Associates to genuinely differentiate Northern Trust during the sales process.
• Encourage and support taking new opportunities through the deal review process.
• Responsible for the training and coaching of new starters to be proficient in the sales process and following the above criteria.

Sales Operations Optimization

• Capacity planning; working with Global Head of Sales Operations and Heads of Sales in NA for prioritizing workloads and key deals ensuring that the allocation of sales resource is suitably split. This is to be continually reviewed to load balance resource and manage any capacity constraints
• Acting as the main point of contact for internal and external contacts on larger deals involving Sales Operations.
• Working with the sales group and the client servicing team to define the services that will be provided to new and existing clients.
• Supporting deal review management and governance to feed into the broader business planning. Working with Global Head of Sales Operations and Heads of Sales to lead the deal review meetings (set up, reporting and attendance)
• Working with the Head of Sales to manage the pipeline at key end of quarter and end of year reporting dates.
• Mitigating risk by effective capacity management, governance, planning and reporting
• Supporting decisions to determine Sales Operations optimal operating model and staffing needs including hiring decisions
• Managing the ARC process for direct reports in conjunction with Global Head of Sales Operations.
• Manage ad-hoc projects (Compliance/Audit/Regulatory requirements)
• Ownership of the sales best practice handbook – keeping up to date and annual attestation.

Project Management – Key Deal Responsibilities

The Head of Sales Operations will oversee larger deals that require deal managing and work with the Senior Sales Associate/Deal Manager or Sales Associate to assemble a work stream team within the relevant service/product/business knowledge required to work within the project. Oversight and support of the project plan for the deal.

• Supporting the Sales Manager with the development of the relationships with the client and all stakeholders throughout the deal
• Oversee the project plan to manage the deal and revise as appropriate to meet changing needs and requirements
• Oversee the communication of plan internally and externally to obtain full buy in by all parties
• Supports the deal team to manage relevant stakeholders to ensure effective and efficient implementation of the deal project
• Receives and reviews reports regularly on progress of the deal and updates the Heads of Sales on the deal status
• Provides comprehensive, in-depth consulting and leadership to team and partners

Knowledge/Skills

Highly flexible and adaptable to change. Sound commercial understanding and risk management skills. Solid understanding of management of internal governance procedures. Excellent level competency and confidence in IT Skills. Advanced PowerPoint skills. High quality interpersonal skills, excellent oral and written communication skills are required to interact with stakeholders/clients. High EQ and EI. Ability to manage well under pressure and work to tight deadlines. Strong and flexible work ethic. High level of attention to detail and time management. Strong analytical and organizational skills. Easily prioritizes own and possibly others daily workloads, ability to multi-task whilst working efficiently and accurately under pressure. Ability to engage key business owners around the key deals and optimization of resource support; have input into the qualification of “into” or “out of” any significant sales opportunities within the region. Ability to coach on deal management across strategic opportunities/initiatives on large complex deals. Dynamic candidates, self-starter, with a desire to work in a very collegiate team and have the ability to work independently. To act with integrity at all times and embrace the philosophy of treating customers fairly. Demonstration of initiative, accountability and focus on quality.

Experience Required:

This is a highly networked role that requires an ability to work under pressure and to multiple challenging deadlines. It requires strong people management skills in a dynamic sales environment.

5 years of previous management experience or 5 or more years of related experience, within Project or Program management role with an exposure to a sales environment within the financial sector. Having the ability to manage complex, multi work stream projects, with proven experience of managing large complex global projects Previous experience of stakeholder management – the ability to work alongside Global Heads, Heads of Sales and other Senior Executives. Manage virtual teams and inputs from a variety of stakeholders. Understanding of the Financial Services Industry from an operational and product perspective.

Working with Us:

As a Northern Trust partner, greater achievements await. You will be part of a flexible and collaborative work culture in an organization where financial strength and stability is an asset that emboldens us to explore new ideas.

Movement within the organization is encouraged, senior leaders are accessible, and you can take pride in working for a company committed to assisting the communities we serve Join a workplace with a greater purpose.

We’d love to learn more about how your interests and experience could be a fit with one of the world’s most admired and sustainable companies Build your career with us and apply today. #MadeForGreater

Reasonable accommodation

Northern Trust is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please email our HR Service Center at MyHRHelp@ntrs.com.

We hope you’re excited about the role and the opportunity to work with us. We value an inclusive workplace and understand flexibility means different things to different people.

Apply today and talk to us about your flexible working requirements and together we can achieve greater.