Head of Client Engagement - Revenue Growth Sales Executive

About Forward

Forward is a global leader in bringing specialized consumer and market understanding into the decisions shaping the future of fresh produce and the primary sectors around the world.

We partner with many of the world’s most effective fresh food producers, distributors and marketers, creating impact across the global produce industry: stronger innovation, brands, market execution, growth.

We are committed to supporting our partners to create innovate and deliver better food for a better world

Over the last 20 years we have built a client partnership base of clients including Zespri, Sunkist, VentureFruit, T&G, Dole, Driscoll’s, Chiquita, Shuman Farms, Australian almonds, Bloom Fresh, and operate globally to understand global and local market opportunities.

Our team is headquartered is in New Zealand with research operating in Australasia, south east and north Asia, The Americas, middle east and Europe.

Why work at Forward

We’re a highly skilled and specialised international team with big ambitions for what comes next. We are looking to lead transformation in the way investment, innovation and market development decisions are informed in produce and fresh food categories globally.

This is a high-performance, collaborative growth environment. Our ambition is big, but you’ll be surrounded by smart, collaborative professionals who back each other, speak candidly, and celebrate wins together. You’ll have autonomy, and plenty of opportunity to stretch towards your potential as we grow.

About this role

As our Head of Client Engagement - Revenue Growth Sales Executive, you’ll be at the front of Forward’s growth - creating and converting high-value commercial opportunities and building relationships with brand, marketing, innovation, and insights teams.

This isn’t a role where you’ll simply execute an established sales playbook. You’ll have real ownership of building pipeline, opening doors, developing strategic relationships and winning new customers - while helping us learn and improve how we go to market as we grow.

What outcomes you'll deliver

• Build and convert pipeline: Create and progress high-quality outbound pipeline and plan across our target customers, prioritizing the opportunities with the greatest commercial potential.

• Win new customers: Own the sales journey end-to-end — from targeting, prospecting, qualifying, cold calling, achieving key credential meetings, proposal development, and closing deals — building trusted relationships along the way.

• Build Forward’s presence: support the development of relationships and visibility with our target customers through marketing activities, in collaboration with the FORWARD leadership, including targeted outbound, trade event participation, and digital channel activation.

• Sell consultatively: Working with our team to understand the commercial problems our prospects are trying to solve and connect them to the value Forward can create, translating that into compelling commercial stories, presentations, and evidence of impact.

· Proposals development: Collaborate with the rest of the team on proposals development, presentations, and follow-ups.

• Help us get better: Bring market, prospect, and win/loss insights back into the business, helping us continuously improve our commercial approach.

• Bring commercial rigor: Own your pipeline and forecasting with discipline, maintaining accurate CRM data and using it to focus your effort where it will create the greatest impact.

• Help bring our thinking to market: Work with the team to turn research, ideas, and client stories into useful communications across LinkedIn, email, our website, and other channels.

• Connect conversations with content: Bring the questions, language, and issues you hear from prospects back into our product development, sales, and marketing, helping us to innovate and create communication that is more relevant and more likely to start a conversation.

What you'll bring

• 5+ years’ experience in B2B sales or a similar commercial growth environment, with a strong track record of winning new business and delivering against revenue targets.

• Strong prospecting and first engagement capability: you know how to create opportunities, open doors, and build pipeline rather than waiting for leads to arrive.

• Curiosity about brands, marketing, consumer insight, our distinctive offer and how the industry is changing.

• Confidence across the sales cycle, including discovery, connecting to achieving engagement meetings, , objection handling, negotiation and closing.

• Strong commercial judgment and a data-driven approach to managing pipeline, forecasting, the annual sales planning cycle, and where you spend your time.

• A consultative approach to selling: you ask good questions, understand customer problems, and turn them into compelling commercial stories.

• Comfort with ambiguity and change. You take ownership, move quickly, learn from feedback, and don’t need a perfect playbook before acting.

• High standards: you’re motivated to win and equally invested in the success of the wider team.

Where you’ll work

We are flexible. We are a tight, connected team, and while we work remotely, most are based in Auckland, New Zealand. We operate globally, travel frequently, and are targeting client growth in North America. We value the connection, collaboration, and creativity that comes from working together, but balance this with flexibility and autonomy.

We focus on impact, not hours, and trust you to manage your time, energy, and workload to perform at a high level sustainably, without an “always-on” expectation.

Some of the things we offer

• Competitive salary and commission – 110K+bonus to 130K+bonus depending on level of seniority and previous experience.

• A connected local and global team

• Growth and progression through exposure, stretch opportunities and scope to expand your role as we grow

• Hybrid working and autonomy, with a focus on impact rather than hours

The perks matter, but we know they're not the only reason our team joins. The bigger opportunity is the caliber of people you’ll work alongside, the ownership you’ll have, and the chance to have a meaningful impact as Forward grows.

Who should apply and how to put your best foot forward

If this role or Forward excites you and you can see yourself having an impact here, we’d love to hear from you.

We care more about your commercial capability, mindset, and what you’re ready to build than a perfect match on paper.

Surprise us with a phone call that demonstrates your own sales capabilities.

We also know from research that female and non-binary applicants are less likely to apply unless they feel 100% qualified. If that’s you, please take this as your nudge to apply anyway. Focus on the bullet points that reflect your strengths and experience, not the ones that don’t.