Head of Sales - Southern China (Zhejiang Based)

TL;DR

Head of Sales - Southern China (Zhejiang Based) (Academic Publishing): Leading sales operations across Southern China to grow revenue, profitability, market share, and customer relationships across academic journals, books, eBooks, and digital content with an accent on territory strategy, institutional partnerships, and high-performing team leadership. Focus on expanding untapped markets, optimizing sales performance through data and KPIs, and closing complex deals in a competitive academic publishing environment.

Location: Homebased in Zhejiang or Guangdong Province, China, with flexibility to travel domestically and internationally and visit offices in Shanghai or Beijing when required. Candidates must have the right to work in China; relocation support is not provided.

Company

Academic publishing, business intelligence, knowledge, and events business providing peer-reviewed books, journals, digital content, and professional connectivity worldwide.

What you will do

• Set and execute a one- to three-year sales strategy and business plan for the assigned territory.
• Drive annual revenue, profit, sales velocity, and market-share targets through market penetration and business development.
• Build, lead, coach, and develop a high-performing sales team with clear performance expectations.
• Develop relationships with academic institutions, funders, distributors, government agencies, and other strategic stakeholders.
• Lead major negotiations, partnerships, account acquisition, and expansion of existing customer relationships.
• Improve operational quality and efficiency through data analytics, KPIs, resource optimization, and Six Sigma-aligned initiatives.

Requirements

• 10+ years of significant sales experience, including success in high-pressure environments and achievement of ambitious revenue targets.
• Extensive knowledge of the academic publishing industry and academic content business models.
• Established network across academic communities, including funders, distributors, and government agencies.
• Proven experience leading, motivating, coaching, delegating, and performance-managing high-performing sales teams.
• Strong analytical, strategic, communication, negotiation, and stakeholder-management skills.
• Native Mandarin and full professional English proficiency required; candidates must have the right to work in China and be based in Zhejiang or Guangdong Province.

Nice to have

• Experience with business transformation and change management in competitive markets.
• Experience representing an organization at conferences, book fairs, working groups, and industry networks.

Culture & Benefits

• Flexible home-based working culture focused on work-life balance and wellbeing.
• 20 days of annual leave, plus an additional birthday day off.
• 14 days of paid sick leave and four paid volunteering days annually.
• Social insurance, housing fund, supplementary medical insurance, and annual health screening for employees and spouses.
• Performance bonus, employee assistance programme, and optical and medical care.