{"id":4272210,"url":"https://alion.io/job/aqa-team-leader-inside-sales","title":"Team Leader: Inside Sales","company":{"id":1791368,"name":"AQA","domain":"aqa.org.uk","url":"https://alion.io/company/aqa-org-uk","size_band":"201-500","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Workday","truth_index":null},"role":"Sales","role_family":"Sales","seniority":"lead","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Manchester, United Kingdom"],"countries":["GB"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":44500,"max":47000,"currency":"GBP","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":62071},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":null,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":false,"technologies":[],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-11-13T18:11:34Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-11-13","last_verified_at":"2026-11-13T18:11:34Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":0,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":0},"description":"At AQA, we’re committed to advancing education and we’re committed to our people. As the largest provider of academic qualifications in the UK, we mark over 10 million exam papers each year and it’sour people who make this happen.\nJob Title: Team Leader - Inside Sales\nContract: Permanent\nLocation: Manchester\nSalary: £44,500 to £47,000\nWorking arrangements: hybrid working - minimum of 3 days a week in office\nWant to lead a sales team in a role where developing people, building customer relationships and improving how you work matter just as much as hitting the numbers?\nThis is a sales leadership role where you won't be sitting on the sidelines. You'll lead and develop a team focused on finding new opportunities, building relationships with prospective customers and helping more schools and colleges discover what AQA can offer. You'll coach your team to perform at their best, use insight and data to improve how you work, and stay hands-on by getting involved in customer conversations yourself.\nWhat you'll do\nLead, coach and develop the Inside Sales team, setting clear goals and creating an environment where people can perform, learn and grow\nDrive lead generation and customer engagement, supporting both outbound activity and inbound sales enquiries, including Live Chat\nStay hands-on with customers, contributing directly to outbound sales activity as well as leading the team\nUse performance data and customer insight to improve results, identifying trends, maintaining quality and improving ways of working\nWork closely with colleagues across Sales and Account Management to support customer acquisition campaigns and create new opportunities for AQA\nWhat you'll bring\nProven experience in a B2B inside sales environment, with a track record of sales coaching and mentoring\nThe confidence to lead, support and develop others, setting clear expectations and providing constructive feedback\nA proactive approach and the flexibility to respond to changing customer and business needs\nThe ability to use performance information to identify opportunities for improvement and turn insight into action\nCommunication and stakeholder-management skills, alongside familiarity with web-based CRM systems. Knowledge of the education sector would be useful, but isn't essential\nWhat's in it for you?\nYou'll have the opportunity to shape and develop an inside sales team while remaining hands-on with customers yourself. You'll build your leadership and coaching experience, work across Sales and Account Management and have a real influence on how the team approaches customer acquisition and improves performance.\nAlongside this, AQA offers:\nA 35-hour working week with flexible, hybrid working\n25 days' annual leave, rising to 30 days with service, plus additional Christmas closure days\nA generous pension scheme with combined contributions of up to 18.5%, available from your first day\nBUPA private medical insurance, a healthcare cash plan and access to employee assistance and wellbeing programmes\nUp to five paid volunteering days each year, alongside an inclusive, values-led culture supported by a range of employee networks\nDiversity and inclusion\nAt AQA, we're committed to creating a workplace where everyone feels they belong and can do their best work. We value the different perspectives, experiences and backgrounds our people bring, knowing they strengthen our culture, decision-making and impact. We foster an inclusive environment where everyone is treated with respect, has access to opportunities to grow and contribute, and feels able to be themselves. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and lived experiences.\nApplication process\nTo apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter outlining your suitability for the role by 23.59 on Sunday 22 November.\nFirst stage interviews will take place remotely on 27th and 30th November, second stage interviews will take place in our Manchester office on 7th December.\nRecruitment Agencies\nWe have a preferred supplier list (PSL) in place.\nUnsolicited CVs will be treated as a gift. We will not be subject to or liable under your terms and conditions for agency fees.\nFull Job Description\nSummary\nThe Inside Sales Team Leader is responsible for their team’s performance including managing productivity, identifying training needs and ensuring a high level of quality is delivered consistently. They will be responsible for the coaching and development of their team as well as creating a positive culture and leading by example. This is a player manager role, given the span of control the team leader will also contribute to outbound sales efforts.Inside Sales plays a crucial role at AQA by driving business growth through proactive customer engagement, effective lead generation and lead follow-up. As the primary point of contact for many customers, the Inside Sales team is essential in building and maintaining strong customer relationships, ensuring a positive customer journey from initial contact through to acquisition and ongoing support.Key contributions of the Inside Sales team include:\nLead Generation: As part of the broader Sales and Account Management Team, the Inside Sales team is responsible for identifying and qualifying potential customers, ensuring a steady pipeline of prospects for the business.\nCustomer Engagement: Through outbound calls and communications, the Inside Sales team actively engages with customers to understand their needs, providing relevant information and solutions tailored to their needs.\nSupport for Field Sales: By managing initial customer interactions and nurturing leads, the Inside Sales team supports the field sales team, allowing them to focus on finalising customers switching to AQA and building deeper customer relationships.\nData Management: The team maintains accurate CRM records, ensuring that customer information is up-to-date and readily available for all sales and support activities.\nMarket Insight: Through regular customer interactions, the Inside Sales team gathers valuable insights into customer needs and market trends, contributing to the development of effective sales strategies and campaigns.\nCustomer Experience: By providing prompt and personalised service, the Inside Sales team enhances the overall customer experience, fostering loyalty and long-term relationships.\nOverall, the Inside Sales team at AQA is integral to achieving sales objectives, enhancing customer satisfaction, and driving the company’s growth.\nLandscape:\nThe role requires collaboration with Regional Sales Managers, Key Account Managers, Account Managers and Subject Support Leads in the co-ordination and delivery of acquisition campaigns. The role will have frequent contact with the CRM Manager and the Business Performance Analyst.\nKey Activities:\nTeam Leadership: Manage a team of Account Management Executives and Sales Development Representatives to drive lead generation and outbound customer engagement. The team will also be responsible for managing inbound sales enquiries via channels such as Live Chat on the AQA website.\nGoal Setting: Create clear and motivational goals that support continuous improvement.\nSkill Development: Coaching and developing team members to enhance their performance and skills. Ensure best practice sharing amongst the team to further accelerate organisational learning, linked to AQA’s value of working and learning together.\nQuality Assurance: Ensure consistent high-quality delivery through monitoring, coaching and training.\nProcess Management: Maintaining and improving processes for efficiency and effectiveness.\nPerformance Management: Conduct check-in’s, performance reviews, providing feedback and support.\nData Analysis: Use management reports to review team performance, proactively implementing corrective actions where necessary.\nStrategic Collaboration: Contribute to strategic acquisition campaigns and ensure alignment with sales objectives.\nProject Participation: Engage in strategic and tactical projects as needed.\nInside Sales: This is a player manager role, given the span of control the team leader will also contribute to outbound sales efforts.\nTo be successful in this role, you will need to Demonstrate:\nExperience: Proven experience in a B2B inside sales environment with a strong track record in sales coaching and mentoring.\nLeadership: Confident leader with a passion for developing and supporting team members.\nProactive Approach: Ability to work proactively and flexibly to meet business and customer needs.\nProblem-Solving: Creative problem solver with excellent communication skills and the ability to work effectively with stakeholders.\nBest Practices: Ability to identify, implement, and continuously improve best practice approaches to elevate team performance and operational efficiency.\nCRM Knowledge: Familiarity with web-based CRM systems (training on Microsoft Dynamics will be provided).\nSector Knowledge: Knowledge of the education sector is advantageous but not essential.","description_format":"text","description_chars":9005,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":null,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":null,"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Annual leave","Health insurance","Hybrid work","Paid volunteering days"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United Kingdom","iso":"GB","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Skill Assessment","Standards & Industry Bodies"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-11-13T18:11:34Z"}],"visa":[],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":0,"expected_fill_days":15,"reasons":["conf:1","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-11-13T19:46:42Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":62071,"is_top_pay":false},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/aqa-team-leader-inside-sales","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/aqa-team-leader-inside-sales.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-11-13T19:46:42Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","about":"Alion is a live layer of people, companies and AI agents: who they are, whether they are real and active right now, what they do and how to work with them, readable by people and by agents and paid per call.","catalog":"https://alion.io/catalog.json","usage":{"tier":"crawler_verified","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":39460,"day_limit":null,"remaining_today":null,"minute_limit":300,"resets_at":"2026-11-14T00:00:00Z"}},"offers":[{"id":"company.slices","title":"One company in depth, by slice","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01,"plus_per_slice":{"credits":0.05,"usd":0.005}},"unit":"per company, plus each slice with data","note":"the employer in depth","call":{"mcp_tool":"get_company","arguments":{"id":1791368},"rest":"https://alion.io/mcp/rest/get_company?id=1791368"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.slices&for=job%2Faqa-team-leader-inside-sales"},{"id":"market.stats","title":"A market slice: pay, demand and time to fill","status":"free","price":{"credits":0,"usd":0},"unit":"per slice","note":"pay, demand and time to fill for this role and place","call":{"mcp_tool":"market_stats"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=market.stats&for=job%2Faqa-team-leader-inside-sales"},{"id":"job.search","title":"Open jobs by role, technology, place, pay and visa","status":"live","price":{"credits":0.1,"usd":0.01},"unit":"per posting in a list","note":"similar open postings","call":{"mcp_tool":"search_jobs"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=job.search&for=job%2Faqa-team-leader-inside-sales"},{"id":"company.verify","title":"Is this company real and active right now","status":"pilot","price":null,"unit":"per company","request":{"url":"https://alion.io/catalog/request","method":"POST","body":"{\"offer\": \"company.verify\", \"for\": \"job/aqa-team-leader-inside-sales\", \"note\": \"what you need it for\"}"},"human":"https://alion.io/catalog?offer=company.verify&for=job%2Faqa-team-leader-inside-sales"}],"agent":{"mcp":"https://alion.io/mcp/jobs","mcp_open":"https://alion.io/mcp/open","next":[{"tool":"get_job","arguments":{"id":4272210}},{"tool":"search_jobs","arguments":{"company":"aqa.org.uk","detail":"compact"}},{"tool":"match_people","arguments":{"job_id":4272210},"note":"people open to offers who fit this vacancy"}],"note":"The same data through MCP tools: https://alion.io/mcp/open needs no sign-in (compact searches, postings, people); https://alion.io/mcp with an Alion account has everything. Docs: https://alion.io/developers"}}