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Industries
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Agency & Media
SALES & MARKETING RECRUITMENT
Agency & Media. Winning the client is half the job.
Fast briefs. Big ideas. Tight turnarounds. Plenty of opinions.
We find new-business, client-services and agency-marketing people who understand scope, margin and what the client is actually buying — not just how to pitch.
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Engineering & Utilities
OEMs, distributors, maintenance and repair. Building, supplying and sustaining the systems everything else depends on.
Recruitment for commercial roles across manufacturing, industrial technology, engineering services, energy, utilities, infrastructure, automation and technical supply chains.
SALES & MARKETING RECRUITMENT IN
SALES & MARKETING RECRUITMENT
Engineering & Utilities
OEMs, distributors, maintenance and repair. Building, supplying and sustaining the systems everything else depends on.
Recruitment for commercial roles across manufacturing, industrial technology, engineering services, energy, utilities, infrastructure, automation and technical supply chains.
1 - BIG PICTURE STORY:
The Engineering & Utilities Economy
THE UK PICTURE:
UK manufacturers recorded £452 billion in product sales in 2025. Manufacturing spans everything from machinery and components to chemicals, electronics and industrial equipment, while the energy system continues to change around it. Low-carbon technologies accounted for 73.3% of Great Britain’s electricity generation during 2025. (Office for National Statistics)
THE IRISH PICTURE:
In Ireland, manufacturing generated approximately €191.2 billion in GVA in 2025, making it by far the country’s largest economic sector on that measure. Renewable sources also accounted for a substantial share of electricity supply during the year. (Central Statistics Office)
Within that economy, commercial models vary considerably. Businesses may sell directly to manufacturers and asset owners, through distributors, merchants, contractors or OEMs, or through long tender, framework and infrastructure procurement processes.
£452bn
UK manufacturers’ product sales, 2025
278.4k
Ireland industry employees, Jul 2026
+0.7%
Ireland industry employment growth, year-on-year Jul 2026
01 — THE SECTOR
Unique hiring considerations:
In Engineering & Utilities, being technically right is only part of winning the work.
A customer can like the solution and still decide against it because of lead time, integration risk, programme, procurement, lifecycle cost or confidence in delivery.
Sales professionals with experience in the sector become better at seeing those dependencies earlier. They can distinguish technical interest from an opportunity that has the budget, internal support and practical route to become real business.
Marketing works with the same reality. Technical audiences are rarely reassured by broad claims alone. They want useful evidence: relevant applications, comparable projects, standards, performance, reliability and proof that the business understands the environment in which its product or service will actually have to work.
Two New Business Directors may both show major pitch wins and well-known clients. The same result can start at very different points in the buying journey.
The title tells us surprisingly little unless we know what the client was buying and how the agency made money from it.
CANDIDATE A
Strongest once the brief lands
• Builds strong credentials and pitch processes
• Coordinates senior agency involvement
• Converts briefs once the opportunity is defined
CANDIDATE B
Shapes the brief before it exists
• Builds senior relationships before formal briefs
• Creates preference while needs are still forming
• Qualifies carefully for fit, margin and win probability
02 — HOW WE ASSESS
Same CV. Different capability.
Two Business Development Managers may both list technical products, distributors, key accounts and new business.
One may sell an established range into known applications.
Another may need to understand the customer's process, compare competing solutions, configure the right product, explain performance, lead times and failure risk, and follow the effect of that decision further down the line.
Similar revenue numbers can represent very different technical and commercial depth.
CANDIDATE B — SHAPES THE BRIEF BEFORE IT EXISTS
Originates long-cycle infrastructure or energy opportunities
Works through planning, finance and technical dependencies
• Qualifies carefully for fit, margin and win probability
CANDIDATE A — STRONGEST ONCE THE BRIEF LANDS
Originates long-cycle infrastructure or energy opportunities
Works within comparatively clear technical requirements
Builds growth through channel relationships and product support
02 — HOW WE ASSESS
Same CV. Different capability.
02 — HOW WE ASSESS
Same CV. Different capability.
Two Business Development Managers may both list technical products, distributors, key accounts and new business.
One may sell an established range into known applications.
Another may need to understand the customer's process, compare competing solutions, configure the right product, explain performance, lead times and failure risk, and follow the effect of that decision further down the line.
Similar revenue numbers can represent very different technical and commercial depth.
SAME JOB TITLE - CANDIDATE A
Develops distributors and defined customer accounts
Works within comparatively clear technical requirements
Builds growth through channel relationships and product support
SAME JOB TITLE - CANDIDATE B
Originates long-cycle infrastructure or energy opportunities
Works through planning, finance and technical dependencies
Develops requirements before procurement begins
SALES, NEW BUSINESS & CLIENT GROWTH
01
New Business Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Which pitches deserve the agency's time — not just winning them.
HOW IT VARIES
RFP-led in some agencies; relationship-led long before a brief in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Tell us about a pitch you walked away from."
02
Client Services Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The gap between what the client expects and what the fee covers.
HOW IT VARIES
Full P&L and renewal authority, or delivery lead with pricing held elsewhere.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"When did you last renegotiate scope mid-year?"
03
Account Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Growth that doesn't turn into unpaid over-servicing.
HOW IT VARIES
Performance agencies build media economics; creative agencies build judgement on ambiguous briefs.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did the account's margin move under you?"
MARKETING
04
Agency Marketing Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Attracting the kind of brief New Business actually wants.
HOW IT VARIES
Visibility and awards in some agencies; proposition and pipeline in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Which piece of thinking brought a client in?"
05
Communications Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The agency's reputation, and sometimes its clients' too.
HOW IT VARIES
Corporate narrative in-house, or crisis and media work on behalf of clients.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"What didn't you say, and why?"
06
Content Strategy Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Connecting audience insight to measurable commercial outcomes.
HOW IT VARIES
Client-facing strategy lead, or the agency's own thought-leadership engine.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did you prove it worked?"
We also recruit across media sales, partnerships, PR, performance and digital marketing, and sales & marketing leadership.
Discuss a role in this sector →
03 — ROLES
What the title doesn't tell you
We also recruit across media sales, partnerships, PR, performance and digital marketing, and sales & marketing leadership.
Discuss a role in this sector
→
MARKETING
04
Agency Marketing Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Attracting the kind of brief New Business actually wants.
HOW IT VARIES
Visibility and awards in some agencies; proposition and pipeline in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Which piece of thinking brought a client in?"
05
Communications Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The agency's reputation, and sometimes its clients' too.
HOW IT VARIES
Corporate narrative in-house, or crisis and media work on behalf of clients.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"What didn't you say, and why?"
06
Content Strategy Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Connecting audience insight to measurable commercial outcomes.
HOW IT VARIES
Client-facing strategy lead, or the agency's own thought-leadership engine.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did you prove it worked?"
SALES, NEW BUSINESS & CLIENT GROWTH
01
New Business Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Which pitches deserve the agency's time — not just winning them.
HOW IT VARIES
RFP-led in some agencies; relationship-led long before a brief in others.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"Tell us about a pitch you walked away from."
02
Client Services Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
The gap between what the client expects and what the fee covers.
HOW IT VARIES
Full P&L and renewal authority, or delivery lead with pricing held elsewhere.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"When did you last renegotiate scope mid-year?"
03
Account Director
WHAT IT REALLY OWNS
Growth that doesn't turn into unpaid over-servicing.
HOW IT VARIES
Performance agencies build media economics; creative agencies build judgement on ambiguous briefs.
WHAT WE'D PROBE
"How did the account's margin move under you?"
03 — ROLES
What the title doesn't tell you
MARKETING
Makes the agency's thinking visible before a brief appears
Uses case studies to demonstrate decisions and outcomes
Builds reputation that helps the agency enter consideration early
Communicates a clear proposition rather than a capability list
Aligns agency marketing with the work New Business actually wants
SALES
Qualifies opportunities before consuming pitch resource
Understands what is really driving the client's decision
Sells the agency that will actually deliver the work
Understands how the pricing model affects account economics
Protects scope, margin and relationship quality as accounts grow
04 — WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR
Strength signals
SALES
01
Qualifies opportunities before consuming pitch resource
02
Understands what is really driving the client's decision
03
Sells the agency that will actually deliver the work
04
Understands how the pricing model affects account economics
05
Protects scope, margin and relationship quality as accounts grow
MARKETING
01
Makes the agency's thinking visible before a brief appears
02
Uses case studies to demonstrate decisions and outcomes
03
Builds reputation that helps the agency enter consideration early
04
Communicates a clear proposition rather than a capability list
05
Aligns agency marketing with the work New Business actually wants
04 — WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR
Strength signals we listen for
04 — WHAT EMPLOYERS LOOK FOR
Strength signals we listen for
SALES STRENGTH SIGNALS
Understands enough technically to judge where the solution fits
Separates customer interest from commercially viable opportunity
Maps technical, operational and procurement influence
Understands the relevant direct, channel or specification route
Considers delivery, resource and risk before committing the business
MARKETING strength signals
Turns technical capability into commercially useful information
Uses evidence, applications and performance data to build confidence
Understands what different technical audiences need to know
Works closely enough with engineers to retain credibility
Supports Sales and bids throughout long buying cycles
40-person Belfast brand agency needed a Commercial Director during a major repositioning.
Result: 3-person shortlist. Successful hire remains in post today.
The brief required an unusual combination of strategic leadership, people management and new business ability. We mapped the relevant market thoroughly and narrowed a broad potential field to three candidates capable of operating across all three areas.
05 — A RECENT SEARCH
In practice
05 — A RECENT SEARCH
In practice
Business transformation programme needed a CRM specialist with uncommon technical depth.
Market mapping uncovered someone whose AI expertise went considerably beyond the original CRM brief. Direct engagement brought them into a process they would not otherwise have entered, adding valuable capability to a multimillion-pound transformation programme.
Directly approached and appointed within approximately 4 weeks.
FOR EMPLOYERS
Discuss a Sales or Marketing Hire
For employers, we look beyond the obvious CV match and spend time understanding the applications, customers, routes to market, buying processes and delivery responsibility behind someone's experience.
We look beyond the agency name and title to the proposition, pricing model, account economics and real commercial ownership behind someone's experience.
DISCUSS A HIRE
FOR PROFESSIONALS
Considering your next move?
We help make sense of the experience you've built, what you're genuinely good at and where it might take you next.
REGISTER YOUR INTEREST
CALL TO ACTION
Hiring in Agency & Media?
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
[Sarah to write — one sentence]
Sarah, Founder
About MRKTSEARCH →
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
[Sarah to write — one sentence]
Sarah, Founder
About MRKTSEARCH →
A NOTE FROM THE FOUNDER
[Sarah to write — one sentence]
Sarah, Founder · About MRKTSEARCH →
£452bn
UK manufacturers’ product sales, 2025
278.4k
Ireland industry employees, Jul 2026
+0.7%
Ireland industry employment growth, year-on-year Jul 2026
06 — THE NUMBERS
The Engineering & Utilities Economy
FOR EMPLOYERS
Discuss a Sales or Marketing Hire
For employers, we look beyond the obvious CV match and spend time understanding the applications, customers, routes to market, buying processes and delivery responsibility behind someone's experience.
SOURCES
Advertising Association; Creative Communications Ireland.
£35.2bn
UK creative & media agency GVA, 2024
£46.7bn
UK advertising investment, 2025
€1.7bn
Irish advertising market, 2025
06 — THE NUMBERS
The agency & media economy
In Engineering & Utilities, being technically right is only part of winning the work.
A customer can like the solution and still decide against it because of lead time, integration risk, programme, procurement, lifecycle cost or confidence in delivery.
Sales professionals with experience in the sector become better at seeing those dependencies earlier. They can distinguish technical interest from an opportunity that has the budget, internal support and practical route to become real business.
Marketing works with the same reality. Technical audiences are rarely reassured by broad claims alone. They want useful evidence: relevant applications, comparable projects, standards, performance, reliability and proof that the business understands the environment in which its product or service will actually have to work.
01 — THE SECTOR
Unique Hiring Considerations
In Engineering & Utilities, being technically right is only part of winning the work.
A customer can like the solution and still decide against it because of lead time, integration risk, programme, procurement, lifecycle cost or confidence in delivery.
Sales professionals with experience in the sector become better at seeing those dependencies earlier. They can distinguish technical interest from an opportunity that has the budget, internal support and practical route to become real business.
Marketing works with the same reality. Technical audiences are rarely reassured by broad claims alone. They want useful evidence: relevant applications, comparable projects, standards, performance, reliability and proof that the business understands the environment in which its product or service will actually have to work.
01 — THE SECTOR