National Specification Lead

About Akzo Nobel

Since 1792, we’ve been supplying the innovative paints and coatings that help to color people’s lives and protect what matters most. Our world class portfolio of brands – including Dulux, International, Sikkens and Interpon – is trusted by customers around the globe. We’re active in more than 150 countries and use our expertise to sustain and enhance the fabric of everyday life.

Because we believe every surface is an opportunity. It’s what you’d expect from a pioneering and long-established paints company that’s dedicated to providing sustainable solutions and preserving the best of what we have today – while creating an even better tomorrow. Let’s paint the future together.

Full Time.

We are looking for a commercially driven, strategic and inspirational leader to take ownership of our Specification & Commercial Sectors route to market across the UK. Reporting directly to the UK Sales Director, this is a high-impact senior leadership role with significant visibility and influence across the business.

Responsible for shaping and delivering the 3-year vision for the Specification of our brands, colours and products, you will drive growth plans across key sectors and ensure we maximise commercial performance. You and your team will play a pivotal role in strengthening strategic partnerships (to specification clients and merchant partners), unlocking incremental and sustainable growth opportunities, and ensuring we are positioned as the partner of choice across the specification landscape.

Working at the heart of our UK Sales Leadership Team, you will collaborate closely with National Accounts, Marketing, Innovation, Insight, Sustainability, R&D and Technical teams to deliver a fully aligned commercial strategy focused on long term growth utilising the brands, products, tools and propositions we have. You will also lead key external relationships across influencers within the commercial market space such as specifiers (including construction companies, architects, designers, etc), merchants and industry partners, ensuring we are driving both performance and influence across the market.

This is a highly visible leadership role with responsibility for a significant team and a substantial revenue stream, offering the opportunity to shape the future of specification within the UK market.

• Own and deliver the UK Specification & Sectors 3-year strategy, ensuring delivery of turnover and margin targets across commercial market channel (Specifiers and Contractors).
• Lead the development and execution of sector strategies and plans, ensuring alignment to wider UK commercial priorities and long‑term growth plans.
• Drive a high‑performing specification pipeline, ensuring robust opportunity management, conversion discipline and pipeline visibility.
• Lead, motivate and develop a team of direct and indirect reports, building capability, engagement and high‑performance culture.
• Act as a key member of the UK Sales Leadership Team, contributing to overall commercial strategy and decision making.
• Partner cross‑functionally with Marketing, Category, Insight, Innovation, Sustainability, R&D and Technical teams to ensure best‑in‑class propositions.
• Take responsibility for driving specification and technical excellence across the sales community and wider business strengthening collaboration between commercial, technical and brand teams to meet changing regulations / building standards and support innovation and product development.
• Develop and manage strategic relationships with customers and industry bodies to develop sustainable growth for both parties.
• Work closely with trade merchant partners to drive specification‑led growth and utilise our propositions, experience and knowledge to maximise ecosystem opportunities.
• Champion digital evolution within specification, continuously improving tools, processes and ways of working to meet changing customer needs.
• Drive the sustainability agenda across all key specification partnerships, embedding it into sector strategies and customer engagement.

• A proven track record of developing and…