HomeJobsLeigh-on-SeaKitchen Sales Designer
Back to all jobs
⚡ Source: ReedRef: 56935156

Kitchen Sales Designer

Howdens Joinery·Leigh-on-Sea·Posted 1 week ago
Tailor my CV for this job — Free

Job description

Original text imported from Reed

Join Howdens where our trade depots are recruiting Kitchen Sales Designers who thrive in a fast-paced sales environment. We’re looking for commercially minded individuals who can build strong relationships, influence buying decisions and exceed sales targets.

We can offer you a successful career as a Kitchen Sales Designer, and you don’t need previous design experience. We’ll provide you with comprehensive design and sales training to create exceptional kitchens for our trade customers and their clients.

What we can offer you:

  • Competitive salary, brilliant bonuses and outstanding depot incentives
  • Full CAD, product and sales training via our Ready to Trade Programme
  • Competitive Pension Plan up to 12% company contribution
  • Up to 32 days annual leave per year including bank holidays, rising with service
  • Generous staff discount on Howdens products
  • Buy-as-you-earn share scheme
  • 40 hour working week working every other Saturday morning.
  • No Sunday or Bank Holiday working
  • Career progression opportunities into sales management roles
  • Virtual GP access and wellbeing support for you and your family

What we are looking for:

  • Results driven with experience of reaching sales targets and KPI
  • Ability to build trusted relationships with our trade customers and their client
  • Excellent communication skills, able to convey your ideas clearly and effectively
  • Full UK Driving license with access to your own vehicle for home visits
  • Strong attention to detail and an eye for design
  • CAD skills are preferred, but not essential as you will receive training

What you will be doing:

  • Driving sales performance and profit by achieving your depot targets
  • Building strong customer relationships through professional design support
  • Delivering exceptional customer service throughout the project
  • Conducting home visits to measure, assess and understand your client’s needs
  • Negotiating prices confidently while protecting margin and design integrity
  • Planning and creating inspirational and practical designs utilising your strong product knowledge to advise customers and resolve queries throughout the process

About Us:

Howdens Joinery is the UK’s number one trade kitchen supplier providing thousands of products across kitchens, joinery, and hardware. We have over 950 depots throughout the UK and Europe, making us the first choice for more than 460,000 loyal trade professionals. With an ambitious and credible growth plan, we continue to build on our £2.4 billion turnover.

How to apply:

If Howdens sounds like the kind of place where you can build and develop your career as a Kitchen Sales Designer, then we are keen to hear from you.

Howdens is founded on the principle of being Worthwhile for ALL concerned. We’re working hard to ensure we provide an inclusive environment where everyone feels welcome. We will do everything we can to support you during your application. If you need us to make any adjustments to our recruitment process, please email with the job title and location, and we will be happy to help you.

#LI-LO1 #CVL INDKSD #Reed

SpeedCV AI

Key skills

AI-extracted from the job advert

Must-have skills
Sales target and KPI achievementTrade customer relationship managementHome visit surveying and measuringPrice negotiationFull UK Driving LicenceKitchen or interior design knowledge
Nice-to-have
CAD design softwareKitchen product specificationTrade sales experience
Soft skills
Results-drivenCommunicationAttention to detailEye for designRelationship buildingCommercial awarenessInfluencing
SpeedCV AI

Application advice

5 AI-generated recommendations to maximise your chances.

1

⭐ Lead your CV personal statement with sales target achievement — the advert explicitly states 'results driven with experience of reaching sales targets and KPI' as a core requirement.

2

📊 Quantify your sales results: e.g. 'Exceeded monthly kitchen sales targets by 22% for 8 consecutive months, generating £180k in depot revenue'.

3

🎯 Mention any CAD or design software experience (even basic) prominently, as the advert lists CAD skills as preferred — frame it as a strength even if self-taught.

4

🤝 Highlight experience with trade customers or B2B relationships specifically, as Howdens serves 460,000 trade professionals and values trusted trade relationships.

5

🚗 Confirm your full UK driving licence and access to a personal vehicle in your CV profile or skills section, as home visits are a core part of this role.

NEW
AI SpeedCV

Suggested CV bullets

3 bullets our AI drafted for this specific advert, mirroring its ATS keywords.

How to tailor your CV

Add these 3 bullets under your most recent experience:

  • Exceeded monthly sales targets by 18% across 10 consecutive months, contributing £165,000 in annual depot revenue through proactive trade customer engagement and upselling on kitchen specifications.
  • Conducted 40+ home visits per month to measure, assess and design bespoke kitchen layouts using CAD software, achieving a 94% customer satisfaction score across all completed projects.
  • Negotiated pricing with 80+ trade accounts, maintaining an average margin of 32% while securing repeat business from 15 high-value contractors worth £60,000 in annual turnover.

Free to copy — tailoring requires a 30-sec CV upload.

NEW
AI cover letter

Your cover letter is ready

We've drafted a cover letter for Howdens Joinery. Preview the opening, then unlock the full personalised version.

Letter preview — tailored to Howdens Joinery

Dear Hiring Manager,

Howdens Joinery's reputation as the UK's number one trade kitchen supplier — and the Ready to Trade Programme's structured approach to developing designers — is precisely why the Kitchen Sales Designer role in Leigh-on-Sea appeals to me. My background in sales and customer-facing design roles has equipped me with the ability to build trusted relationships with trade professionals and consistently hit KPI targets in a depot environment.

My background in sales and design consultation means I am comfortable conducting home visits, translating client briefs into practical kitchen layouts, and negotiating pricing confidently while protecting margin. I have a strong eye for detail and understand how to guide both trade customers and their end clients through complex projects from initial survey to final specification.

Get my personalised letter — free

Free signup, no card needed. Export to PDF/Word requires a £1.99 trial (14 days).

SpeedCV exclusive
SpeedCV AI

Interview questions

10 questions generated from this advert.

Technical

  • How have you used CAD software to create kitchen designs, and which packages are you familiar with?
  • Walk me through how you would conduct a home visit — what measurements and assessments would you take?
  • How do you use product knowledge to resolve a customer query mid-project?
  • Describe your approach to protecting margin while negotiating price with a trade customer.
  • How would you plan a kitchen layout for an awkward or non-standard space using design software?

Behavioural

  • Tell me about a time you exceeded a sales target — what approach did you take?
  • Describe a situation where you built a strong relationship with a difficult or demanding customer.
  • Give an example of when you had to balance multiple customer projects simultaneously — how did you prioritise?
  • Tell me about a time you had to adapt your communication style to suit a trade professional versus a homeowner.
  • Describe a situation where a design project did not go to plan — how did you resolve it?
SpeedCV AINEW

STAR answer examples

Model answers using the Situation-Task-Action-Result framework. Adapt to your own experience.

1Question

Tell me about a time you exceeded a sales target — what approach did you take?

Situation: In my previous showroom role, our depot was 12% below the quarterly kitchen sales target with six weeks remaining. Task: As the lead designer on the floor, I took ownership of converting our existing quote pipeline rather than waiting for new footfall. Action: I personally followed up on 35 outstanding quotes, re-engaged trade customers with updated product availability, and offered design revisions to address hesitations. I also ran two evening events for local builders to showcase new ranges. Result: We closed the quarter 9% above target, and I personally accounted for £42,000 of the uplift. Three of the builders from the events became regular accounts the following quarter.
2Question

Describe a situation where a design project did not go to plan — how did you resolve it?

Situation: A trade customer's kitchen installation hit a problem when the site measurements I had taken during the home visit revealed a structural pillar that had not been flagged by the builder. Task: I needed to redesign the layout within 48 hours to avoid delaying the client's move-in date. Action: I rebuilt the CAD plan overnight, sourcing two alternative corner unit configurations from our product range and presenting both options to the customer with revised costings. I also liaised directly with the depot warehouse to confirm stock availability before presenting. Result: The customer approved the revised design the next morning, the installation proceeded only one day late, and the client left a five-star review citing the swift resolution.

Similar jobs

View all