Operational Sales Lead

About the Role

We’re hiring a Hands‑on Sales Leader who will translate and implement the strategic vision provided by leadership into measurable sales execution. This is a player‑coach role: you will personally build the pipeline and close deals, while leading the sales operation, coaching colleagues, and delivering accurate plans, forecasts, and performance reports to your manager.

This position is a unique opportunity for an experienced sales leader who wants both strategic influence and hands‑on impact. You won’t inherit a rigid structure — instead, you will shape it. You will build, lead, and scale the sales function at a company that is growing fast and values smart, autonomous people. Your contribution will be visible, measurable, and appreciated — because you are stepping into a role that truly changes how the company grows.

What You’ll Do

Execute Strategy (Vision Provided by Leadership)

• Operationalize the leadership’s go‑to‑market vision into clear action plans, cadences, and playbooks (prospecting, qualification, proposals, negotiations, closing).

• Align resources and priorities to quarterly/annual targets.

Direct Selling (Player‑Coach)

• Personally prospect, qualify, and close B2B IT services deals; lead strategic pursuits and renewals.

• Conduct consultative, value‑based selling.

• Expand strategic accounts (upsell, cross‑sell).

Leadership & Cross‑Functional Alignment

• Coach sales colleagues on the discovery quality, proposal excellence, and deal strategy; lead by example.

• Partner with Delivery, Marketing, and Finance to align scoping, pricing, capacity, and margins.

• Contribute to hiring, onboarding, and ongoing sales enablement and sales operations.

Forecasting, Reporting & Sales Ops

• Deliver accurate forecasts (weekly/monthly/quarterly) and performance reports to your manager.

• Ensure CRM discipline and pipeline governance (stage definitions, conversion tracking, win‑loss insights).

• Standardize proposals, SoWs, and pricing guardrails to protect gross margin.

Commercial Excellence

• Lead contracts and negotiations (commercial terms, risk, compliance).

• Feed market and deal insights back to leadership to continuously refine offers and positioning.

• Track competitors and inform pricing and differentiation—without owning overall strategy creation.

What You’ll Need

• 5+ years of B2B sales experience in IT/professional services (e.g., consulting, managed services, testing/QA, staffing), including 2+ years in a player‑coach or team‑lead capacity.

• Proven track record of meeting/exceeding annual revenue targets with complex, multi‑stakeholder deals.

• Fluent/native German (C1/C2) and professional English; excellent communication and negotiation skills.

• Strong familiarity with the German/DACH market and enterprise buying processes.

• Mastery of consultative selling, account planning, solution scoping, and ROI/TCO business cases.

• Discipline in forecast accuracy, pipeline management, and CRM usage.

Key Competencies

• Operational Excellence: Turns leadership’s vision into clear actions and measurable outcomes.

• Execution & Ownership: Operates with urgency; consistently turns plans into revenue.

• Commercial Acumen: Pricing, margin, risk, and contract savvy.

• Leadership: Coaches effectively; raises standards while maintaining trust.

• Communication: Clear, persuasive, executive‑ready—German and English.

• Resilience: Thrives under pressure; adapts to changing market conditions.

  
  

What we offer

• Fully remote work on a B2B contract, with occasional office visits in Cologne.

• Competitive compensation: a fixed monthly fee plus a performance‑related, uncapped bonus.

• Positive working environment: international distributed team, flat hierarchy, agile management, and a culture that encourages initiative and personal growth.

• Leadership opportunity: you will lead a team of 3 people (Lead Generation + Customer Success), with potential for expansion.

• Strategic partnership: direct support from the Business Development Manager — you’re not alone; you drive and shape the sales function together.