Account Manager

Job description

Who They Are: A well-funded, pre-seed startup in Zurich, founded by PhD-level engineers building autonomous physical security - AI that connects camera streams to robotic response. Small team. Sales has been founder-led until now. The Role: This is the first commercial hire. You take sales off the founders' plate and build the function from zero: pipeline, pilots, playbook, process. You start by co-selling with the CEO and grow into Head of Sales as the company scales. You'll sell across enterprise, critical infrastructure, and defence. What You'll Do: - Own the full B2B/B2G sales cycle end to end, co-selling with the CEO at first - Self-source pipeline - no inbound to lean on - Scope, sell, and run paid pilots that convert into long-term contracts - Land and expand inside accounts to grow recurring revenue - Build the playbook, process, and CRM discipline yourself - Hire and lead the sales team as things scale What You Need: - 3+ years full-cycle B2B sales with a real closing record - Proven ability to self-source pipeline - Early-stage experience - comfortable with ambiguity and no playbook - Enough technical literacy to sell a complex product to sophisticated buyers - Eligible to work on defence-related projects (nationality from a NATO or allied country) - Based in Zurich or willing to relocate and work on-site Bonus Points: - Selling into government or defence (procurement, RFPs, framework agreements) - Deeptech, hardware, robotics, computer vision, or complex enterprise software - A network of security operators, integrators, or buyers in DACH or the UK - German Not a Fit If: - You can't meet the defence-eligibility requirement above - You won't relocate to Zurich - You need a ready-made playbook or a steady inbound flow Offer: Component Range (CHF) Base 120,000 - 150,000 OTE (base + variable at target) 200,000 - 260,000 Split ~60/40 or 50/50 base/variable Equity 0.5% - 1.5% (founding-hire band)