Growth Operator

Job description

ABOUT DISTYL AI Distyl is an applied AI technology company partnering with the world’s most ambitious institutions to rearchitect critical operations for the frontier of AI. Our customers include the largest companies in telecom, healthcare, insurance, manufacturing, consumer goods, and global social organizations. We research and deploy technologies that power AI-native operations — both for our partners and for Distyl itself. Our work spans research into self-constructing systems, the development of the most reliable execution of AI systems, and products that transform mission-critical workflows. As a result, Distyl's technologies affect some of the world's largest operations — from hundreds of millions of consumer interactions to tens of millions of supply chain transactions and millions of patient journeys. Distyl is backed by leading investors including Lightspeed Venture Partners, Khosla Ventures, Coatue, DST Global, and the board-members of 20+ F500s. WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR Distyl AI is looking for a technical growth leader to open new vertical markets from scratch. You’ll be identifying high-value segments, running discovery with enterprise buyers, closing initial design partners, and shaping how our platform gets packaged for each new market. This is not an account management role. You’re building pipeline where none exists, in industries where AI adoption is early and the buyers are sophisticated. You need to understand technical architectures well enough to credibly engage CTOs and CDIOs, while also speaking the language of business outcomes with COOs and line-of-business leaders. You have direct experience in AI/ML sales, or selling into regulated/complex industries (healthcare, financial services, industrials, government, supply chain). KEY RESPONSIBILITIES MARKET OPENING & PIPELINE CREATION - Identify and prioritize new vertical markets based on platform fit, buyer readiness, and deal economics - Build outbound pipeline from zero — cold outreach, network activation, conference presence, creative wedges - Run full-cycle discovery and qualification with enterprise buyers; own deals from first touch through close - Develop initial “Why Distyl” positioning tailored to each vertical’s pain points and competitive landscape - Build quantitative models (market sizing, unit economics, pricing sensitivity) to inform vertical prioritization and deal structuring SOLUTION SHAPING & TECHNICAL SALES - Map Distyl’s platform capabilities to vertical-specific workflows and buyer needs - Partner with engineering and product to scope initial deployments and design partner engagements - Build and deliver technical demos, proof-of-concept proposals, and ROI frameworks customized per buyer - Translate complex AI/ML capabilities into concrete business value for non-technical stakeholders - Design and lead structured discovery workshops with enterprise buyers to rapidly identify pain points, decision criteria, and willingness to pay FIELD INTELLIGENCE & STRATEGY - Synthesize learnings from prospect conversations into vertical strategy — what’s working, what’s not, where to double down - Conduct competitive analysis: who else is selling into these buyers, what’s their pitch, where do we win - Feed insights back to product and leadership to shape roadmap and go-to-market priorities - Identify repeatable patterns that can scale from 1-to-many within a vertical - Structure ambiguous go-to-market problems into testable hypotheses, prioritize the highest-leverage workstreams, and drive them to resolution with data - Align cross-functional stakeholders (product, engineering, leadership) around go-to-market priorities and resource allocation for new verticals COLLATERAL & ENABLEMENT (YOU BUILD IT BECAUSE YOU NEED IT) - Create the first versions of pitch decks, one-pagers, battle cards, and objection-handling guides for your verticals - Develop segment-specific case studies and proof points as you close early customers - Build demo talk tracks and narrative frameworks that can eventually be handed to a broader GTM team WHO YOU ARE - Hunter mentality. You get energy from building something from nothing. Cold outreach doesn’t scare you — you’re good at it - Technically fluent. You can hold your own in a conversation about model architectures, data pipelines, and system integrations. You don’t need to be an engineer, but you need to earn technical credibility with buyers - 5-10 years in technical BD, solutions engineering, management consulting or solutions consulting in B2B enterprise software. You’ve sold complex platforms into sophisticated buyers - Vertical market experience. You’ve opened at least one new industry or segment from scratch — not inherited a book of business - Early-stage comfort. You’ve worked at companies under 50 people, or you’ve operated like it — building your own materials, running your own processes, figuring it out - Strong writer and communicator. You can produce a crisp deck or a cold email that actually gets replies, with minimal oversight - Structured thinker. You synthesize findings into crisp, exec-ready presentations — storyline-driven decks, not data dumps - 80/20 instinct. You know when the analysis is “good enough” to act and don’t over-engineer before testing in-market WHAT WE OFFER - The base salary range for this role is $160K – $220K, depending on experience, location, and level. In addition to base compensation, this role is eligible for meaningful equity, along with a comprehensive benefits package - 100% coverage of medical, dental, and vision insurance for employee and dependents - Flexible time off - Retirement and financial planning benefits, including access to pre-tax HSA, FSA, and commuter accounts, 401(k), and financial coaching resources - Comprehensive wellness benefits, including physical fitness, mental well-being, and fertility and family-building benefits through Carrot - Complimentary in-office lunches and snacks provided - Access to state-of-the-art AI models, generous usage of modern AI tools, and real-world business problems - Ownership of high-impact projects across top enterprises - A mission-driven, fast-moving culture that values curiosity, pragmatism, and excellence Distyl has offices in San Francisco and New York. This role follows a hybrid collaboration model with 3+ days per week (Tuesday–Thursday) in‑office. #LI-Hybrid We believe diverse perspectives make our work stronger and more impactful. We are an equal opportunity employer and evaluate all applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected characteristic. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply.