[Hiring] Strategic Account Director @Element

WHO WE ARE.

Element develops a secure, sovereign and interoperable communications platform, devised primarily for government, defence and public sector organisations. An alternative to Microsoft Teams or WhatsApp that gives people and organisations the independence to communicate with confidence.

We are a for-profit company that is committed to open source. We build Element on top of an open protocol called Matrix, which was created by the same team that leads Element. Matrix is an open source project managed by the non-profit Matrix.org Foundation.

Element works closely with BWI on the BwMessenger for the German Armed Forces, NATO, the United Nations, the Interdepartmental Digital Directorate (DINUM) in the French government for Tchap, the UK MOD, the US DOD and Germany’s Federal Ministry of the Interior and Home Affairs and Dataport on the development of a sovereign workplace for public administration.

We build things for everyone, and we know we can’t succeed without a diverse team. Our hiring process is crafted to be respectful and give candidates the best chance to show us what you can do. If we ever fall down on this, please let us know.

THE ROLE.

From NATO to the US DOD, via the Bundeswehr and the UK MoD, Element is becoming the standard for allied Armed Forces to coordinate and liaise with NGOs and citizens,  in a more secure and sovereign way than via consumer messenger apps.

We’re looking for a passionate Strategic Account Director to stir the network effect of the Defence market, and thoughtfully drive our commercial growth for this segment. You will thrive if you enjoy a very technical and mission driven environment, which gives you the opportunity to leverage your strategic thinking and relationship building qualities. 

Ultimately we aim to allow everyone to connect on their own terms, and as with the Internet, the Defence market has been driving innovation by pioneering Matrix. Today we also serve administration, education and healthcare customers.

RESPONSIBILITIES.

• Overachieve revenue targets by leveraging existing relationships and growing a network around Element’s current deployments.
• Evangelise our mission and articulate value-based selling strategies leveraging our differentiated technology, products and services.
• Build and own relationships with major accounts in your territory and be their trusted advisor to enable modern collaboration strategies.
• Grow existing business and close new logos by selling our portfolio of products as the standard for the market.
• Manage accurate forecasting and optimum resource utilisation.
• Be the voice of your customers and provide feedback internally and early analysis on market trends.
• Understand and manage successfully Public Sector specificities (open source strategies, purchasing process but also defence or military requirements).
• Work in collaboration with Marketing to develop targeted campaigns and events, partnering with our customers, within your assigned territory and with products to help improve User Experience.
• We’re a diverse team and want you to bring your own unique flavour to the team!

Requirements

While being passionate about customers and fully committed to providing them with value and a successful journey, you will have a strong curiosity and appreciation of open source technology and will be looking forward to making a real impact to the world by distributing tech which addresses the concrete and very topical problems of data sovereignty and security.

More concretely, we will expect you to have:

• Fluency in written and spoken English, with good working written and spoken German being a plus.
• At least 10+ years experience in strategic sales to public sector and a strong experience in Defence.
• A strong strategic thinking when navigating complex accounts and environment of partners.
• A strong technical understanding and in particular an understanding of on-premise software as well as Professional Services
• An ability to understand, sometimes complex, business requirements and map them to use cases we can offer.
• An appetite for building an exciting big and disruptive business, taking into account the unique nature and possibilities of Matrix as an open ecosystem rather than a conventional walled garden
• Experience with Salesforce and Hubspot appreciated
• Based in Europe

Benefits

BENEFITS & PERKS.

• Private Health Insurance / Medical Allowance (depending on the country)
• Plumm Health
• Annual Bonus
• Share Options
• Home Office Allowance
• Coworking Space Allowance (except London & Rennes)
• 40 days Annual Leave (including local bank holidays)
• Flexible working hours
• Company Socials (virtual or in person)
• Family friendly environment

You can find a more detailed explanation HERE and you might be eligible for other benefits depending on your location.

ELEMENT VALUES.

We care about the greater good.

We work together in the open.

We are proud of how we serve our customers.

We are ambitious and iterate rapidly.

Element is the startup which employs the core team behind matrix.org— the leading project for secure, open decentralised communication.

Matrix’s mission is to make messaging as open as email— allowing everyone to choose where their data is hosted, enjoy private conversations thanks to advanced encryption, and ultimately be in control of their own communication.

Matrix powers our flagship messaging apps for the web, iOS & Android, along with EMS our SaaS platform for personal & professional use.

We build things for everyone, and we know we can’t succeed without a diverse team. Our hiring process is designed to be humane and give candidates the best chance to show us what you can do. If we ever fall down on this, please let us know.