[Hiring] Strategic Sales Manager @Gradient

Role Description

Gradient is hiring a Regional Sales Manager to own and grow our West Coast territory (California, Oregon, and Washington), selling Gradient heat pump hardware alongside our software and platform services. You will build pipeline that converts, not just pipeline that's large: qualified opportunities, predictable close rates, and bookings that turn into shipments on schedule.

Gradient is a climate-tech company making building electrification fast and affordable. Our All-Weather 120V Heat Pump installs in a window, plugs into a standard outlet, and needs no electrical panel upgrade, no professional installation, and no permit. That removes the cost and delay that stalls most heat pump retrofits.

We are expanding our commercial organization from the ground up. Our customers and partners include:

• Housing authorities
• Affordable housing owners and operators
• Multifamily portfolios
• Higher education
• Utilities
• Program implementors
• Contractors across North America

You will help shape how we sell, not just follow a playbook.

Location: Oregon or Washington preferred (Portland or Seattle metro ideal); remote with regular travel across California, Oregon, and Washington

Compensation: The anticipated base salary range for this role is $125,000-$145,000, with on-target earnings (OTE) of $175,000-$195,000, plus equity and benefits. Actual compensation may vary based on experience, qualifications, and location.

Qualifications

• 4–8 years of quota-carrying B2B sales, with a record of meeting or beating targets
• Sales experience in HVAC, building energy, efficiency, or a closely related field
• Experience selling both hardware and software, ideally bundled deals that include recurring or subscription revenue
• Working knowledge of electrification incentives, including utility programs, state rebates, and federal funding
• Comfort with long, multi-stakeholder sales cycles involving owners, asset managers, facilities staff, and program administrators
• Disciplined pipeline management and forecasting in a CRM such as Salesforce or HubSpot
• Clear, direct written and verbal communication, including proposals and executive-level presentations
• Based in Oregon or Washington, or willing to relocate, with the ability to travel across the territory (roughly 30–40%)

Requirements

• Own the full sales cycle across California, Oregon, and Washington, from prospecting through close and handoff to deployment
• Sell combined hardware and software deals, positioning Gradient units with our connected platform and recurring service offerings
• Build relationships with affordable housing developers, multifamily owners, housing authorities, and campus facilities and sustainability teams
• Work with utilities, efficiency program administrators, and implementers in the region to get Gradient into incentive and rebate programs
• Help customers stack state, utility, and federal electrification incentives into a financeable project, and reflect that in proposals
• Help to recruit and support channel partners, including contractors, distributors, and consultants, where they speed up deployment
• Keep CRM data accurate and forecast reliably, distinguishing bookings, shipments, backlog, and recognized revenue
• Represent Gradient at regional industry events and conferences
• Feed market, pricing, and product insight back to leadership, marketing, and product

Preferred Qualifications

• Startup or early-stage company experience, especially helping build a sales motion from scratch
• An existing network across West Coast utilities, program administrators, housing authorities, and affordable housing developers
• Familiarity with regional programs and policy, such as TECH Clean California, Energy Trust of Oregon, Bonneville Power Administration efficiency programs, and Washington's Clean Buildings Performance Standard
• Knowledge of IRA-funded state rebate programs (HEAR and HOMES), recent changes to federal clean energy tax credits, and low-income weatherization funding
• Experience with public-sector or nonprofit procurement, including RFPs and grant-funded projects
• Experience selling into higher education
• A technical understanding of heat pumps and building load, enough to hold your own with engineers and facilities teams

Success Metrics

• We judge the territory on quality and speed, not pipeline size alone
• Bookings and revenue against quota, including hardware units and SaaS revenue
• Stage-to-stage conversion rates and win rate on qualified opportunities
• Sales velocity: time from first meeting to signed contract
• Forecast accuracy, quarter over quarter
• Conversion of bookings to shipments, with clean handoffs to deployment
• New utility, program, and channel partnerships established in the region

Benefits

• Equity
• Medical/vision/dental/life/disability insurance
• 401k
• Paid parental leave
• Professional Development Stipend
• Commuter benefits
• Flexible PTO