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About the Company

As digital transformation continues to shape and disrupt the ways in which we interact and engage in commerce, the information, transactions, knowledge, communications, databases, and infrastructure of organizations become among their most valuable assets. At the same time, the vulnerability of those assets makes trust ever more foundational to the relationship between organizations and their customers.

Customers are increasingly concerned with knowing how their information is being used, shared, stored and protected. Pressure is mounting for the ability to edit, even delete one’s data from any system, simply and reliably, at the push of a button.

Firms are working harder than ever to ensure a trusted and transparent data sharing relationship. They are investing in customer data protection and compliance at a rate unseen in the past. Firms that can offer their customers the most authentic, transparent and mutually beneficial data sharing relationships will prevail.

Our client’s mission is to help both businesses and consumers gain trust in their data and their data sharing relationship. Their software automates the investigation of data sources – at scale and in a performant manner. It provides insights into organizations’ data holdings — in order to quantify and create an initial data inventory. It then details any privacy and sensitive data concerns, along with any data quality issues, the overall risk rating, and classifies the types of data in the data holdings. This translates to a series of data scans using the firm’s various capabilities — including

Unsupervised, Semi-Supervised and Autonomous Analysis & Data Monitoring — which all follow a well-defined and practiced methodology. Impact is immediately and significant.

Our client boasts an accomplished founding team, exceptional customer and employee ratings and a blue-chip group of investors.

Scope of Position

Armed with differentiated market offerings, marquee accounts, and large addressable markets, our client is poised for explosive growth. Driving that growth will be the responsibility of the Vice-President of Sales.

Reporting to the CEO, and assuming a pivotal position on the management team, the Vice President Sales will be responsible for developing, directing and executing the company’s sales strategy for its software and services into sectors such as Financial Services and Insurance, Healthcare, Higher Education and Consumer Directed businesses.

Working as a ‘player/coach’ the VP of Sales will drive top line results while building an effective and scalable sales organization.

The position is Canada-based.

This is an outstanding opportunity that features:

• Strong industry and company growth
• Proven, innovative technology
• Committed and well-funded financial backers
• Highly entrepreneurial culture
• An opportunity to make a real difference

Functional Tasks

• Develop specific plans and strategies for market capture to achieve the company’s aggressive revenue and profit objectives.
• Take a major role in key account relationships, closing complex deals and building ongoing relationships.
• Hire, train, organize and effectively deploy a high performing sales organization. Architect the team ensuring that it has the resources, processes and operational capabilities by which to outperform and scale.
• Refine sales metrics and KPIs.
• Develop and implement enhanced sales processes to monitor sales funnels and forecasts. Establish a repeatable sales model incorporating a strong value proposition for the different client markets and geographies.
• Focus the team to accelerate and drive the growth of the business, new market development, sector leadership and profitability.
• Maintain, improve, and create senior level relationships with existing customers with a view to driving additional revenues.
• Ensure operational milestones are met on time, with high quality – and that they meet the cost objectives that are established.
• Remain abreast of the industry, competitors and trends.
• Report regularly and proactively to senior management on results and plans going forward.
• Adapt business model to capitalize on evolving customer needs and new competitive offerings.
• Participate in the company’s strategy planning sessions bringing forward innovative ideas and plans in an attempt to bring the company to the next level.
• Assist with corporate positioning and competitive analysis, customer segment selection and penetration plans, and related product positioning.
• Where appropriate, act as a spokesperson for the company with press and analysts and at industry events.
• Provide input on product roadmap that incorporates customer feedback and ensures competitive advantage in the marketplace.

Key Performance Indicators

In light of the identified responsibilities, the following are specific deliverables that the position is designed to achieve.

• Specific measures of performance relating to revenues, customer acquisition, profitability, customer satisfaction, etc. will be discussed and agreed upon with the successful candidate.

Competency Profile

The following competencies listed below define the role of Vice-President of Sales

Results Orientation
Focuses strongly on achieving agreed upon outcomes and ensures that key objectives are met. Conveys a sense of urgency and drives issues to closure. Aims to improve upon past performance. Establishes aggressive personal targets and strives to achieve them.

Strategic Approach
Develops a strategic plan to realize the vision. Revises strategy in light of changing circumstances. Takes a long-term view of organizational success. Works to clarify long-term organizational goals. Able to stand back from immediate problems in order to focus on more far reaching ideas.

People Management
Establishes and communicates clear priorities and sense of direction. Clarifies roles and responsibilities. Adapts management style to situation to achieve optimum results. Develops a high-performing team that delivers in a highly complex organization or situation.

Initiative
Proactive. Seizes opportunities and acts upon them immediately. Takes responsibility for own actions and addresses problems before asked.

Team Skills
Helps to create a sense of team spirit and harmonious relations through cooperation and support. Balances personal goals with those of the team. Fosters collaboration among team members.

Customer/Client Orientation
Strives to provide customers/clients with personalized and efficient service. Anticipates customers’/clients’ needs. Quickly follows up on customer/client contacts and complaints. Monitors and acts on measures of customer/client satisfaction. Develops high-impact relationships with key external clients, with the ability to envision and advocate a mutually beneficial long-term partnership between the company and the client.

Industry & Market Awareness
Seeks to anticipate and respond to industry and market changes/challenges by understanding key characteristics, issues and the factors driving them. Aware of competitor’s products, services and position.

Commercial Acumen
Applies appropriate commercial and financial principles. Understands situations in terms of costs, profits, added-value and return on investment. Appreciates the commercial impact of own work on the organization’s total expenses and revenues.

Preferred Experience / Education

The following indicates specific industry, academic and functional experience/qualifications that are important to the successful achievement of the identified responsibilities and performance deliverables.

• A highly intelligent, strategically minded sales executive with superb communication and interpersonal skills and a willingness to roll-up his/her sleeves.
• Understands market trends and analyzes customer buying patterns. Takes an organized and systemic approach to selling.
• Actively participates in the sales process, including interacting with potential and current customers.
• Has very practical and concrete orientation towards the selling process that emphasizes being responsive and action-orientated.
• Takes an approach to selling which emphasizes setting very high standards for achievement, and a strong results orientation.
• Minimum of 10-15 years of selling experience with at least five years in a leadership capacity with specific revenue growth responsibilities.
• Previous experience in a SaaS software-based company preferably related to the data security/governance field.
• North America wide experience preferably to medium to large enterprises
• Early stage experience where the sales leader leads from the front and must wear multiple hats.
• Strong business development orientation.
• Strong team orientation well-suited to building consensus in a growing concern.
• Canadian-based
• A charismatic, inspirational leader rather than manager.
• Culture builder and carrier

Remuneration & Benefits

• Highly competitive base, variable and equity compensation package to the successful candidate