Sales Manager, EMEA (HCM / Learning & Development)

About OpenSesame

OpenSesame is transforming workforce development with an AI-powered marketplace of 60,000+ skill-building courses and learning pathways. We help organizations build skills and stay compliant through a high-quality content catalog, seamless LMS/LXP integrations, and advanced capabilities like skills-based curation and multilingual content creation. More than 2,000 companies, including 150+ of the Global 2000, rely on OpenSesame to develop the world’s most productive and admired workforces.

Learn more: www.opensesame.com/about

About the Team

At OpenSesame, our EMEA Go-To-Market (GTM) team partners with enterprises across Europe to modernize learning strategies, build workforce capability, and scale culture through continuous learning. We collaborate across Sales, Customer Success, and Marketing to deliver customer outcomes, accelerate pipeline, and expand adoption of OpenSesame’s solutions.

About the Job

We’re hiring a Sales Manager, EMEA — an experienced sales leader who will drive growth, coach and develop Account Executives, and strengthen OpenSesame’s presence across the region.

Reporting to the Senior Director, EMEA–APAC, you’ll operate with a player-coach mentality, leading by example to drive performance and accountability across a team responsible for selling OpenSesame’s solutions into SMB (under 1,000 employees), mid-market (1,000–5,000 employees), and enterprise (5,000+ employees) organizations. You’ll help develop and execute the regional go-to-market strategy, enhance pipeline discipline, and enable your team to deliver consistent, predictable results.

This role requires regional travel across EMEA (approximately 25–30%) for customer meetings, team collaboration, and industry events.

This role requires fluency in English + German or English + French. Preference for all three languages.  

Performance Objectives

First 30 Days – Orientation & Team Assessment

• Master OpenSesame’s ICPs, value propositions, and key use cases across compliance, onboarding, upskilling, and leadership development.
• Complete onboarding for GTM tools and systems (Salesforce, Highspot, Gong, Outreach, ZoomInfo).
• Assess team performance, pipeline health, and coverage against territory plans.
• Establish a consistent 1:1 and deal review cadence with all Account Executives.
• Align with the Senior Director, EMEA–APAC on team goals, enablement priorities, and performance metrics.

Success Metric: Clear understanding of team strengths and gaps; defined 90-day sales management plan in place.

By 60 Days – Execution & Pipeline Discipline

• Drive ≥3× pipeline coverage across SMB,  mid-market and enterprise segments.
• Implement structured deal reviews and forecast cadences to improve predictability and visibility.
• Coach Account Executives on opportunity qualification, executive engagement, and value articulation using MEDDICC/Challenger principles.
• Collaborate with Marketing, Partners and Customer Success to accelerate top-of-funnel pipeline creation.

Success Metric: 3× pipeline coverage; ≥90% forecast accuracy; measurable improvement in AE call quality (Gong insights).

By 90 Days – Leadership Impact & Early Wins

• Achieve consistent team pipeline growth and velocity.
• Maintain disciplined forecast hygiene within ±10% of actuals.
• Drive accountability through structured territory plans and performance dashboards.
• Lead by example in key customer pursuits, demonstrating effective deal strategy and executive engagement.

Success Metric: Closed initial wins; ≥20% improvement in opportunity-to-close conversion; sustained deal velocity improvement.

By 180 Days – Scalable Systems & Predictable Outcomes

• Institutionalize a repeatable sales management operating rhythm: QBRs, forecast reviews, and AE development plans.
• Improve regional forecast accuracy to ±5%; increase average deal size by ≥10% while meeting or exceeding team quota.
• Launch a repeatable cross-functional playbook with Customer Success and Partner teams to drive expansion opportunities.
• Drive measurable lift in win rates and ACV (+10–15%).

Success Metric: Consistent quota attainment across team; pipeline growth ≥25%; adoption of structured sales frameworks across EMEA.

Ongoing – Leadership & Strategic Enablement

• Continue developing the EMEA sales team through performance reviews, enablement alignment, and career pathing.
• Lead with data: monitor and report key GTM metrics (pipeline health, win rate, forecast accuracy, deal velocity) to senior leadership.
• Partner with Enablement and Marketing to optimize messaging, positioning, and field readiness.
• Serve as a regional ambassador for OpenSesame’s mission — building trusted relationships with customers, partners, and internal stakeholders.

 Success Metric: Sustained team quota achievement and regional growth; recognized as a high-impact sales leader driving scale and consistency.

Location: This position can be based anywhere in EMEA (UK, Ireland, DACH, France, Benelux). We operate as a remote-first company, and invest in mandatory all-company meetings several times a year in addition to required team travel as necessary. This role requires regional travel across EMEA (approximately 25–30%) for customer meetings, team collaboration, and industry events.

Performance Driven: We're looking for self-starters with a track record of delivering excellent results, but we're highly selective about who we hire. We don't focus on typical job requirements; instead, we're interested in specific examples from your past experiences. 

Compensation: At OpenSesame, we offer a comprehensive benefits package to employees upon hire, including ISOs, health insurance, and paid time off. We carefully consider a wide range of compensation factors, relying on market data to determine compensation and consider your specific job family, background, skills, and experience. 

Equal Employment Opportunity: OpenSesame is an Equal Employment Opportunity and Affirmative Action employer that values and welcomes diversity. We do not discriminate on the basis of various legally protected characteristics, including criminal history, and strive to provide reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. We prioritize safety and security and may use your information accordingly, and you can contact us for assistance or accommodations during the job application process. 

Pay Transparency: At OpenSesame, we prioritize pay transparency, fairness, and equity to create a positive and inclusive work environment, regularly reviewing our compensation practices to align with our values and goals. We provide competitive and fair compensation to our employees based on their skills, experience, and performance.

We Care About Your Security: We’ve been made aware of a phishing scam involving individuals impersonating OpenSesame recruiters. All legitimate communication from our team will come from @opensesame.com email addresses. If you receive a suspicious message, please contact us directly at [email protected]. Your security matters to us, thank you for staying vigilant.