Vertical Sales Lead, Research Labs & Universities

WHAT YOU WILL DO:

• Sales Execution: Execute D-Wave's sales strategy within the Americas region to drive new business in the research labs and universities sector. You will identify research and education opportunities involving D-Wave quantum computing, and effectively communicate D-Wave’s vision, strategy, and product capabilities to faculty, researchers, students, and grant sources. 
• Team Leadership: Build, mentor, and motivate a high performing account team, including cross-functional internal resources, to pursue opportunities to land into new accounts, and expand business in existing accounts. 
• Market Research & Analysis: Work with a cross-functional team to define the landscape of use cases for Quantum computing in the research labs and universities sector. Profile target accounts to identify the faculty, researchers and grant sources for domain areas that would benefit from Quantum computing. 
• Relationship Building with Decision Makers and Influencers: Work as part of a cross-functional team to proactively engage with faculty, researchers and grant sources for Quantum computing use cases in the research labs and universities. Establish and cultivate relationships with faculty, researchers and grant sources to create opportunities that align the company’s solution with the research labs and universities’ needs and strategy. 
• Pipeline Building: Co-lead demand generation activities in the Americas targeting the research labs and universities sector in partnership with our Marketing team, selecting target accounts, representing D-Wave at conferences, seminars, and other events, qualifying new leads, delivering product presentations, and developing proposals that result in a growing pipeline of new opportunities.  
• Customer Proposals: Quarterback cross-functional teams to create customer proposals including managing submissions to RFI/RFP and their lifecycle of activities. 
• Actively participate in capture activities including proposal reviews and business case development 
• Ensure the development and submission of white papers and RFI/RFP responses to proactively shape strategic opportunities. 
• Conduct after-action reviews for all pre and post proposal activities to document lessons learned and identify necessary adjustments to capture technique, strategy, and actions. 
• Deal Closing: Work with Sales Operations, Legal, Finance and Professional Services to prepare a contract packet for customer signature. Negotiate subscription services, professional services, financial terms, and legal terms with customer’s representatives from operations, IT, procurement and legal.  Address customer’s vendor qualification requirements such as information security reviews and customer references. Support the customer’s activities to establish D-Wave as a vendor in the customer’s procurement systems and issue the applicable documents such as the customer’s purchase order. 
• Customer Success: Co-lead the effort to select and position D-Wave products and services to meet individual customer needs by understanding their research and educational challenges and creating value propositions tailored to their unique situation. 
• Quota Attainment: Drive your personal activities and your account teams to achieve and exceed your targets while accurately forecasting new bookings. 

YOU ARE:

• Someone with 15+ years of experience selling high value enterprise SaaS products and solutions in research applications, data analytics, or data science market categories in the research labs and universities sector. 
• A sales leader with experience growing bookings from past first customer to$5M+ yearly in an enterprise SaaS vendor. 
• Demonstrated successes in building an opportunity pipeline in the research labs and universities sector. 
• A quarterback of fast-growing, solution-oriented, customer-focused, industry-savvy account teams with a proven track record in targeted value-based selling.  
• Well connected with existing customer relationships across several functions into leading research labs and universities. 
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to convey technical concepts to diverse audiences. 
• Intellectually curious, honest, with integrity and a passion for discovery and success.  
• College educated with a PhD degree in Computer Science, or related STEM field degree. 
• Willing to travel frequently (up to 50%+), including some international travel in the Americas.

A D-WAVER'S DNA:

• We look at the future and say “why not”; we see possibilities where others see problems or routines. We show the way ahead and are committed to achieving ambitious goals. 
• We practice straight talk and listen generously to each other with empathy. We value different opinions and points of views. We ensure that we connect outside as well as inside to learn from others and inspire each other. 
• We hold ourselves accountable for delivering results. We make decisions and take responsibility, so that we can act and support each other. 
• As leaders, we motivate and engage our teams to go beyond what was originally thought possible, by developing our people and creating the conditions for them to grow and empower themselves through enabling and coaching.  

INCLUSION:

• We celebrate diverse perspectives to drive innovation in our pursuit. Our employees range from distinguished domain experts with decades of experience in their respective fields to bright and motivated graduates eager to make their mark. 
• Our diverse and innovative team will make you feel appreciated, supported and empower your career growth at D-Wave.