Sales Director - Zurich Based

About August

August is a full-service real estate development and lifestyle company, based in London. We create and manage beautifully designed holiday home collections across Europe — each one rooted in the character of its place, shaped by Studio RIO London, and looked after with the kind of care that makes arriving feel effortless. Our homeowners are globally mobile families and individuals who want the beauty of a second home without the weight of managing one. We give them that — through considered design, seamless service, and a community built around how they want to live. Founded in 2018, August has grown steadily into a premier platform for European holiday homes. We are now entering our most ambitious phase of growth.

The role

This is a pure relationship role. There is no team to manage, no direct reports, no internal politics to navigate. There is only the work: building deep, trusted relationships with the kind of people who buy August homes, and guiding them — with patience, craft, and absolute conviction — toward a decision that is right for them. Average share values now sit at €720k and are rising toward €1.5m. The homeowners at this level are not responding to pitches. They are responding to people — to presence, warmth, and the kind of fluency in how they live that takes years to develop. That is what we are looking for. You will work closely with the General Manager, operating within a clear market strategy and a well-resourced commercial team. Your singular focus is conversion — taking warm, well-qualified introductions and turning them, over months, into committed August homeowners.

Why this role, and why now

August is deliberately moving upmarket. The way we sell is changing to match: consultative and unhurried, relationship-led rather than transactional, with gravitas at every touchpoint. We are building commercial teams in the UK, BENELUX, and Switzerland — each one structured to work at the highest level of the market. The Sales Director sits at the heart of that model. This is not a support role or a stepping stone. It is one of the most important positions in the business — the person who, more than anyone else, determines whether August’s growth ambitions are realised.

What You’ll Own

• RELATIONSHIPS AND CONVERSION
  • Own the full sales journey from warm introduction to signed share agreement — a process that typically spans months and is driven by trust, not pressure.
  • Host immersive property previews at August homes, designing experiences that bring the seamless ownership proposition to life.
  • Conduct private conversations, intimate dinners, and curated site visits that give prospective homeowners the space and information to make a considered decision.
  • Manage a personal pipeline of qualified prospects with discipline and care, ensuring every relationship is nurtured through to a natural conclusion.
  • Target 40 conversions per year, achieved through depth of relationship rather than volume of activity.
• STRATEGY AND PROCESS
  • Work within the framework set by the General Manager, contributing market intelligence and prospect insight that sharpens the team’s approach.
  • Operate with rigour in HubSpot — maintaining pipeline accuracy, logging all touchpoints, and using automation and AI tools to add personal texture to long‑cycle nurture sequences.
  • Champion process integrity: follow the agreed ways of working, uphold CRM standards, and contribute to a forecasting culture the business can rely on.
  • Design and refine your own outreach and nurture approaches within the agreed playbook — thoughtful, personalised, and always on brand.
• NETWORK AND PARTNERSHIPS
  • Develop and sustain referral relationships with wealth managers, private bankers, family offices, and lifestyle concierges who work with the people August is for.
  • Represent August at carefully selected events — art fairs, private school gatherings, sporting occasions, cultural moments — where introductions happen naturally.
  • Contribute to the development of partnership channels in close collaboration with the General Manager, identifying new networks and institutions where August should be present.
  • Manage relationships with existing homeowners as a source of referral, maintaining the warmth and care that defines the August experience long after a share is signed.
• COMMUNICATION AND COLLABORATION
  • Communicate with prospective homeowners at the highest level — written and verbal — with the poise and clarity that complex, high-value decisions require.
  • Work in close alignment with the General Manager, the marketing team, and London HQ — contributing to content briefs, campaign intelligence, and the broader commercial team’s learning.
  • Report pipeline progress, prospect feedback, and market observations with honesty and precision — the kind of transparency that makes planning possible.

Who You Are

You have spent your career in rooms where trust is currency and relationships are measured in years, not meetings. You understand that the people who buy August homes are not buying a property — they are buying a life, and they need to believe in the person who is selling it to them before they will sign anything. You are resilient. The sales cycles are long, the conversations are complex, and conviction is tested regularly. You do not find that exhausting — you find it motivating.

Essential

• 15 – 20 years of experience in high‑value relationship management: private banking, family offices, luxury real estate, superyacht brokerage, or premium hospitality at the highest level.
• Advanced commercial capability and deep expertise in navigating long, complex sales processes with discretion and patience.
• An established personal network within the HNW community — people who will take your call and trust your recommendation.
• Board‑level presence and personal gravitas: as credible in a private members’ club as in a formal financial setting.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication — the kind that moves people without appearing to try.
• Disciplined and rigorous in how you manage your pipeline, your time, and your commitments — tenacious without being transactional.
• Fluent in English; fluency in the local market language essential.
• Willing to travel significantly across Europe for previews, events, and relationship building.

Desirable

• Additional European languages.
• Experience across multiple HNW sectors.
• Familiarity with HubSpot, Gong, and AI‑enabled sales and nurture tools.
• Exposure to fractional ownership, private members’ clubs, or other relationship‑led premium models.

How Success Is Measured

• 40 share conversions per year.
• Average deal value at or above market target (€720k+, rising).
• Pipeline‑to‑close ratio and SQL‑to‑conversion time.
• CRM completeness and forecast accuracy.
• Homeowner satisfaction and referral rate.

AI & Ways of Working

All August team members are expected to progress through the August AI framework. For this role, you will be expected to be on level L1 with a clear pathway to get to L2.

What We Offer

• Competitive compensation: a performance‑led salary alongside commission and bonus structures that reflect the seniority and ambition of the role.
• The August way of working: hybrid, high‑performance, entrepreneurial — fewer meetings, more craft.
• Clear progression paths and dedicated mentorship within a company that is growing deliberately and well.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, company closure over Christmas, and early finishes on selected Fridays through the summer.
• Private health insurance following a successful probation period.
• A company‑provided laptop and setup built for the way you work.
• An inclusive, diverse, and genuinely supportive team.

August values Resourcefulness — Ownership — Urgency — Kindness — Excellence — Openness.

How This Role Works

You will be based in your market city — Zurich — with time spent across Europe and at August homes, at partner events, and wherever the right relationships are being built.