Commercial Associate Manager

The way companies innovate is broken. The systems built to create and protect ideas can’t keep up with the pace of change. Today, 90% of S&P 500 company value is intangible (e.g., in intellectual property) - yet R&D and IP teams spend half their time buried in manual work, sifting through patents and paperwork instead of pushing the frontier forward. The tools of creating and protecting are stuck in the past. We’re here to fix that.

Ankar is building the AI operating system for innovation, reinventing how companies generate and protect their inventions. Our platform orchestrates how ideas become defensible IP with a suite of AI modules such as patent drafting, office action response, and infringement detection.

We’re at an inflection point: We’ve raised >$24M to date from Tier-1 VCs like Atomico, Index Ventures, Norrsken, Daphni, and angels like the Founder of Hugging Face, CEO from Datadog, and Leaders from DeepMind and OpenAI. We’re already working with the world’s most innovative companies including Fortune 500 company L’Oréal and global law firm Vorys. Expanding our world-class team with alumni from Palantir, Amazon, and BCG to tackle the $1T+ innovation market. We’re just getting started.

We are growing our team and looking for people who take ownership of ambitious projects, solve complex & high-impact problems, and do the best work of their career.

What you’ll be doing

• As our Commercial Associate Manager, you’ll lead and elevate our outbound engine, working closely with the Head of Sales and broader GTM team to build a high-performing team of Commercial Associates.
• Manage, coach, and develop a team of Commercial Associates, setting a high bar for execution, activity, and results.
• Lead by example - actively participate in outbound efforts including cold calls, power hours, and pipeline generation.
• Design, iterate, and optimize outbound strategies across channels (calls, LinkedIn, etc), continuously improving conversion rates.
• Own and refine tooling and data workflows (e.g. Clay, sequencing tools), ensuring the team is operating efficiently and leveraging best-in-class processes.
• Build scalable playbooks for prospecting, messaging, and qualification.
• Partner closely with AEs and Marketing to ensure strong pipeline quality and tight feedback loops.
• Track, analyze, and report on performance metrics, identifying areas for improvement and driving accountability.
• Hire and onboard new Commercial Associates as we scale.

What we are looking for

• 4+ years of experience in B2B SaaS sales or outbound roles, with at least some experience managing or mentoring others.
• Proven track record of generating pipeline through outbound efforts (calls, email, LinkedIn).
• Hands-on operator mindset - you enjoy being in the trenches and actively prospecting, not just managing.
• Strong experience with modern sales and outbound tooling (e.g. Hubspot, Clay, sequencing platforms) and a data-driven approach to prospecting.
• Analytical and process-oriented - you can break down funnels, identify bottlenecks, and implement improvements.
• Excellent communication and coaching skills, with the ability to motivate and develop high-performing individuals.
• High agency and ownership - you take initiative, move quickly, and continuously look for ways to improve performance.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, early-stage startup environment.

[Bonus points]

• Experience building outbound teams or functions from early stages.
• Experience selling or prospecting into enterprise, innovation, or IP teams.

What else you might want to know…

• Location: Hoxton Square, London (on-site role).
• Contract: Full-time.
• Compensation: We pay competitive salaries and will reward you with a substantial equity package under the tax-efficient EMI scheme.
• Hiring process: (1) 30min introductory chat, (2) 30min co-founder meeting, (3) 60min onsite. The process can be as fast you want it to be.