Senior Data & AI Sales Executive – Global Clients in London

Location: London/Hybrid

Salary: Up to £120K Basic + Comms + Bens

Who Are We?

SDG Group are a global consultancy, solely focused on delivering Data & Analytics Solutions for clients in markets such as Pharmaceuticals and Life Sciences, Financial Services, Retail and CPG, Automotive and Manufacturing. We specialise in the delivery of Modern Cloud Data Solutions for many clients in our chosen target markets. Using innovative technologies, we deliver data pipelines, cloud data architectures, advanced analytical and AI/ML solutions.

Who are we looking for?

Senior Individual Contributor / Strategic Hunter & Farmer

1. The Role: "Entrepreneurial Hunter"

We are seeking an experienced sales professional who is fully autonomous and possesses a strong "entrepreneurial spirit". This is a high-impact, individual contributor role; we are not looking for a People Manager. The candidate must be comfortable operating in a high-stakes environment and demonstrate a bold approach to complex business challenges.

Operational Synergy: The "SDG Symbiosis"

While sales can often feel like a "lonely" activity, at SDG Group—and specifically within Global Clients—success is a team sport.

Operations as a Partner: You will work in total alignment with our Operations team. They act as your high-end Pre‐sales, drafting technical proposals and ensuring flawless project execution.

Collaborative Culture: Constant communication and strategic alignment with Operations are crucial to ensure that what we sell is innovative, feasible, and scalable.

Key Responsibilities:

• Hunting & Revamping: The candidate must excel at opening doors from scratch (Hunting) but also at scaling existing accounts (Revamping). This involves cross‐selling, expanding into new departments within the same organization, and penetrating international subsidiaries.
• Account Management (Sales Perspective): In SDG Group, Operations leads the "ownership" of the account. However, for strategic and new accounts, the Sales Executive plays a critical role as the Account Manager from a Sales perspective. You will co‐lead the Account Plan alongside the Operations Lead, maintaining total freedom to develop and grow your assigned accounts (revamping).
• Partner Management: Act as the primary point of contact for our strategic Technology Partners (Snowflake, Databricks, etc.) in assigned markets. You will co‐sell, manage referrals, and align our go‐to‐market strategies with their local teams.
• Strategic Execution: Design tailored entry strategies for "Mighty Mid‐Market" accounts and execute them relentlessly from initial contact to contract signature.

Role Expectations & Attributes

• Proactive "Self‐Starter" Mindset: We need someone who identifies targets and creates opportunities where others see obstacles. You don't wait for a lead; you build the path to it.
• Boldness: The courage to challenge the status quo and navigate the complex procurement and bureaucratic layers of large global organizations.
• Consultative Selling: Ability to engage in peer‐to‐peer conversations with CDOs, CIOs, or IT Directors, translating technical capabilities into business value.
• Travel Readiness: Managing global accounts requires a willingness to travel approximately 25% of the time, primarily within Europe and occasionally to the United States.

Role Experience:

Sales Performance:

• Proven Track Record: Consistently meeting or exceeding sales targets for professional services. Experience with a proven track record selling software is a plus but not mandatory.
• Recruitment Screening Focus: The candidate's performance over the past two years, specifically requesting their targets (Hunting vs. Revamping) and their annual attainment/completion rates. The number of new logos landed by year in the past two years and the average size of the companies.
• Main Lead Sources: BDR Team, Events, Inbound Leads (Marketing), Partners and which ones, own hunting activities, colleagues' referrals, etc.
• Pipeline Management: Ability to independently generate and qualify leads within the Upper Mid Market and Enterprise Segment (€600M – €4B turnover).

Client Acquisition & Retention:

• Strategic Account Planning: Experience building long‐term roadmaps to position SDG as a strategic partner rather than a commodity vendor.
• Contracting Models: Proficiency in closing deals under both Fixed Price and Working Packages (Managed Time & Materials Service) models. If the candidate only has experience working on body shopping models it would be a problem.
• Deal Size & Complexity: Experience managing complex sales cycles (6–12 months) involving multiple global stakeholders and procurement departments. Ability to navigate the bureaucracy of large enterprises without losing commercial momentum.
• Sales Methodologies and Techniques: Utilized effective sales methodologies such as consultative selling, solution selling, or value‐based selling. Demonstrated strong negotiation skills and the ability to overcome objections. Proficient in using CRM tools to manage sales activities and track progress (Hubspot).

Industry and Market Knowledge:

• Deep understanding of the data and analytics industry, including market trends, competitors, and customer pain points. Experience selling data‐driven solutions or analytics software/services to relevant industries (e.g., healthcare, finance, retail).

Partner Knowledge

• Ability to collaborate effectively with partners within the Data & AI ecosystem. Understanding of partnership dynamics.

Candidate Profile

• Minimum Experience: 5–9 years of experience in selling professional services within Data Consulting, Analytics, or AI.
• Previous Position: Account Executive; Business Development Manager; Sales Manager; Sales Manager Data & Analytics, Sales Executive, Senior Sales Executive, etc.
• Professional Background: Local or Regional Data & AI Boutique firms; Global Data & AI companies.
• Education: Bachelor's degree in Business, Engineering, or a related field. A Master's degree in Data & Analytics or AI is valued.
• Languages (Mandatory): English Native/Bilingual. English: Full Professional Proficiency, capable of negotiating complex global contracts. French or German: A significant advantage given the current strategic focus of the unit.