VP of Sales and Recruitment: AI and Robotics in London

Vice President – Build and Lead a New AI Recruitment Desk (DACH)

London | £60,000–£80,000 base + commission + EMI share options | Operational Board seat

Most recruitment businesses talk about an exit. This one has a plan, a timeline and the backing to deliver it.

My client is an investor-backed specialist AI search firm with one ambition: to be the leading AI recruiter worldwide. They are under three years old and growing fast in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, with the US to follow next year. The founder has more than 20 years in search and three successful exits from businesses he helped scale from the ground up. The investors are a fast-moving family office with deep experience in recruitment businesses. Leadership and investors are fully aligned on the goal of a first-stage valuation of £50m.

They are now hiring Vice Presidents to build new teams from £0 to £1m NFI.

The opportunity

AI is the biggest hiring story of the decade, and nobody owns the market yet. Every industry, from automotive and defence to finance, manufacturing and healthcare, is competing for the same small pool of AI and data talent. Germany is at the centre of Europe's AI build-out, with record venture funding, major corporate investment and a serious shortage of specialist engineers.

The business is built around hyper-niche teams that mirror how their clients operate, so every desk has deep knowledge of, and complete coverage across, the market it serves. Their markets include:

• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Data science, data engineering and data architecture
• Analytics and business intelligence
• Physical AI and robotics: autonomous systems, drones, humanoids, smart factories
• Industry 4.0: AI-driven manufacturing and automation

As a VP, you'll build and lead a team in one of these markets and make it the No.1 desk in its space.

What you'll own

• Your P&L: full ownership of NFI, EBITDA and headcount.
• Your team: hire, develop and lead a team built in your own image.
• Your market: set the strategy, win the anchor clients and become known as the go-to partner in your space.
• A seat at the table: sit on the Operational Board and help shape the business on its way to exit.

What's in it for you

• EMI share options: at VP level and above you get a meaningful stake in a business with a clear, five-year route to exit. This could be genuinely life-changing equity.
• A path to the top: a defined pathway from VP to SVP, MD and Partner, up to CEO as part of the succession plan.
• Leadership development: external coaching and a place on the Next Level Leadership Programme at London Business School.
• Commission: uncapped, invoiced on contract signature rather than start date.
• US expansion: a ground-floor role in the US launch next year.
• Incentive trips: four a year for hitting target.
• Culture: mature and ambitious, with wins celebrated properly.

Who you are

• A proven biller in a niche or technical market, ideally AI and data, deep tech, engineering, quant tech, cyber, semiconductors or defence. DACH experience is a strong advantage.
• Consistently billing £200k+ and either already leading people or more than ready to.
• Commercially sharp, with an entrepreneurial mindset and the drive to build something rather than inherit it.
• Hungry for equity, a board seat and the chance to be part of a real exit story

.

If you've been waiting for a business that gives you real equity, real autonomy and a real exit plan, this is it.

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