Strategic Accounts Sales Director in London

Thought Machine’s mission is bold - to properly and permanently rid the world’s banks of legacy technology. To achieve this, we have developed the foundations of modern banking through core and payments technology which run natively in the cloud. We have grown rapidly in the past few years, growing our team to more than 550 individuals across offices in London, New York, Singapore and Sydney. We have raised more than $500m in funding and are now valued at $2.7bn.

Thought Machine is building the next generation infrastructure for the world's largest banks. Our core banking and payments platforms are widely acknowledged as being far ahead of the competition and being a main driver of IT in the Tier 1 banks.

We are looking to expand our sales team by hiring a Strategic Accounts Sales Director. In this role you will have exclusive focus on winning new business from the largest banks in Europe. You will work with a dedicated team across the rest of the company to land these banks and set each up for long term success with Thought Machine.

Duties

• Develop and deliver proposals that directly address the priorities, strategic objectives, and critical needs of Tier 1 banks in EMEA.
• Build and nurture multi-level relationships—executive sponsors, influencers, and decision-makers—across targeted institutions to stimulate interest and drive pipeline growth.
• Consistently exceed annual EMEA sales targets for software licensing and professional services contracts within the Tier 1 banking segment.
• Partner with sales engineers, delivery, and marketing teams to design and execute highly targeted campaigns for Tier 1 financial institutions.
• Prioritise high-probability opportunities while also cultivating long-term strategic engagements with key banking clients.
• Understand the specific challenges, regulatory environments, and transformation agendas facing Tier 1 banks, collaborating with internal product and engineering teams to deliver relevant solutions.
• Build and execute a Tier 1 banking–focused EMEA sales plan that drives sustainable growth.

Requirements

• Extensive experience of selling into Tier 1 banks.
• Proven track record of selling complex enterprise software.
• Ability to navigate the complexity of Tier 1 bank organisations with regard to stakeholders, budget holders.
• Experience in fast-moving start-ups or enterprise software sales in more established businesses.
• Good understanding of issues facing retail banks regarding their legacy platforms, including technological, regulatory, and commercial pressures.
• Knowledge and experience of banking procurement practices and processes, and the typical sales lifecycle for selling enterprise platforms into banks.
• Bring energy, gravitas, and enthusiasm to conversations.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and commission.
• Pension plan (match up to 5%).
• Life insurance - three times annual salary.
• Competitive maternity (six months fully paid) and paternity leave (four weeks fully paid).
• Shared parental leave (matched to our maternity leave for the same point in time).
• 25 days holiday and bank holidays.
• Flexible working hours.
• Cycle-to-work scheme.
• Electric car scheme.
• Season ticket loan.
• Access to outstanding learning materials and courses.
• Sports and hobby clubs, subsidised by Thought Machine.
• All the latest tech you need.
• Start the day properly with fresh fruit and cereals.
• Huge range of healthy (and not-so-healthy) snacks, smoothies and drinks.
• A talented and experienced team as your colleagues.
• An environment where we encourage learning and progress.
• Two charity days a year.
• Weekly food pop-up.