Account Manager

Who They Are:

A well-funded, pre-seed startup in Zurich, founded by PhD-level engineers building autonomous physical security - AI that connects camera streams to robotic response. Small team. Sales has been founder-led until now.

The Role:

This is the first commercial hire. You take sales off the founders' plate and build the function from zero: pipeline, pilots, playbook, process. You start by co-selling with the CEO and grow into Head of Sales as the company scales. You'll sell across enterprise, critical infrastructure, and defence.

What You'll Do:

- Own the full B2B/B2G sales cycle end to end, co-selling with the CEO at first
- Self-source pipeline - no inbound to lean on
- Scope, sell, and run paid pilots that convert into long-term contracts
- Land and expand inside accounts to grow recurring revenue
- Build the playbook, process, and CRM discipline yourself
- Hire and lead the sales team as things scale

What You Need:

- 3+ years full-cycle B2B sales with a real closing record
- Proven ability to self-source pipeline
- Early-stage experience - comfortable with ambiguity and no playbook
- Enough technical literacy to sell a complex product to sophisticated buyers
- Eligible to work on defence-related projects (nationality from a NATO or allied country)
- Based in Zurich or willing to relocate and work on-site

Bonus Points:

- Selling into government or defence (procurement, RFPs, framework agreements)
- Deeptech, hardware, robotics, computer vision, or complex enterprise software
- A network of security operators, integrators, or buyers in DACH or the UK
- German

Not a Fit If:

- You can't meet the defence-eligibility requirement above
- You won't relocate to Zurich
- You need a ready-made playbook or a steady inbound flow

Offer:

Component Range (CHF) Base 120,000 - 150,000 OTE (base + variable at target) 200,000 - 260,000 Split ~60/40 or 50/50 base/variable Equity 0.5% - 1.5% (founding-hire band)