Team Lead AE (Player-Coach)

What we are building

Atecoplanet , we're building the operating system for the energy transition. Our AI-powered platform turns energy management from a cost center into a competitive advantage for European manufacturers — saving energy costs and unlocking operational efficiency. Backed by EQT Ventures, HV Capital and more and built by a team full of top-tier talent.
We're maturing our go-to-market engine — and we need a player-coach to lead the next chapter.

Why This Role Matters

We're not looking for someone who wants to manage from the sideline. You're the person who carries a book of business, closes deals, AND elevates the team and playbook around you.
As our first dedicated sales leader, you'll take a proven founder-involved sales motion and turn it into a scalable, repeatable machine. You'll own a quota, coach AEs, and sharpen how we sell — with a clear path to growing this into a Head of Sales role as the team scales.

What You’ll Achieve

Carry a quota and close deals (50–60% of time)

• Own and close your own pipeline of mid-market manufacturing deals
• Run the full cycle from discovery through close for your accounts
• Lead by example — your deal execution sets the standard for the team
• Build business cases from first principles, not templates — every customer's P&L is different

Elevate and coach the AE team (30–40% of time)

• Lead and develop a team of 2–3 AEs
• Run weekly 1:1s, deal reviews, and pipeline coaching sessions
• Provide real-time feedback on calls, demos, and business case presentations
• Set and track individual and team KPIs (pipeline coverage, win rates, cycle times, deal quality)
• Own operational enablement — make sure AEs have what they need to sell, not just what they need to report

Sharpen the sales playbook — and make it faster

• Take what's working and make it more repeatable, more structured, more scalable — qualification criteria, demo frameworks, objection handling, pricing negotiations
• Evolve our sales methodology together with the founders and GTM team
• Tighten stage-gate criteria and raise deal hygiene standards across the team
• Improve onboarding so new AEs ramp in <90 days
• Relentlessly identify inefficiencies in the sales process and remove them — shorter cycles, less manual work, higher conversion
• Leverage AI tooling to automate repetitive tasks, improve pipeline intelligence, and free up selling time for the team

Drive pipeline strategy and reporting

• Own pipeline visibility across all stages — scenario planning, rolling averages, conversion funnels
• Provide structured feedback to Marketing and SDR on lead quality, ICP refinement, and messaging
• Collaborate with Product on feature prioritization based on deal intelligence
• Own forecasting accuracy for the AE team — pipeline reviews, commit calls, risk flagging
• Report on sales performance and insights to leadership

What Sets You Up for Success

Must-haves

• 5+ years of B2B SaaS closing experience with a track record of consistent quota attainment
• 1+ years of formal or informal team lead / coaching experience — you've helped other reps get better, not just outperformed them
• Experience selling into manufacturing , industrial, or energy-adjacent verticals
• Strategic thinker — you can build a business case from scratch, understand unit economics, and articulate customer value beyond feature lists
• Energized by improving — you thrive in environments where there's a working foundation and your job is to make it significantly better
• Process-driven with a bias for efficiency — you don't just close deals, you improve the system around it. You're convinced that most sales processes can be significantly leaner — and you actively look for ways to make that happen, including through AI and automation
• Professional proficiency in German (C2) and English , written and spoken
• Own point of view — you question assumptions, contribute ideas beyond your own pipeline, and push back constructively when you see a better way

Nice-to-haves

• Experience at a high-growth startup where you helped mature the sales motion
• Familiarity with energy management, sustainability, or climate-tech
• Experience with structured sales methodologies (MEDDIC, BANT, Challenger, or similar)
• HubSpot CRM expertise
• Existing network in German Mittelstand / manufacturing

How You’ll Grow

What You Get

• Competitive compensation: attractive OTE (base + variable) with team-level accelerators, plus VSOP participation
• Benefits: Jobrad, EGYM Wellpass, and more
• Flexibility: hybrid from our Munich office (3 days in-office, flexible beyond that)
• Career path: this role is designed to grow into Head of Sales as the team scales
• Real impact: you're taking something that works and making it world-class. Your fingerprints will be on every deal, every process, every hire

The Application

We don't do long forms. We don't do generic cover letters. Send us your CV and tell us why this role excites you.