Sales Director, North America

The Business

illuma is a British AI company pioneering contextual solutions for enterprise since 2014. Its real-time scaling technology is used by brands and agencies to boost the results of digital advertising campaigns. Meanwhile, broadcasters, publishers and online platforms use illuma to organize, classify and categorize their inventory for commercial activation.

illuma is committed to sustaining the open web ecosystem through equitable collaborations between adtech providers and media owners. The company is proudly building industry-first agreements that recognize publishers' intellectual property rights, and in turn, deliver better outcomes for brands and audiences.
illuma is a leading voice in contextual adtech, and our news, commentary and success stories are reported in titles such as The Guardian, Digiday and ExchangeWire.

illuma was founded in 2014 by publishing experts and computer scientists from Imperial College, UCL and Cambridge University. The company is based in London with additional offices in New York.

At illuma we are curious, innovative, and progressive, committed to seeking new, intelligent solutions to business problems. You will be working with and learning from some of the brightest minds in AI, tech and data science, and you won’t be just a cog in a wheel, you will have an active voice with the opportunity to make real impact and grow your career with us as we scale.

The Role

At illuma we differentiate in a cluttered technology sector by challenging most of the norms of mainstream data-driven advertising by using AI to work reactively in real-time thinking relevance and expanding success.  We are on a mission to grow and due to expansion, we are now excited to build our New York based Sales team.   

As Sales Director you will be responsible for expanding the business and increasing profitability, leveraging your current contacts and the company’s existing business relationships and credibility. You will be comfortable with driving both strategy and execution in a highly entrepreneurial environment, operating with agility and speed.

As this is a hands-on position you will dive deep into the details of all illuma’s varied products and services and add-value at all levels of planning from strategy to implementation. You will be responsible for forward-looking strategies alongside ensuring current campaigns and business are executed flawlessly.

You will be responsible for driving sales growth among the largest media agencies and brands in the US market.  You will be passionate and curious; demonstrating your desire to scale and develop our US business.  We will give you the tools and knowledge to build your network fast.

You will be excited about AI and emerging technologies, and enjoy working in an agile, growing entrepreneurial business.  

Key responsibilities and accountabilities

• Develop, manage and grow a wide portfolio of new accounts in multiple US markets.
• Analyse the market opportunity and develop a strategy to identify and target potential new accounts.  
• Size new opportunities and establish discipline and clear prioritisation for who they target and where they spend their time. 
• Develop and refine go-to-market value propositions by client segment and market.
• Articulate the unique value, features, and benefits of illuma in comparison to other competitor options.
• Compelling and convincingly present / pitch to agencies and brands, in both individual and group meetings.
• Achieve, and exceed, quarterly and annual revenue targets.
• Provide regular updates to Sales Leadership on revenue forecasting, account progress and challenges that require attention and assistance.
• Build a well-organized and updated pipeline. Deliver accurate, but ambitious, revenue forecasts. 
• Understand client expectations intimately and begin to anticipate their responses ahead of delivering work. Act quickly when addressing obstacles and requests that need attention and prioritize appropriately.
• Collaborate with global commercial colleagues on account progress and strategy. 
• Participate in product roadmap discussions based on evidence of client demand. 
• Write proposals and respond to RFPs in a timely fashion.
• Represent the company at industry-leading events.
• Travel when needed.
• Be a positive contributor to the growing illuma company culture.

Requirements

• Sales experience in digital media; selling in the programmatic space specifically is preferred.
• A proven track record of consistently achieving revenue goals.
• A relevant network of agency and enterprise contacts.
• Proficient in the language of programmatic advertising and knowledge of the systems and technology in this sector. Extensive knowledge of Business Development.
• Creative and able to drive innovation.
• Consultative approach and demonstrable passion in helping brands successfully navigate their business problems.
• A curious mindset in being able to work with clients and agencies at all levels.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Highly competent multi-tasker who has the ability to move quickly and definitively when making decisions.
• An expert in the interpretation of marketing and digital data to improve performance and provide strategic insight and recommendations.
• Excellent working knowledge of Salesforce plus MS Office including PowerPoint, Word, Excel and Outlook and adeptness at working with new computer software. 

Benefits

Our total rewards packages include 20 vacation days plus US public holidays and medical insurance allowance. Compensation for this role is expected to be between $100,000 and $230,000. Actual base pay may be higher or lower depending on geographic locations, skills, experience, and other factors permitted by law.