Principal, DACH.

The Opportunity

 

Working directly to the Global Head of Automotive & Mobility, you are an energetic, empathetic, and sales & execution-oriented Principal who will lead ​our business development & sales growth ​in​ ​Germany and the other DACH countries, (Austria and Switzerland), with a clear focus on revenue generation and associated profitability, (with other assignments, as may be required and agreed). 

This is a strategically important role in one of our ​most​ ​important market regions and the successful applicant will be a critical contributor to our revenue and profitability growth there. The chosen candidate will have a special focus on Automotive & Mobility, but will not be limited to that alone, as industries are converging all of the time. As our new Principal, DACH you will focus on acquiring new logos for Star, building the DACH client base across Automotive & Mobility, as well as serving the other verticals/sectors, such as discrete manufacturing, healthcare, life sciences and financial services/FinTech. The clear aim is to expand Star’s existing client revenues further and to generate significant revenue from new logos.

You will feel passionate about introducing the Star Way - a unique and organic blend of strategy, design, and engineering - to companies that embark on transformational business journeys or complex roadmap implementations, blending a mix of business development and sales orientation, client problem-solving skills and pragmatic, hard-headed sales execution, delivering on clear revenue goals.

You know how to open doors that may seem closed initially and build connections with all manner of decision-makers from C-level/executive level downwards, as well as with corporate intrapreneurs. You are well-versed in market trends and dynamics and have worked ideally both with major automotive & mobility clients, as well as clients in the discrete manufacturing, financial services/FinTech, healthcare/HealthTech & Life Science sectors for a number of years. You are a true challenger of convention who knows customers’ value drivers and can confidently take control of the customer conversation whilst offering a unique perspective and recommending solutions to client problems, leading to increased Star revenues.

As a Principal at Star, you will define, create, sell and run (as well as own) initiatives that will expand DACH revenues, increase margins and add to Star’s market share through our ability to attract, retain, and grow our customers via impactful, high-value-adding offerings and you will be able to do this in both the German and English languages.

Responsibilities:

Report to the Global Head of Automotive & Mobility on all business development, including sales and project-related activities, based upon clear business development and sales targets; Be a Star leader in client relationship development, client management/business development & sales and become recognized as such by clients in the DACH region for Automotive & Mobility, as well as for the other leading industry verticals within DACH, (as detailed above);  Lead DACH countries’ sales growth for Star, with a focus on new logo / new client acquisition and growing revenue with existing clients; Manage the entire sales lifecycle from research, opportunity identification & qualification through to closing deals, overseeing successful sales contract closing, ensuring effective delivery against client requirements, and last but not least, increasing client satisfaction; Take strategic responsibility for identifying target clients and businesses and defining a DACH sales plan, (working together with the Global Head of Automotive and Mobility as part of the overall Automotive and Mobility Business Plan) to cover core Automotive and Mobility, and other sectors as may be required; Identify​ ​opportunities​, both with ​existing​ ​and with​ ​prospective​, new clients;  Execute the sales plan and close projects with large enterprises, well-funded start-ups, and strategic investment portfolio businesses (private equity investments); Work closely with our strategy team, our Munich-based and other design teams, our wider engineering teams in Ukraine, Poland and Vietnam and our regulatory consulting team to generate a pipeline of high-potential projects in strategy and business operations, design (including consumer, industrial, and digital design), engineering and regulatory consulting, and sell these/close the deals; Spend a significant amount of time in the field in DACH, developing and leveraging relationships through personal meetings, presentations, and relevant networking with existing and potential clients; ​Work​ ​with clients​ ​and​ ​the broader Star ​team​ ​to​ ​determine​ project ​requirements​ ​and​ ​specifications; Build​ a unique​, client-centric ​value​ ​proposition​ for each target client, and ​​shape​ ​and​ ​close​ ​new​ ​projects​ ​with​ clients that are revenue-rich and profitable for Star; Own​ ​the​ ​commercial​ ​funnel for DACH, ​ensuring​ ​that ​there​ ​are high​-potential ​clients​ ​at​ ​each​ ​stage​​ ​and​​ ​a continuous​ ​and​ ​growing​ ​flow​ ​of​ ​new​ ​relationships,​ ​new​ ​deals​, ​and​ ​repeat​ clients; Drive operational efficiency and effectiveness by optimizing organizational processes, implementing best practices, and streamlining cross-functional collaboration; Influence junior team members and act as a mentor in their development, as well as taking ownership of projects with internal functional departments; Foster a culture of empowerment, providing opportunities for growth and professional development; Develop a high level of confidence, trust and credibility with clients based on the quality of work delivered by the team; Provide concise, mature, and constructive feedback where required.

Qualifications

You should :

Have 8-12 years’ proven experience in strategy, design, technology, and IT consulting services and in working in the digital world. This should be in either: a top management consulting firm;a technology and solution provider; and/ora technology solution provider to the automotive & mobility, discrete manufacturing, financial services/FinTech and healthcare & life sciences sectors. Provide thought leadership and specific knowledge of key topics, including emerging technology trends and cutting-edge developments; Demonstrate a proven ability to understand the challenges facing a typical enterprise client in the Automotive & Mobility sector, as well as in the other industry verticals/sectors detailed above;  Have an ability to meet consistently and over-achieve sales targets; Demonstrate the​ ability​ ​to​ ​manage​ ​all​ ​phases​ ​of​ ​the​ ​customer​ ​engagement​ ​and​ ​sales process, including but not limited to customer acquisition, sales, customer management, account management, and client development (both “hunting and farming”);  Possess a strategic mindset and experience using consultative​ ​approaches​ ​to​ ​bring​ ​new​ ​clients​ ​on​​ board​ ​through​ ​a​ ​disarming and empathetic​ ​attitude; Demonstrate exposure to the technology and corporate innovation ecosystems and experience engaging with C-level leaders and the management layers below, as well as with start-ups; Have experience with software platforms and technologies (the Web, mobile, cloud, embedded) and an early adopter mindset with a passion for the latest technology trends, apps, gadgets, and companies in Europe and globally; Demonstrate the ability to balance a self-starter mentality with the need to adhere to agreed processes;  Have the ability to lead and influence people by example, even those you are not reporting directly to and you should:mentor on both a formal basis (with assigned mentees) and an informal basis; encourage collaborative feedback interactions with all team members;have advanced proficiency in the German language, (being a native speaker or possessing near-native fluency), as well as excellent English for advanced business interactions.

You also should have:

A high-growth company mentality and willingness to challenge convention;  A clear focus on clients and solving their problems and success in bringing short, medium and longer-term revenues to Star; Leadership skills; A clear understanding of design thinking & software development and engineering processes;  A demonstrated ability to deal with differing customer groups across Automotive & Mobility, Discrete Manufacturing, Financial Services and FinTech, Healthcare and life Sciences; clients, start-ups and others within the DACH region; A willingness to ‘go the extra mile’ and seek to build longer-lasting client relationships and derive revenues from these.

What will you get

We offer a rewarding compensation and benefits package, an intellectually and creatively stimulating environment, professional flexibility and unique international travel opportunities. 

Star is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are key to our ability to provide our clients and crew members with unique business and career outcomes. Your race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability have no effect on our hiring decisions. If you have a special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.

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