🧑💼 the position
We're hiring a Founding Sales Lead to own commercial expansion at Versant. You'll work alongside Martin (CEO) to convert our growing pipeline of French project developers — solar, wind, and adjacent infrastructure — into signed, recurring contracts, and to turn our existing customers into long-term strategic accounts.
You inherit a validated product, and an active pipeline of named accounts (EDF, Engie, Corsica Sole, Verso Energy, Neoen, and more). In return, we want you to own it — the pipeline, the playbook, the pricing conversations, the negotiations, the relationships, the numbers.
This is not a role for someone who needs an established motion handed to them. The first version of our deals playbook exists; you'll iterate on it, codify what works, kill what doesn't, and build the foundation that the next AEs we hire will run on.
This role is perfect for someone who wants to use their commercial skills to actually move the needle on biodiversity loss and the energy transition — and who believes that a great sales hire in a young company is as much a builder as anyone else on the team.
📍 Location: Paris @ Morning Sofia, Paris 75018 — in-person, with the team.
💼 Job Type: Full-time (CDI)
📆 Start date: as soon as possible. Flexible for the right candidate.
🧩 what you'll do
This is the founding sales role — you own how revenue gets made at Versant. The details will evolve, but the core is:
- Close deals with French project developers — Run the full cycle from first conversation to signature with developers in infrastructure (renewable energy, construction, etc). Deals today land between €25k and €200k+.
- Turn customers into long-term partners — Take one-shot projects and grow them into recurring contracts. Become the commercial face of Versant for a roster of customers most of the renewables industry knows by name.
- Write the playbook the next team will run on — You'll inherit a working motion and a CEO who's been doing this work himself. From there it's yours: ICP, discovery, pricing, contracts, the deals you go after. What you write down today defines how Versant sells for years.
- Be the voice of the market inside Versant — You'll sit at the table with the founders. What you hear in the field shapes what product builds, how science prioritizes, and where we go next.
- Own your number — Real targets, set together with the CEO, reviewed every month. You'll know what good looks like, and you'll have the autonomy to get there.
Please note these are examples. This may vary based on company needs.
🥇 you are the "ideal" candidate for this position if:
Sales experience
- You have 5+ years of B2B sales experience, with a clear track record of closing complex deals in the €25k and €200k+ range.
- You have sold into French project developers, energy, or infrastructure firms — or into a closely adjacent market (environmental consultancies, GIS / geospatial software, engineering services to renewables).
- You have built or meaningfully contributed to a deals playbook before — you can show us what you wrote down, not just what you closed.
- You are comfortable selling a technical, science-backed product to mixed audiences (chef de projet, directeur de développement, in-house ecologists, sometimes legal).
- You know how to run a multi-stakeholder, multi-month enterprise deal without losing momentum.
Other skills
- You are mission-driven, eager to have a tangible impact on biodiversity and the energy transition.
- You are structured and rigorous — your CRM is clean, your forecasts are honest, your follow-ups are on time.
- You are client-oriented, at ease in written and spoken communication, and you adapt your message to the audience in front of you.
- You are quick to learn, curious about both business and technical topics, and not afraid to dig into the ecology behind what we sell.
- You enjoy working in small, fast-moving teams, and thrive in ambiguity.
- Bonus: existing network among French or German project developers (solar, wind, hydrogen, storage), or a background in renewable energy project development itself.
🤺 hard(-er) qualifications
- You are fluent in French (this is non-negotiable for this role — our customers, contracts, and deal conversations are in French).
- You are professionally fluent in English (working language internally is English).
- You are based in Paris or able to relocate, and you can work in-person from our office in the 10ème — sales at this stage is a team sport.
- You are comfortable with client visits across France and Europe.
⭐ What we can offer
Joining Versant means stepping into a true entrepreneurial journey alongside an international, committed team.
- Impact — work on real solutions to one of the most under-addressed environmental problems: biodiversity loss in the path of the energy transition.
- Ownership — you'll own the sales function. You'll have the trust and autonomy to build it the way you believe it should be built, with the support of a CEO who has been doing this work himself.
- Builder's seat — you are joining at the inflection point between pre-seed and seed. The playbook you write will define how we sell for years.
- Growth — direct exposure to founders, board, and customers. As we scale, this role grows into a Head of Sales seat for the candidate who earns it.
- Flexibility — Paris-based, in-person, with the trust and autonomy to manage your own time and your own pipeline.
- Competitive Compensation — base salary aligned with senior commercial experience, an uncapped meaningful variable component tied to signed ARR and recurring contracts, BSPCE stock options, 100% coverage mutuelle through Alan, and employee benefits through May.
🧬 diversity, equity, and inclusion
We are building a diverse team with a wide set of backgrounds. Even if you do not believe you may hold all of the requirements for the position, we still encourage you to apply. Willingness to learn is one of the core values of our company.
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