Technical Sales Manager at Paragraf in Huntingdon, England, GB

Paragraf’s patented contamination-free deposition technology delivers game-changing opportunities for the commercialisation of graphene by allowing the manufacture high-purity graphene layers at scale.

Building on our proprietary graphene process, we are the first company in the world to mass produce graphene-based electronic devices using standard semiconductor processes enabling high-performance, cost-effective manufacturing. The company not only specialises in the production of high-purity graphene but also its seamless integration into ready to use products that can be quickly adopted by our customers and partners to support the advancement of their own technologies.

At Paragraf we are committed to materially transforming electronics through the development of high-purity graphene and other two-dimensional materials products that will facilitate massive improvements in the performance and significant reduction in the energy requirements and carbon footprints of technologies across all aspects of life.

Paragraf is a global company with separate R&D and manufacturing sites near Cambridge in the UK, an applications development lab in San Diego, USA, with subsidiary offices serving the APAC region in Shanghai, China and Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The role

This role is crucial to delivering revenues through sales and marketing in the UK and Europe. This results driven, hands on role will lead the Commercial team to deliver revenue, focus on proactive customer engagement, technical expertise, and sales performance. Alongside Commercial team colleagues, the Technical Sales Manager will work with the product and applications group to drive continued commercial success, aligning the technical developments with the identified needs of customer, generating sales leads and developing and delivering a sales pipeline to deliver strong revenue growth. The Technical Sales Manager will also lead the planning and execution of industry events, exhibitions, demonstrations, and customer engagement activities to strengthen market presence and generate new business opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Lead key sales activities to deliver sales revenues and growth in the UK and Europe for Paragraf through researched, well organised and proactively executed sales and marketing programmes.
• Utilise the processes and operations to underpin successful sales operations globally and ensure strong communication and collaboration internally to ensure excellent customer service.
• Own the CRM activities and tools and ensure the business is bought in, understanding of and engaged with the critical data entry and reporting processes of the system.
• Lead, develop, motivate, and manage the Technical Sales team, providing coaching, performance management, and professional development. Ensure the team delivers high-quality technical sales support throughout the customer journey, from initial enquiry through to solution implementation.
• Act as a bridge between the Applications and Product teams and the Commercial team to provide technical feedback to the sales force and commercial feedback to the technical teams.
• Ensure comprehensive market surveillance operations identify relevant additional opportunities as the performance of the products develop, continually scoping emerging and developing technology fields that may be applicable.
• Track and follow up requests from potential customers, partners and external stakeholders to ensure that opportunities are supported both commercially and technically in a proactive and timely manner.
• Champion the customer internally at Paragraf ensuring their requests, comments and needs are being heard and assessed correctly and objectively
• Lead the Commercial and Product / Applications Teams to develop clear customer value propositions derived from the features, advantages and benefits of the products.
• Lead the Commercial Team’s activities to deliver a coordinated and relevant programme to promote the Company at networking and trade events, global exhibitions and conferences, planning proactive product launch or business development campaigns with the teams to ensure return on investment of activities.
• Deliver and or arrange technical/scientific seminars and presentations describing product lines, Company mission and development strategies to promote the potential of the Graphene based components to relevant market segments.
• Represent the Company by clearly and consistently communicating the Company’s mission, values and goals.
• Complete other duties commensurate with the role’s level as requested by your manager

What we're looking for

Education and Qualifications

• Degree qualified in a relevant subject such as business or a science/ engineering/ maths discipline.
• Understanding of commercial technology transfer processes.
• Capability to quickly grasp new scientific concepts and technologies with the ability to identify commercial potential.
• Fluency in additional languages would be an advantage but not essential.
• Working knowledge of Microsoft office suite, Business central and CRM software is desirable.

Experience

• Experience in a senior commercial role in a semiconductor or electronics environment, or with an emerging technology, delivering challenging sales targets, establishing and building relationships internally and externally and coordinating commercial projects successfully.
• Experience of establishing challenging commercial targets and managing a team to deliver those enthusiastically and successfully.
• Well-connected in target industries and commercial spaces and experienced in developing working relationships for mutual benefit and long-term partnership.
• Experience of problem solving in a commercial environment, delivering solutions in pressurised and sensitive scenarios.
• Experience of strategic sales partnership deal making, including license and royalty models.
• A background in startups and technology businesses
• Comfortable operating in a highly flexible working environment, enthusiastic about fluid working practices with a proven ability to handle and progress multiple projects efficiently and effectively

Skills and knowledge

• Extremely strong interpersonal skills; outgoing and confident in working closely with people from a variety of backgrounds, both internal and external to the business.
• In-depth knowledge of product sales lifecycle journeys from new product introduction, low volume high value sales, through to very high-volume commoditization.
• Data driven, competent at analysing results and tailoring future activities accordingly
• Ability to reflect and learn from mistakes with a drive to achieve ultimate performance.
• Proven problem-solving skills
• Ability to take on, understand and analyse technical information quickly
• Working knowledge of Microsoft office suite, Business central and CRM software is desirable.

Communication

• Excellent communication skills with the confidence to contribute and encourage ideas generation to senior management
• Effectively communicate technical information, and to report on status of work in a timely manner to senior management
• Ability to present information clearly and appropriately for the audience

At Paragraf we are constantly looking for new ways to support and reward our team. This is our current list of benefits, they are subject to change and review:

• Group Personal Pension Plan- Employer contribution 5%, Employee contribution minimum 4%
• Private health insurance on completion of probation
• Share Option scheme
• Death in service of 3 times salary and income protection on completion of probation
• 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays, and the chance to ‘purchase’ up to 5 additional days each year
• Employee Assistance Programme
• Cycle to work scheme
• Electric Vehicle Lease Scheme
• Payroll Giving scheme
• Whirlpool products discount
• Social events – summer and Christmas parties - and other activities and events in house