Director of Sales

Director of Sales @ Ceto 

 

About Us

We're a rapidly growing maritime-focussed Insurtech startup passionate about technology and innovation. We recently raised a $4.8M seed round from leading venture investors in maritime, supply chain and insurance. We’ve gained strong early traction including partnerships with major ship owners and are building serious momentum. The team is split between Newcastle and London. We believe technology can and does make the world a better place, and we believe we can make that happen. We value challenging each other, truth seeking and creative problem solving. We celebrate the wins and always have fun!

We are looking for an exceptional and driven Director of Sales, who’s excited at the prospect of helping maritime clients who seek improved risk management and insurance products through our channel partners with some of the world’s largest insurance brokerages and underwriters.

This Director of Sales would join a team that’s 12-strong bringing together deep expertise across engineering, data, and maritime. As our first sales hire, this individual will work directly with our founder and CEO, Tony Hildrew, to shape the future of sales at Ceto. This is a rare opportunity to help define our go-to-market strategy, build customer trust and relationships from the ground up, and lay the foundation for a world-class commercial team as we scale.

 

What we're doing 

We're reshaping maritime. It's an industry that's incredibly important and serves as the backbone of global trade, moving $14 trillion of cargo each year. Despite its significance, the industry remains one of the final frontiers of digitalisation. 

  

Ceto is capturing and analysing high frequency data from commercial ships to enrich insurance risk selection, reduce machinery breakdowns and improve fuel efficiency. The insights that we derive are served to our customers in a beautiful dashboard, saving thousands of tonnes of CO2 emissions, preventing costly breakdowns and reducing operational risks. We use these insights to provide a world first, market-beating connected insurance product which is supported by a panel of seven A-rated insurance carriers and some incredible investors. We're looking for someone to lead our AI initiatives and take our predictive capabilities to the next level. 

 

The role 

You will be our first sales hire and will be helping to define our sales processes and frameworks, secure key customer contracts, build, develop and maintain direct customer relationships, and help hire and manage our initial sales hires. You will be on the front line, selling our solutions to existing prospects, generating new leads and building pipeline. This role is perfect for the person that wants to roll their sleeves up and get stuck in every day. You’ll work closely with our founder and CEO, Tony Hildrew and your role will consist of the following:

• Developing robust frameworks and processes for the commercial team

• Manage the full customer lifecycle from initial contact through to closing the deal and maintaining the account relationship

• Hiring and managing a small team of Sales Development Representatives

• Refining our sales playbook to include best practises

• Developing and scaling channel distribution, building and maintaining relationships with existing and new partners

• Hosting regular touch points with channel partners to deepen understanding of Ceto’s products and services

• Enable channel frameworks and iterate where necessary based on partner feedback to ensure lowest possible friction and highest possible value creation

• Researching and identifying high-potential shipowners across the maritime ecosystem

• Executing thoughtful, personalised outreach via email, LinkedIn, and cold calls to engage new leads

• Attending maritime or insurance related conferences and networking events to find leads

• Understanding customer pain points, qualify inbound and outbound leads, and book meetings

• Working closely with marketing to align messaging, campaigns, and lead generation efforts

• Maintaining accurate records in our CRM (Hubspot) and constantly look for ways to improve our outreach process

• Staying sharp on the maritime landscape and continuously improve your understanding of the industry and product

 

 

You will be perfect for this role if:

• You have experience in building and leading sales: preferably with at least 4+ years of experience in a direct sales role. A plus if it’s in B2B SaaS sales and even bigger bonus points if it’s in complex – long sales cycles

• You have experience managing channel sales processes and maintaining channel relationships

• You’re a quick learner and can ask thoughtful questions to further expand your knowledge base

• Telling stories comes naturally to you, a creative thinker who can engage and hold a conversation

• You see targets as something to be beaten: not only do you have a track record of meeting and exceeding quota, but you understand why you are able to do this consistently

• You are entrepreneurial: you take ownership of your pipeline and run it like your own business

• Details matter to you: you’re detail-oriented, curious and always willing to adapt. You understand these are the key traits of being a successful salesperson

• You are eager to learn: you are comfortable in learning about and explaining technical concepts

• You are a great communicator: excellent communication and listening skills

• You are comfortable speaking with senior decision-makers and asking smart questions

• You are curious about complex industries and want to become an expert in a niche market

• You are excited by the idea of joining a fast-moving startup where your work will directly shape our success

• You are resilient and don’t get discouraged when prospects say no!

 

 

What's on offer

• Competitive salary based on experience

• Equity options

• 25 days holiday + public holidays

• Birthdays off

• Bupa medical insurance

• Medicash

• Cycle to work scheme

• Hybrid working from either our London or Newcastle office

• All the kit you need to be your most productive

• £500 work from anywhere flight allowance

• £100 budget and time allocation for conferences and professional development

• Opportunity to shape the future of maritime and insurance technology

 

 

Join us if you want to be part of team that's making a dent in two huge industries 🔨 🌊🧮