Director of Utility Sales

Location: This role will involve significant travel (up to 75% of the time). The home base of an ideal candidate is in the West or Midwest of the US, but this is flexible.

About Gridware

Gridware is a venture-backed climate tech startup on a mission to protect the electric grid from extreme weather events such as wildfires and storms. We’re a startup building hardware and software to provide grid operators with unprecedented on-the-ground intelligence to ensure safe and reliable power operations.
Founded in 2020, we’ve raised over $18M from leading VC funds including Lowercarbon Capital, Fifty Years, True Ventures, and Wireframe Ventures. Gridware’s technology was listed as one of 200 life-changing inventions by Time Magazine in 2022. Our co-founders have also been listed in Forbes’ “30 under 30” for social impact.
To build on this success, we’re currently looking for an experienced Director of Sales to drive full-cycle sales initiatives with new and existing utility customers. This is a critical role for Gridware and an exciting time to accelerate growth for the company while solving an urgent, meaningful issue. This role will report directly to the CEO and work closely with other members of the team.

Responsibilities

• Building and growing our sales pipeline by identifying and proactively sourcing potential customers with a demonstrated interest in improving grid resiliency and operational efficiency
• Partnering with internal stakeholders in Sales, Marketing, Product, Operations, and Policy to help formulate and refine GTM strategies tailored to various utilities, based on geography, ownership model, etc.
• Structuring and negotiating new business relationships including key pricing, commercial, and operational terms as part of complex contracting processes
• Managing senior-level relationships with customers and key partners - navigating diverse buying committees that include on-the-ground operators and up-to Board / C-level executives
• Driving ongoing account management in partnership with Customer Success to ensure customer satisfaction and drive additional expansion opportunities
• Partnering with the internal operations team to ensure swift deployment of Gridware’s solution
• Prepare high-quality presentations, organize and lead educational, pitch and scoping meetings with utility and other prospects.
• Managing the company’s CRM and sales data through Salesforce and other tools and developing new processes to increase the efficiency of the sales process ### Required Skills
• 10+ years of technology sales experience selling enterprise software, including at least 2+ years of sales to the utility and energy sector
• End-to-end sales cycle experience, including lead gen, qualification, and deal close
• Demonstrated ability to think strategically about utility & energy priorities and technical challenges and to convey compelling solutions to them
• Outstanding communication skills and the ability to translate technical information into a compelling narrative
• Strong relationship building skills, ideally with a pre-existing network in the utility sector
• Very driven, organized, detail oriented, with the tenacity and EQ needed to close deals ### Application Although we do not require candidates to submit a cover letter, candidates who wish to have their application stand out are invited to write a cover letter outlining one or all of the following things in a bullet-point format:
• Where you have acquired the required skills
• Which (if any) of the bonus skills you have and where you acquired them
• Why you are interested in this role ### Benefits We offer competitive benefits that help employees thrive and grow. These benefits include:
• 4-day week every other week
• 2 weeks paid time off, plus an additional annual paid 2 week “off the grid” mini-sabbatical with a $3000 stipend to make it a great adventure
• Flexible starting hours to reduce commute
• Health Insurance = We cover 100% of Gold and Platinum health insurance plan premiums and up to $800 of plan premiums for dependents.
• Dental & Vision = We also cover 100% of the premiums of an excellent Dental and Vision Plan and 100% of the premiums for one dependent.
• Paid Parental Leave
• 401K
• Stock option plan
• Company-paid training to upgrade your skills
• Free parking and a commuter allowance
• An attractive salary ### Gridware is an equal-opportunity employer. We want applicants of diverse backgrounds and hire without regard to color, gender, religion, national origin, citizenship, disability, age, sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by law. Gridware is headquartered in Walnut Creek, California