Chief Commercial Officer

Location: Delft
Function: Commercial Leadership | Sales Growth | Business Development

THE ACTUAL SITUATION

We make robots that paint ships and storage tanks. It’s not sexy, but it works and scales! 30 robots deployed, asset owners are using our tech daily.

Here’s the thing: we’ve proven the technology, the traction is there. Now we need to build out our commercial engine to match our technical edge.

Right now:

• Our sales team responds great to inbound leads, but we also need to be hunting proactively
• We’re strong with early adopters, and now it’s time to win the majority market
• We have 4 people doing commercial work; we need to double the team, and they need a Leader
• Business development needs to become a structural priority, not something we do when there’s time.

WHY THIS ROLE IS CHALLENGING

You’re selling to traditional industries. Energy companies, ship owners, industrial contractors. These aren’t SaaS buyers who sign up for a free trial. These are people who:

• Need permits, safety approvals, and 6 months of bureaucracy before they try anything new
• Will pause a €2M project because one person at a site entrance flags a paperwork issue
• Expect 50% upfront payment, but also need time to trust a small Dutch company
• Speak Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, or Texan and expect you to show up in person.

You’re building, not optimizing. We don’t have a CRM full of warm leads. We don’t have a sales playbook. We don’t have account managers. You will build all of this. From scratch. While also selling.

You’ll have real freedom, and real accountability. The CEO and COO won’t micromanage you. But if revenue misses target, you own that. If the team underperforms, you own that. If a deal goes sideways because someone gave a 30% discount without thinking it through, you own that too.

YOU ARE PROBABLY THE RIGHT PERSON IF:

✅ You’ve sold complex, technical products to people who didn’t understand them at first

✅ You’ve worked in industries that move deliberately (maritime, energy, heavy industry, infrastructure)

✅ You’ve built or reshaped a commercial team, not just inherited high performers

✅ You’ve had to get creative with deal structures because customers couldn’t just swipe a credit card

✅ You’ve done international sales and you know that “signing a contract” means different things in Saudi vs. Singapore

✅ You’re hands-on. You’ll personally close deals, not just “oversee” your team

✅ You’re comfortable making decisions with incomplete information and adjusting course if needed

✅ You’ve worked somewhere between 20-200 people where things moved fast and structure was still emerging.

YOU ARE PROBABLY NOT THE RIGHT FIT IF:

❌ Your background is primarily SaaS or product-led growth

❌ You’ve only worked in markets with established demand. You’ve never had to create a category

❌ You need a lot of structure, clear processes, and regular check-ins to do your best work

❌ You prefer to lead from a distance and delegate most execution

❌ You’re looking for a big corporate title with startup compensation

❌ You expect business class flights and a company car

❌ You think “sales” means optimizing a funnel in HubSpot.

WHAT YOU GET

The role: You’ll report to Josefien (CEO), work closely with Jonno (COO/CFO). That means you’ll be able to make decisions and close deals without asking permission for every little thing.

Compensation: EUR 7500 – 10 000 gross per month excl. 8% holiday allowance.  Bonus tied to revenue growth and EBITDA (structured so you’re rewarded for sustainable growth, not just pulling revenue forward).

The team: You’ll build a commercial team that doubles in size: sales, marketing, customer success and business development.

The environment:

• You’ll be in Delft, but with flexibility for international travel when needed. Much can be done remotely, and what matters is output, not time spent traveling
• We’re 40 people. Everyone is hands-on. No one cares about your title, they care if you deliver

The upside: If you do this well, you’ll be the commercial leader of a company that defines a new category in a massive industry. You’ll have built something real.