Ideal location: New York City or New Jersey depending on business needs.
Head of US Development
ABOUT VELA
VELA is a 100%-sailing shipping company committed to a massive reduction in environmental and social impact. We firmly believe that global trade can be ethical, efficient and committed to the Planet. By combining innovation and respect for planetary boundaries, we offer a sustainable alternative to traditional sea and air freight.
Our mission? Decarbonizing transport between continents without compromise. So, if you are ready to embark on a business adventure that makes sense, keep reading!
VELA offers international freight 100% powered by the wind for a highly decarbonized, fast, reliable and cost-efficient freight service. Specialized in high added-value products, VELA positions itself as a sustainable and socially responsible alternative to conventional freight solutions to enable shippers to reduce their environmental footprint.
By focusing first on the Europe-USA transatlantic route, VELA is able to connect both continents in less than 15 days, and will later open new seaways to scale its mission: lower massively the impact of international transportation.
THE ROLE Position Overview
At VELA, you will be responsible for managing the development and growth of VELA in the United States to ensure the commercial success of the company in the US (for both westbound and eastbound routes) and facilitate shipping operations in the US. In direct report to the Managing Director (MD) of VELA, you will support him and the rest of the VELA team in defining what success looks like in the US and how to enable it, efficiently.
Key Responsibilities
As the Head of US Development in direct report to the MD and in collaboration with the rest of the VELA team in France, your mission will include (this list being not exhaustive) the following items:
● Business Strategy
○ Analyzing the US market with regards to freight needs and prioritizing key segments to build efficient go-to-market strategies, based on VELA’s unique value proposition
○ Monitoring local regulatory framework to identify upcoming regulations or taxes/tariffs, benchmarking competitive options
○ Providing market feedback and recommendations to the rest of the VELA team to inform VELA’s strategy, including recommendations on offering, pricing to adapt the product to local market when needed
○ Building targets and related budgets with details on required resources for the US team, as the business grows
○ Co-defining the US-related Objectives and Key Results (OKR) and regularly reporting on those to VELA’s executive team
● Business development/Sales
○ Identifying key prospects within the targeted market segments
○ Identifying potential business partners to accelerate business development
○ Selling VELA’s offering to key prospects, including negotiating the terms, working on contractual terms, defining their operational requirements
○ Being accountable for reaching sales targets and maintaining a strong sales pipeline for each account where buying decision making is in the US
○ Continuously nurturing clients’ relationships
○ Supporting VELA’s French team on key international accounts with US teams
○ Liaising with VELA’s operations team to ensure that your clients are served according to the terms of their contracts
○ Being accountable for keeping clean records of prospects and clients data, leveraging VELA’s tools (including VELA’s CRM software)
● Marketing & Communication
○ Identifying value-for-money opportunities to raise awareness around VELA’s offering and brand in the US (e.g. conferences, events, PR opportunity, award, joint marketing efforts with clients, leveraging climate-related platform and key actors)
○ Building, in collaboration with the VELA Marketing & Communication team, a marketing action plan to leverage those resources most efficiently (budget, roadmap, Key Performance Indicators, website and online presence)
○ Continuously providing recommendations on brand positioning and key messaging, based on your knowledge of the US specific audience
○ Executing U.S. marketing plan, with the support of the VELA marketing and Communication team and potential US consultants (e.g. PR agency, etc.)
○ Representing VELA in the U.S. at events and panel discussions when needed
● Operations
○ Collaborating with the VELA French team and working as a local link to help and enable local operations
○ Building business relationships with key stakeholders including harbors, logistics, stevedoring, warehousing, customs, etc.
● Team leadership
○ Recruiting, mentoring, and managing a growing U.S. business and operations development team as the business scales.
Skills & Experience
Experience
● 5-10 years of experience in business development, with a proven expertise in qualifying and closing business deals and strategic partnerships
● Specific experience in market research, strategy and business modeling is a plus
● Management experience of 1-2 direct reports
● Experience communicating in front of large-audience
● A strong educational background, with a Master degree. An MBA is appreciated.
Technical and Language Skills
● Quantitative skills for rigorous data management and light business modeling
● Excel and presentation skills
● Google Suite: gSheet, gDoc, gSlides
● CRM tools (Sellsy)
● Fully fluent in English, conversational skills in French and/or European experience is a plus.
Soft Skills
● Excellent relationship-building skills
● Strong communicator ○ Strong written communication skills (in English and capacity to read French)
○ Strong verbal communication skills with experience speaking on panels and on main stages.
● Entrepreneurial and self-starter mindset
● Agile and flexible in a cross-cultural start-up environment with rapidly evolving structures and priorities
● A strong team player to co-build the strategy and its execution with the French team, even remotely
● A natural curiosity
● A network in the sectors of interest, such as the pharmaceutical, luxury and high-end industrial industries would be a plus.
WHAT WE OFFER
● A good dose of adventure.
● The opportunity to contribute directly to a future project that aims to transform the shipping industry while having a concrete impact on environmental protection
● A dynamic, entrepreneurial and committed work environment, where your ideas and initiatives will be valued.
● A formative experience alongside a passionate and experienced team.
● A demanding yet caring environment.
JOB LOCATION
Ideal location: New York City or New Jersey depending on business needs.
Hybrid location with 3 days a week in the ideal location can be assessed, depending on the candidate.
Regular travel to meet clients in-person, participate in prospecting trips and attend conferences will be required (about one trip to another US location per month) as well as one yearly trip to France for the annual team retreat.
SALARY
The compensation consists of a fixed basic wage and a performance base bonus, as well as a comprehensive benefits package.
APPLICATION
Send your CV and cover letter to contact@vela-transport.com with the object "Head of US Development".
We look forward to hearing about your background and motivations!
