Fluence is the leading global energy storage technology and services company, created and backed by Siemens and AES, two industry powerhouses and pioneers in energy storage. Fluence unites the scale, experience, breadth, and financial backing of the two most experienced icons in energy storage.
Our mission is to create a more sustainable future by transforming the way we power our world. Energy storage is critical to this transformation, yet today the market is fragmented and customers face the challenge of finding a trusted technology partner amidst conflicting technical claims, inexperienced vendors and installers, and new market entrants with limited power sector knowledge.
Fluence brings the proven technology solutions and services that overcome the commercial and regulatory barriers that stand in the way of modernizing our energy networks. We are the partner that can deliver at a global scale with the most experienced and knowledgeable team in the world.
Fluence is seeking a Sales and Business Development leader to help us grow and capture energy storage opportunities in new markets like Poland and Eastern Europe. You will help define our go-to-market strategy, working closely with a select group of customers to drive business development activities. As individual markets scale, you will have the opportunity to shape how we build out the market-based teams required to meet customer needs and local business unit. Under this position you will be an integral member of the EMEA Growing Market team.
Responsibilities
- Drive market intimacy with a focus on Poland and a plan to add one to three other eastern European market as the organization expands. Work closely with Growing Markets Directors and with the Growth team to build the go-to-market and sales plans for each sub-region and coordinate with Fluence Digital on potential opportunities.
- Understanding of customer business case fundamentals and how they change over time. Decide on the customers, applications, and segments that are the most attractive fit for Fluence’s energy storage products, services and digital applications.
- Building deep, trusting relationships with key customers and partners at a senior level. Ensuring teams have the right levels of engagement with these customers and stay aligned within the Growing Market team and the different Business Units.
- Assessing and prioritizing sales opportunities using strategic selling criteria. Having the courage to say no to opportunities or customers that are not a good fit.
- Develop relationships and drive engagement with key senior stakeholders in the market, to ensure strong intimacy with the market and customers’ business case.
- Owning the three-year sales plan for the region, ensuring we are prioritizing the right customers and projects to meet our quarterly and annual targets while building the business to achieve our high growth rate targets each year in Poland.
- Oversight of the negotiation and closing of multiple simultaneous transactions for energy storage products and services led by individual sales managers. Maintain the agility to lead deals directly or jump into deals at a detailed level to support your sales leaders to help steer them in the new direction.
- Managing risks and opportunities to ensure effective Profit & Loss Management in Poland.
- Act as a servant leader by providing technical and commercial advice during sales process and contracting to Fluence deal teams.
- Foster and encourage a winning deal team spirit across the region and ensure a collaborative approach with other parts of the organization.
- Champion and oversee data driven decision making via Salesforce and other reporting/CRM tools. Ensure accurate tracking of customer interactions and opportunity pipeline
- Escalation of competitive intelligence and bid feedback to improve Fluence offerings to senior decision makers within Fluence and adjust your regional go-to-market strategy. Shaping of both commercial and product strategy to meet market needs.
- Representation of Fluence at industry conferences and other events as well as contributions to media coverage through participating in interviews, panels, keynotes and other thought leadership channels
- Drive and implement continuous improvement initiatives to improve process efficiency
- Representation of Poland market progress and activity at monthly business review meetings and following up on actions.
Skill Requirements
- Master’s degree (or higher) in a relevant subject (environmental studies, business, economics, engineering, sciences, computer science, mathematics, statistics, etc.) or equivalent demonstration through work experience
- Minimum 10 years of sales, technical or commercial experience in the power generation or a related industry (preference for direct energy storage experience)
- Demonstrated track record in building up a sales team together with the responsibility for overseeing and managing an overall portfolio of contracts to commercial close
- Direct experience on battery-based energy storage systems and contracting from a technical and commercial perspective
- Strong executive level stakeholder relationships and network within the regional energy storage sector, including developers, IPPs and local EPCs
- Proficiency with MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word). Experience with Salesforce, Klue, RFPio, Incorta for pipeline management and decision making.
- Outstanding verbal and written communication skills and high attention to detail
- Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to work and manage in a remote team environment
- Strong analytical skills and commercial acumen
- Fluent English (further language abilities such as Polish, Czech, Bulgarian or other, will be a plus).
- Ability to seek and give constructive feedback and advice and mentor sales colleagues