HEAD OF SALES
ABOUT THE ROLE
We're looking for our first Head of Sales to build, lead, and scale new logo revenue at Heron. Heron sells AI software that automates document-heavy underwriting and back-office workflows for specialty finance - SMB funders, brokers, equipment finance and commercial insurance companies. We're past $13M in ARR and growing quickly; this role owns the road to $40M and beyond. You'll partner day-to-day with Jamie (co-founder and CRO) and work closely with product and engineering to build and lead the sales org as we grow.
Two things to know before you apply: this is a full-time, in-person role in our NYC office (most of the team is in every day), and it's a hands-on, player-coach seat - you'll carry a quota yourself while scaling the team.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
This is a hands-on ("player-coach") role focused on driving revenue and building the sales function, including specifically:
- Own the full sales cycle from first conversation through close, carrying a small quota yourself
- Lead our existing team of AEs and SDRs - a small, high-slope group who came into sales from non traditional backgrounds - and hire, onboard, and coach the next wave as we scale
- Develop and refine Heron's sales motion (ICP, messaging, pricing, deal structure, sales stages)
- Partner closely with founders, product, and engineering to translate customer pain into clear value propositions
- Build and manage pipeline, forecasts, and revenue targets with a strong bias toward accuracy and accountability
- Establish and refine our sales processes, tooling, and metrics (CRM, reporting, enablement materials)
- Help shape broader go-to-market strategy across sales, partnerships, and potentially customer success
IS THIS YOU?
This role is a great fit if you want back into the messy, high-ownership stage: ~$13M on the way to $50M, deals where product sits at the table with you, a young team you get to shape. It's the wrong fit if what you're after is a mature brand, a finished playbook, remote flexibility, or a pure people-management seat.
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
Our ideal hire will:
Have done our stage before
You were a member of or helped lead a sales org from under ~$12M to over $40M ARR (the more the better). We're equally interested if you were a top AE or front-line manager through that journey and have held sales leadership since - what matters is that you've seen the road we're on. A long career at big, mature companies without early-stage scar tissue is unlikely to be the right background. One more thing: revenue here means ARR.
Love selling and building at the same time
You're energised by being in the deals - especially early, messy ones - and you're excited to build structure after learning what actually works. You're comfortable wearing many hats and know how to prioritise impact over polish in the early days.
Have strong early-stage sales instincts
You know how to sell ambiguous, technical products without relying on heavy brand recognition or mature processes. You're thoughtful about deal qualification, pricing, and positioning, and you learn quickly from wins and losses.
Be scale-minded, but action-oriented
You don't over-engineer sales processes too early, but you do think ahead. You care about building something that will scale - and you know when it's time to formalise, document, and hire.
Be a clear, credible communicator
You can talk to technical and non-technical stakeholders alike, earn trust quickly, and clearly articulate value to customers, investors, and internal teams. Our buyers are C-level at specialty finance companies; you'll need to be credible with a CEO and a head of underwriting in the same meeting.
ABOVE ALL ELSE, WE VALUE PEOPLE WHO WANT TO MAKE AN IMPACT IN THEIR WORK.
Here are some of the behaviours we expect of all Herons:
Scrappy and creative
When faced with a tough prospect, stalled deal, or unclear path forward, you find a way. You're resourceful, adaptable, and willing to try unconventional approaches.
Persistent
You don't give up when deals get hard or timelines slip. You follow up, dig deeper, and keep pushing until you get to a clear outcome. You'll go the extra mile - including showing up at their office - if that's what it takes.
Pilot, not passenger
You proactively identify opportunities, test ideas, and drive them to completion. You don't wait for perfect direction - you create momentum.
Excited to work in a fast-paced, high-growth - but kind - team environment
You thrive in environments with speed, ownership, and collaboration. You care deeply about the team's success and are willing to roll up your sleeves wherever needed.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT AS A HERON
- Competitive compensation, including equity and upside tied to the revenue you build.
- Based full-time, and in-person in our NYC office, with frequent travel to customers. Roughly annual company offsites.
- Your choice of top-of-the-line equipment to fit out your desk in our office.
- Competitive benefits package: health, dental, vision with partial coverage for dependents; 401K; uncapped PTO; parental leave.
- Free on-demand access to therapy via Spill.
- Weekly company lunches and breakfasts.
- Applicants from any background and gender are welcome and we have a zero tolerance policy on discrimination.
ABOUT THE INTERVIEW
1. Initial conversation with Jamie, our co-founder and CRO
2. In-person conversations and working sessions with our founders and the GTM team
3. References - we take these seriously and go deep
ABOUT HERON DATA
We are Heron Data https://www.herondata.io/, a Series A stage company based in New York and London.
- At Heron, we use the latest advances in AI and LLMs to eliminate the underwriting tax on small businesses and help SMBs get access to financial services. Our software handles emails, analyses attachments, and takes actions like updating CRMs or requesting more info to execute workflows end-to-end for our customers. We serve a range of businesses, including some of the world's largest fintechs, banks, specialty finance companies and commercial insurers.
- Our largest product automates underwriting for small business lenders and other specialty finance companies. We eliminate cumbersome manual processes and enable our customers to provide their services with much greater speed, precision, and fairness.
- We are a rapidly growing company with 190+ customers in financial services and beyond who trust us to be embedded in critical processes - without us, their businesses stop. We analyse tens of thousands of documents and over 20 million individual bank transactions every day for our customers. We continue to grow into more segments and workflows: further into lending, banking, insurance. And we think there's much more we can do!
- We are a lean, scrappy and committed team with a flat structure and collaborative culture. Our team brings together a wealth of experience from great tech companies including Facebook, Spotify, Revolut and many other startups from around the world.
- With team members from five different continents, we embrace multiculturalism and diversity. From company events to everyday interactions, we make sure everyone feels welcome and accommodate all cultural and dietary requirements.
- Since our launch in September 2020, at the end of the S20 batch, we've experienced a lot of growth! Today, we have over $13M in ARR. Read more about our mission here https://www.herondata.io/about.