Star is a global team of product creators. We have grown over 30% annually for over a decade, expanding the depth of our consulting services, geographic footprint and the industries we serve. We are now looking forward to the next ten years of rapid growth, as we become a household name in consulting.

At Star we connect strategy, insights, design and engineering into a seamless workflow devised to support our clients every step of the way - no matter how long or complex their journey. We anchor everything we do in clear and compelling endgames, which in turn enable our multidisciplinary teams to create superior solutions and impressive commercial returns for our clients. Star is truly global. That is why we are the first major consulting company that does not have a headquarters. Instead we have many front doors, spanning Silicon Valley, Tokyo, London, Munich, Milan, Copenhagen, Kyiv, Wroclaw, Medellin, Ho Chi Minh City and other vibrant design, technology and creative nuclei of the world. Our spirited and growing 900+ strong Star Crew takes great pride in working side by side with their trailblazing counterparts at some of the world's most disruptive "unicorn" startups and iconic global brands like Daimler, Lufthansa, IPG Mediabrands, WPP, BMW, Panasonic, Dolby Laboratories, PARC, Porsche, Walmart and Zeiss.

Our passion is to make every great person, every great idea and every great company shine. That's why we're called Star.

The Opportunity

Working directly for the CEO, you’ll be central to our commercial growth within the ecosystem of “unicorn” venture-backed companies. You have experience building and managing $75m+ annual revenue run rate within the professional services industry, and have a strong network of relationships within Venture Capital and Startups. You feel passionate about introducing the Star way - a unique and organic blend of strategy, design and engineering - to ventures that embark on industry-disrupting journeys and are scaling fast along their success trajectories.

You are a true challenger who knows customers’ value drivers and can confidently take control of the customer conversation while offering a unique perspective. You have an innate sales instinct, an inspiring leadership style, a rainmaker personality, and a truly global mindset. You are a player-coach, excited both about personally driving and winning big deals, as well as making sure your teammates perform at the top of their game.

As a Head of Startups & Venture Capital at Star, you will define, run, and own initiatives that will expand Star’s industry market share through our ability to attract, retain, and grow world-class customers through our impactful, high-value adding offerings.

Responsibilities:

• Spend a significant portion of time in the field, developing and leveraging relationships through personal meetings, presentations and networking opportunities;
• Build a unique customer value proposition for each client in collaboration with product designers, solutions architects and industry leaders, while shaping and closing new projects with customers;
• Serve as an inspirational, effective and focused leader of a team consisting of both direct reports and matrixed commercial and delivery crew members across the globe;
• Grow business with existing customers 15-20% per year;
• Bring in new funded startup customers with $500k+ annual revenue run rate each;
• Establish and maintain a qualified, factored pipeline of a minimum of 2.5X the annual revenue targets;
• Own creation and execution of the global and regional sales plans focused on customer acquisition, retention, and growth;
• Lead from the front, developing and leveraging relationships through meetings, pitches, networking, speaking engagements, and events;
• Establish and implement OKRs and performance measures designed to track and report progress against the plan. Own executive and Board-level reporting on performance activities;
• Help recruit, activate, and manage high-performance crew members;
• Work closely with the Marketing and inside sales team on activities that generate lead flow and funnel traction.

Qualifications:

Must have:

• 10+ years of sales/business development experience selling product strategy, design, engineering or consulting services to startups;
• Deep knowledge of and relationships within the venture capital industry and startup ecosystem;
• Thought leadership and specific knowledge of key topics, including emerging technology and market trends;
• Sales hunter experience with an existing network in the startup ecosystem and a strong ability to identify and open new accounts;
• Experience using consultative approaches to acquire new clients through a charming attitude and an empathetic and strategic mindset;
• Proven ability to consistently meet and over-achieve commercial targets;
• Demonstrated capability to manage all phases of the sales process - from marketing and lead generation to closing deals and developing client relationships;
• Fluent in both spoken and written English.

Should have:

• Scrappiness and high-growth company mentality;
• High degree of cognitive and emotional intelligence, as applied to solving complex business problems with cross-functional teams;
• Understanding of design thinking & software development process;
• Ability to travel;
• Passion for analytics and data.

Nice to have:

• Experience in a hyper-growth startup;
• A fast-paced, highly collaborative and team-oriented mindset;
• Background in the automotive & mobility, HealthTech, FinTech, or AdTech/media industries;
• “Executive in Residence” experience at a top-tier venture capital firm.

What you’ll get

We offer a rewarding compensation and benefits package, intellectually and creatively stimulating environment, professional flexibility and unique international travel opportunities.

Star is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We believe that equity, diversity and inclusion are key to our ability to provide our clients and crew members with unique business and career outcomes. Your race, color, ancestry, religion, gender, identity, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability have no effect on our hiring decisions. If you have a special need that requires accommodation, please let us know.