Head of Sales

Axual; Utrecht; Hybrid; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work setup

MacBook Pro

Home office budget

Training and certifications

Team events & culture

Job summary

Axual, a fast-growing real-time data streaming scale-up in the Netherlands, seeks a Head of Sales to own commercial growth across Benelux and beyond. You will lead enterprise deals, shape GTM strategy, and build a high-performing sales team that can scale in complex industries.

You bring 8+ years of B2B SaaS sales leadership, a proven revenue growth track, and fluency in Dutch and English. The role blends strategic leadership with hands-on customer engagement, hybrid work from our Utrecht HQ.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in B2B enterprise sales.
• Experience in a sales leadership role.
• Proven track record of building and executing sales strategies that deliver revenue growth.
• Ability to sell into large, complex organisations with multiple stakeholders.
• Fluent in Dutch and English.

Responsibilities

• Define and execute Axual’s sales strategy aligned with growth goals.
• Own revenue targets, pipeline development, forecasting, and sales performance.
• Lead the full enterprise sales cycle from opportunity to close.
• Build strategic relationships with key customers and prospects (C-level to technical).
• Translate customer needs into a compelling sales approach and scalable pipeline.
• Own forecasting rhythms, pipeline reviews, and commercial reporting.
• Develop and lead the sales team, providing coaching and accountability.
• Collaborate with Product Development, Marketing, and Customer Success.

Skills

B2B enterprise sales

Sales leadership

Strategic sales

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

SaaS

Dutch & English fluency

Job description

Head of Sales – Drive Axual’s Growth in Real-Time Data Streaming

Are you an experienced sales leader who knows how to develop a winning sales strategy and build a high-performing enterprise sales team? Are you equally comfortable rolling up your sleeves, leading complex enterprise deals to close, and turning ambitious growth plans into measurable results?
Axual is looking for a Head of Sales to take ownership of our commercial growth and help us scale our sales organization. You will play a key role in shaping our go-to-market strategy, expanding our presence in the Benelux and beyond, and building strong relationships with enterprise customers across finance, energy, government, and other mission-critical industries.
This is a hands-on leadership role. We are looking for someone who can set the direction, lead the team but also enjoys being close to customers, leading strategic deals, and getting involved when it matters.

About Axual

Axual is a fast-growing scale-up specializing in real-time event stream processing. Our mission is to help large organizations unlock the full potential of their data by enabling them to react instantly to customer needs. We provide secure, scalable, high-performance data streaming solutions based on Apache Kafka, helping organizations build and operate mission-critical event-driven applications.
Our clients include Rabobank, PostNL, the Norwegian Government, TenneT, and Eneco. We are now looking for an ambitious sales leader to accelerate our growth and take our commercial organization to the next level.

Your Role at Axual

As Head of Sales, you will take ownership of Axual’s commercial growth and sales performance.
You will:

• Define and execute Axual’s sales strategy, aligned with our overall business strategy, goals and growth ambitions.

• Take ownership of revenue targets, pipeline development, forecasting, and sales performance.

• Lead the full enterprise sales cycle, from identifying and qualifying opportunities through negotiation and closing.

• Build and maintain strategic relationships with key customers and prospects, including C-level, business, and technical stakeholders.

• Develop a deep understanding of our customers, their organizations, buying processes, and business challenges, and translate this into a compelling sales approach.

• Build a scalable and predictable sales pipeline.

• Identify new industries, accounts and opportunities where Axual can create significant value.

• Drive new business, expansion, upsell, and renewal opportunities across our customer base.

• Own and improve Axual’s sales methodology, processes, tooling, and ways of working.

• Establish a strong rhythm around forecasting, pipeline reviews, KPIs, and commercial reporting.

• Manage and develop the sales team, providing coaching, direction, and accountability.

• Work closely with Product Development, Marketing, Customer Success and the leadership team to ensure a consistent go-to-market approach.

• Represent Axual externally at customer meetings, industry events, conferences and within relevant networks.

Who You Are

• 8+ years of experience in B2B enterprise sales, with a strong track record of selling complex software products or SaaS solutions.
• You have experience in a sales leadership role, while still being comfortable getting directly involved in deals.
• You have a proven track record of building and executing sales strategies that deliver measurable revenue growth.
• You understand how to sell into large, complex organisations and navigate multiple stakeholders, decision-makers, and buying processes.
• You are comfortable selling to both technical and executive audiences and can translate complex technology into clear business value.
• Experience with SaaS, middleware, integration, API management, data platforms, event streaming, cloud infrastructure, or other enterprise technology is highly relevant.
• You are a strong negotiator and experienced enterprise deal closer.
• You have a strong commercial network and understand how to develop partnerships and customer relationships.
• You are a builder: you enjoy creating structure, improving processes, and developing a sales organization that can scale.
• You are entrepreneurial, proactive, self-starting and comfortable operating in a fast-moving scale-up environment where not everything is already defined.
• You combine strategic thinking with a hands-on mentality. You don't just set targets—you help make them happen.
• You are an inspiring and pragmatic leader who knows how to coach, challenge, and motivate a team.
• Fluent in Dutch and English.

Why Join Axual?

• Join an innovative, fast-growing tech scale-up with global ambitions.
• Have real ownership and influence over Axual's commercial strategy and growth.
• Build and shape a scalable sales organization as Axual enters its next phase of growth.
• Competitive salary, performance-based incentives, and a package that rewards impact.
• Hybrid work setup, with flexibility between working from home and our modern Utrecht HQ.
• Top-tier tools and assets including MacBook Pro, home office budget, and more.
• Access to training, conferences, and certifications to keep your skills sharp.
• Work with enterprises in finance, energy, government, and other complex industries.
• Collaborative, open culture where your ideas and decisions have a direct impact on the company.
• Work with cutting-edge technologies including Kafka, Kubernetes, cloud-native infrastructure, and real-time data.
• Real career growth opportunities in a company that is scaling fast.
• Vibrant team culture, game nights, movie nights, team outings, office dog, and legendary Thursday drinks.

Ready to Drive Our Growth?

This is an opportunity to join Axual at an exciting stage of our growth and play a defining role in where we go next. If you are a commercially driven sales leader who combines strategic thinking with a hands-on approach, knows how to win complex enterprise deals, and is excited to build something, we would love to hear from you. Join Axual and help shape the future of real-time data streaming.