Inside Sales Representative (Smart Metering) @ Switch

Startup Club Za; Cape Town; Hybrid; ZAR 420,000 - 600,000; Full time

Job summary

Switch is seeking an Inside Sales Representative (Hybrid) to own and build the metering sales pipeline in Kalk Bay, Cape Town. You will research markets, generate and qualify leads, manage HubSpot CRM, and ensure a warm pipeline for the sales team. The role starts ASAP and offers a market-related base plus performance bonus.

Location is Kalk Bay with hybrid/remote considered; initial 3‑month probation applies. Salary is market-related with performance bonus, reflecting SA market conditions.

Qualifications

• 2–4 years in inside sales or BD in B2B tech or energy.
• Proven outbound pipeline-building experience.
• Strong English writing and speaking skills.

Responsibilities

• Build the inside sales function from the ground up.
• Outline outreach strategy and qualify leads.
• Manage HubSpot CRM and ensure clean data.
• Research markets and identify target prospects using AI.

Skills

HubSpot CRM

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Google Workspace

AI-driven outreach

English communication

Education

Bachelor's degree? preferred

Tools

HubSpot CRM

LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Google Workspace

Job description

Holocene Ventures Kalk Bay, Cape Town, Western Cape

Inside Sales Representative (Smart Metering) @ Switch

Full Time Hybrid Investments

About Switch

Switch is a South African tech company offering software and hardware solutions for energy management. We specialise in two tightly connected products – smart metering and energy trading – two sides of a rapidly converging market that is reshaping how South Africa generates, distributes and monetises electricity.

Our smart metering platform lets administrators manage meters, monitor utility usage and facilitate billing and revenue collection across residential, commercial and industrial sites, while the Switch app lets end users pay for utilities and view live usage. Our energy trading product manages electricity wheeling through the national grid for IPPs, solar operators and energy traders. Founded in 2018 from academic research into smart grids, Switch aims to become the industry-standard platform for smart metering and energy trading.

The Role

We're looking for a driven Inside Sales Representative to own and build our metering sales pipeline – a rare opportunity to build and implement the company's sales playbook from scratch. You'll research the market, generate and qualify leads (using AI to move faster and target smarter), manage our HubSpot CRM, and make sure the sales team always has a warm pipeline of qualified opportunities. For many prospects, you are Switch's first point of contact.

Location: Kalk Bay, Cape Town (hybrid; remote considered) Start: ASAP Terms: Full-time (3-month probation) Salary: Market-related base + performance bonus

Key Responsibilities

• Build the sales process: design outreach strategy, qualification criteria, follow-up cadences, MQL-to-SQL stage gates and HubSpot workflows – with AI-assisted research, outreach and pipeline analysis built in from day one.
• Lead generation & outbound: identify utilities, property managers, metering companies, solar operators and new markets; run persistent outbound via LinkedIn, email and phone; attend industry events.
• Inbound handling: respond to and qualify all inbound enquiries promptly and route warm opportunities onward.
• Discovery & qualification: run discovery calls (meter count, pain points, decision-makers, budget, timeline), apply a clear scorecard, and brief the technical sales team fully on handoff.
• CRM management: own HubSpot – clean pipeline stages, complete records, every follow-up dated.
• Reporting & improvement: weekly pipeline updates (lead volume, conversion rates, speed-to-lead, stale threads); spot bottlenecks and feed market intelligence back to leadership.
• Collateral & market input: flag gaps in sales collateral and stay current on SA's energy landscape (metering regulation, grid changes, IPP developments).

What We're Looking For

• 2–4 years in inside sales, business development or account management – ideally in B2B tech, energy, real estate or property management.
• A track record of outbound pipeline-building: volume, conversion and follow-through matter more than a prestigious employer.
• Experience in metering, utilities, proptech or the SA energy sector is a strong advantage.
• Hands-on HubSpot experience (strongly preferred); LinkedIn Sales Navigator; Google Workspace.
• Strong AI fluency – you use tools like Claude or ChatGPT daily to research prospects, personalise outreach and interrogate your pipeline.
• Confident on the phone, over email and in person; you don't take rejection personally.
• Able to learn a technical product quickly and explain it clearly to non-technical buyers.
• Excellent written and spoken English. Bachelor's degree preferred (business, engineering or related); equivalent experience considered.

Why Switch

• Real product, real traction – a live platform trusted by clients.
• Something to build – design the inside sales function from the ground up; the role grows with the company.
• The energy transition, up close – smart meters, energy trading and electricity wheeling in a market being remade.
• A tight, motivated team – work directly with the founder and a strong technical team, backed by an active VC partner.

A warm, consistently full pipeline of qualified metering opportunities for the sales team to close. Measured weekly on lead volume, MQL-to-SQL and SQL-to-opportunity conversion rates, speed-to-lead, and zero stale threads in HubSpot. Within your first months: a documented, repeatable Switch sales playbook (outreach strategy, qualification criteria, follow-up cadences and HubSpot workflows).

Daily Responsibilities

Research and identify utilities, property managers, metering companies and solar operators that are strong fits for Switch, using AI tools to speed up research and personalise outreach. Run structured outbound via LinkedIn, email and phone. Respond to and qualify all inbound enquiries promptly. Run discovery calls (meter count, pain points, decision-maker access, budget, timeline) and hand qualified opportunities to the technical sales team with full context. Keep HubSpot clean and every follow-up dated. Share weekly pipeline updates and feed market intelligence (objections, competitors, pricing feedback) back to leadership. Attend industry events to build your network.