Strategic Sales Director, EMEA

About the role

You will own the end-to-end sales strategy for strategic enterprise customers across the EMEA region, focusing on large-scale deals that define the future trajectory of Cresta's growth. You will act as the primary executive voice for Cresta, articulating how the unified AI platform drives measurable revenue and efficiency gains for marquee clients. This role requires you to evangelize cutting-edge conversational AI while shaping the regional expansion strategy from the UK outward. As a founding leader in EMEA, you will build and refine the sales motion, establishing the playbook that sets the standard for the entire organization. You will partner cross-functionally to ensure product, marketing, and customer success align around a singular customer obsession. The position offers high visibility into executive leadership and direct influence over product and go-to-market priorities. You will be responsible for identifying new client opportunities, designing tailored business cases, and negotiating complex agreements that unlock long-term value. Success in this role means owning your number and consistently exceeding quota in a fast-paced, ambitious startup environment.

Key facts

What you'll do

Develop and execute a strategic sales plan that targets large enterprise accounts across the EMEA region, translating Cresta's value proposition into compelling business outcomes.

Own complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles from initial discovery through to contract close, ensuring alignment with executive-level expectations.

Prospect new clients by researching target organizations, mapping key decision-makers, and crafting persuasive narratives around AI-driven customer experience transformation.

Design and deliver tailored product presentations and data-driven business cases that highlight contractual, technical, and financial value for C-level audiences.

Negotiate and structure sophisticated enterprise agreements, ensuring terms reflect both customer needs and Cresta's strategic objectives.

Collaborate closely with Product, Marketing, Customer Success, and Engineering teams to refine messaging, address objections, and co-create exceptional customer experiences.

Champion the Cresta platform internally, ensuring deep product mastery and fluency in competitive differentiators within the contact center market.

Identify and engage with industry influencers and strategic partners to expand Cresta's visibility and credibility in the EMEA landscape.

Own and exceed assigned sales quotas, providing transparent forecasting, pipeline management, and accurate revenue projections to leadership.

Shape regional expansion strategy by leading the successful commercialization of the UK market as a blueprint for broader EMEA growth.

Build and mentor local sales capabilities where appropriate, fostering a culture of excellence, accountability, and customer obsession.

Represent Cresta at industry events and executive forums, reinforcing the company's position as an AI innovation leader.

Leverage conversation intelligence and real-time agent augmentation insights to refine sales approaches and demonstrate product efficacy.

Maintain rigorous documentation of all sales activities, ensuring alignment with governance, compliance, and best-in-class sales operations.

Continuously analyze competitive landscape and customer feedback to inform positioning, pricing, and product roadmap discussions.

Requirements

7+ years of SaaS software sales experience at an enterprise level, with referenceability of consistently delivering to sales quotas over this period.

Experience negotiating, structuring, and executing complex enterprise-level agreements that involve multiple stakeholders and long sales cycles.

Prior experience leading cross-functional teams through large deal close processes, aligning diverse groups toward a shared objective.

Ability to articulate contractual, technical, and financial value points clearly and persuasively to customers, including C-level executives.

Excellent communication and presentation skills, with a proven track record of presenting to senior leadership and executive audiences.

Demonstrated ability to be based in London and available to travel domestically and internationally up to approximately 25% of the time.

A strong commitment to operating within the ethical boundaries and compliance standards that govern enterprise software sales in regulated markets.

Comfort operating in a fast-paced, dynamic startup environment where priorities may shift rapidly and adaptability is essential.

An entrepreneurial mindset with the initiative to build processes, influence without authority, and drive results in ambiguous situations.

Practical notes

This role requires the ability to be located in the United Kingdom with the flexibility to travel domestically and internationally up to around 25% of the time. There is no explicit mention of hours, specific visa sponsorship details, or firm compensation figures within the provided source text. The position is described as a founding role in EMEA, implying significant ownership and responsibility from day one. Success in this role depends on your capacity to build relationships, execute complex sales cycles, and contribute directly to revenue growth for a high-growth AI company.