Vice President, Sales

Fuel Cycle • Los Angeles, CA

5d • $180,000 - $230,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Fuel Cycle is an AI-native SaaS market research company that puts real-time consumer intelligence at the center of enterprise decision-making. We serve Fortune 1000 brands, help business teams synthesize information at scale, and operate a proven platform with a strong installed base of enterprise customers.
The company is at a genuine inflection point. A significant shift to an AI-first product strategy — including new platform capabilities and expanded solution offerings — is underway, and the commercial opportunity ahead of it is material. What Fuel Cycle needs now is a sales leader who can translate that product evolution into a repeatable, scalable enterprise go-to-market motion and a sustained pipeline of new logos.
This is a rebuild mandate with real upside. The new-logo pipeline has not been the company's primary commercial focus, and the motion upstream of sales needs to be reconstructed alongside the sales function itself. The existing sales team is largely new — built over the past several months — and represents a genuine opportunity to establish a coaching culture from an early stage. The VP, Sales who succeeds here will be someone who has done this before: built a new-logo engine from near-zero, sharpened an ICP, and turned a strong product into a consistent revenue machine.
Reporting directly to the CEO, the VP, Sales will own the sales function end-to-end: strategy, team, pipeline, and quota attainment. This leader will present to the board quarterly, partner closely with the Chief Strategy Officer on GTM direction, and serve as the primary commercial voice at the leadership table.

Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive sales leadership, with at least 4 years in a VP Sales, Regional VP, or equivalent leadership role at a SaaS or AI/ML technology company.
• Demonstrated track record of building enterprise sales organizations that close complex, multi-stakeholder deals — consistently meeting or exceeding $20M+ revenue targets.
• Proven experience rebuilding or building a new-logo pipeline from a low or near-zero base — you have done this before and can describe the state when you arrived, what you changed, and results at 6 and 12 months.
• Deep fluency in insight-led sales philosophy — whether Challenger Sale, SPICED, Command of Message, or equivalent frameworks. You can teach, coach, and model the behaviors, not just name the methodology.
• Proven ability to navigate 5–12 person buying committees: identifying Mobilizers, building consensus strategy, and managing Talkers across Insights, Research, Product, Marketing, Procurement, IT, and Finance stakeholders.
• Experience selling AI-powered platforms, data/analytics solutions, or enterprise SaaS to Fortune 1000 companies — with fluency in translating evolving ML capabilities into measurable business outcomes.
• Fluency in revenue operations: pipeline governance, forecasting accuracy, cadence design, and CRM hygiene (Salesforce preferred).
• Comfort presenting to boards and C-suite stakeholders — clear, credible, and capable of holding the room.
• Willingness and ability to travel 25–40%, including regular travel to Los Angeles and to enterprise prospect and client locations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with market research, consumer insights, data platforms, or adjacent enterprise analytics industries.
• Familiarity with Fuel Cycle's Insight-Lab or comparable research technology ecosystems.
• Background in generative AI, LLM-based, or custom AI solution selling to enterprise buyers.
• Experience building a commercial insight library or thought leadership program as a sales enablement asset.
• MBA or equivalent advanced degree.

Responsibilities

• Own and exceed annual quota — with full accountability to the CEO and board.
• Diagnose and rebuild the top-of-funnel: redefine the ICP, sharpen outbound motion, and establish a pipeline generation engine capable of producing consistent new-logo opportunities.
• Define and execute a go-to-market sales strategy grounded in insight-led selling: commercial insight → reframe → consensus-building → close.
• Build sales playbooks and competitive positioning that lead with insight, not product features — equipping the team to challenge how enterprise buyers think about market research and AI.
• Develop territory design, headcount plans, and sales operating budgets in partnership with the CEO and CSO; present pipeline, forecast, and strategy at quarterly board meetings.
• Leverage Fuel Cycle's Insight-Lab capability to generate commercial insights — industry analyses, consumer data, and thought leadership that open doors and reframe buyer conversations.
• Stay current on Fuel Cycle's AI-first product evolution and translate new capabilities into updated commercial narratives as the platform expands.
• Travel to prospects, clients, and Fuel Cycle headquarters regularly; expected travel 25-40%.
• Inherit and lead a sales team that includes newer enterprise sellers — establishing clear expectations, a structured coaching cadence, and a performance culture from day one.
• Lead the team's execution of the Challenger Sale and SPICED methodology — coaching the behaviors of commercial teaching, stakeholder tailoring, and constructive tension rather than simply naming the framework.
• Foster accountability, continuous learning, and servant leadership — removing blockers, celebrating disciplined wins, and developing sellers who are early in their Fuel Cycle tenure.
• Establish rigorous cadences: weekly deal reviews that map the buying committee and identify mobilizers; pipeline hygiene, forecast calls, and QBRs tied to clear metrics.
• Serve as executive sponsor on strategic AI platform deals — engaging directly with C-suite and VP-level Mobilizers to accelerate consensus and close complex, multi-stakeholder opportunities.
• Translate Fuel Cycle's AI and ML capabilities — including new platform offerings emerging from the company's AI-first evolution — into commercial insights that connect platform ROI to specific business consequences the buyer hasn't yet quantified.
• Identify Mobilizers (Go-Getters, Teachers, Skeptics) within prospect accounts and equip them with insight-led narratives that build internal consensus without the VP in the room.
• Own accurate revenue forecasting using data-driven pipeline analysis, buying committee mapping, and weekly deal intelligence — with ±10% quarterly accuracy as the standard.
• Drive productivity through scalable sales practices, insight-led enablement programs, and a streamlined technology stack (Salesforce CRM preferred).
• Partner with Marketing to co-develop commercial insights that seed the reframe narrative early in the buyer journey; hold a shared pipeline number with Marketing regardless of reporting structure.
• Work closely with Customer Experience and Client Solutions to maximize net revenue retention and create a seamless, trust-building buyer-to-customer handoff.
• Collaborate closely with the Chief Strategy Officer on GTM strategy, territory planning, and cross-functional alignment.

Benefits

• Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans
• 401(k) with Company Match: Plan for your future with our retirement savings program
• Equity Purchase Option: Participate in Fuel Cycle’s long-term success
• Flexible Work Schedule: Empowering you to balance life and work
• Generous Time Off: 15 vacation days and 7 sick days per year, 12 company holidays, 4 floating holidays/recharge days
• Paid Parental Leave: Time to bond with your growing family
• Monthly Internet & Phone Stipend: Support for remote work setup
• Wellness & Lifestyle Perks: Access to tools like Rightway (healthcare navigation), Headspace (mental wellness), Peloton (fitness), and more
• Team Connection Perks: Weekly community lunches, refreshments, and snacks at our LA & NY headquarters, Pet-friendly office environments

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive