Nordics Sales Lead

About Avanade:

Founded in 2000 as a joint venture between Microsoft and Accenture, Avanade is helping companies to engage customers, empower employees, optimize operations, and transform products, all powered by the Microsoft ecosystem. Today, we are the #1 Microsoft partner Globally with more than 38.000 employees worldwide.

Our Microsoft expertise is unsurpassed:

15-time winner of Microsoft Partner of the Year

32,000+ certifications in Microsoft technology

100+ Microsoft partner awards

18 Gold Competencies

About the role:

The new Nordics Head of Sales will be a key member of both the Nordic Leadership and the European Sales Teams. Reporting to the Nordic General Manager, acting as the functional lead for 15 sales professionals and working closely with the Europe Heads of Sales in realizing the Global Sales Strategy, the new Nordics Head of Sales will play a crucial role fulfilling the ambitious growth plans for the Nordic region.

In this role, you will provide expert guidance, support and oversight to the Nordics sales activities and work towards a high level of consistency and coordination in the design, execution, and efficiency of Region sales. The role requires a leader, able to transform and develop the existing sales capabilities, positioning Avanade as an innovator for customers and partners alike.

The role requires strong orientation on client relationship success, strategic selling, guidance for transformation in our sales team, with an industry-focused approach to Go TO Market, aligned to the realization of the Avanade global model.

In collaboration with the Country Sales Leads, Nordic Leadership Team, the Area Solution Leads, and the Global Sales organization, you will be responsible for strategic deal shaping, bid management, territory planning, pipeline development, Microsoft relationship management, and on-going sales effectiveness program implementation. It is essential that the ideal candidate gets motivated and energized by handling several simultaneous activities and thrives in a dynamic and fast paced environment.

A strategic outlook will assist the ideal profile in the navigation of a “new normal”, both for Avanade and its client and partner ecosystem.

A strong orientation towards execution will also be required as the Nordics Head of Sales will be involved with key customers and deals as Executive Sponsor or Deal Strategist. A combination of hands-on strategic deal and client relationship experience, together with gravitas and impact, will drive continuous value for the organization's top clients. You must be entrepreneurial and results oriented and you will play a significant role in contributing to the overall business in realization of the Global Sales Model.

The role requires a collaborative negotiating style capable of effecting change and driving results through diplomacy rather than formal authority. Innate leadership attributes and a motivational and energetic style will help to accelerate the transformation and the way of working with every part of Avanade. The ambition of the Global Sales Model is for the Regional Sales Leads to build long-term relationship with our clients, motivate and lead the Sales team in listening, understanding and developing the intimacy with our clients, developing business oriented discussions, and serving our clients through a connected team delivering an end-to-end experience.

The ideal Candidate profile:

The ideal candidate will have extensive expertise born of a technology services environment together with large-scale systems integration, consulting, or outsourcing. We are searching for a passionate, professional, and impactful sales leader with technology and solutions depth, accustomed to working in a complex environment with large technology and systems integration partners such as Microsoft and Accenture.

In particular, the preferred profile will have strong leadership experience, be outcome based and value driven. This will include developing the right team, achieving the envisioned cultural evolution, and bringing the transformational sponsorship needed to embed new ways of delivering value to clients across a complex landscape.

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications:

• Executive level experience in growing and leading a large scale, highly profitable technology services business, preferably with multi-country scope

• Experience in working in Nordic roles and across multiple countries and complex cultures

• Strong personal track record in selling and closing large complex deals as well as Sales Leadership of senior sales professionals

• Experience with aligning a Global sales strategy to a Regional sales strategy and executing on it by leading a cross country sales team

• Proven track record operating as a player/coach – accountable for driving specific deals while also being a deal coach and mentor to pursuit strategic selling

• Strong track record in complex channel and partner management

• Experience in assessing and managing the opportunity and risk associated with large scale complex services/consulting engagements

• CxO relationship impact and the ability to develop and grow long term, high value customer relationships at Executive level

• Superior communication and personal leadership skills in a high growth, highly demanding 'best people' environment

• Demonstrates a high degree of integrity, credibility, resilience, and character.

In terms of the performance and personal competencies required for the position, we would highlight the following:

Setting Strategy:

• The ability to create and articulate an inspiring vision for the areas you are directly responsible for

• The inclination to seek and analyze data from a variety of sources to support decisions and to align others with the organization's overall strategy

• An entrepreneurial and creative approach to developing new, innovative ideas that will stretch the organization and push the boundaries within the industry

• The ability to effectively balance the desire/need for broad change with an understanding of how much change the organization is capable of handling, to create realistic goals and implementation plans that are achievable and successful

• Lead the discussions to support our Clients growth agenda, setting strategic Most Valued Client programs to secure top clients

• The ability to drive a Regional strategy aligned with the Global ambitions, targeting a sales strategy through consultative motion

• Develop the relationship with Microsoft to evolve our Direct GTM strategy

• Support the Client segmentation across Nordics and in line with Global guidelines.

Executing for Results:

• The ability to set clear and challenging goals while committing the organization to improved performance, tenacious and accountable in driving results

• Comfortable with ambiguity and uncertainty; the ability to adapt nimbly and lead others through complex situations

• A risk-taker who seeks data and input from others to foresee possible threats or unintended circumstances from decisions; someone who takes smart risks

• A leader who is viewed by others as having a high degree of integrity and forethought in your approach to making decisions; the ability to act in a transparent and consistent manner while always considering what is best for the organization

• A leader who is comfortable operating as a player/coach – personally driving a set of specific deals but also acting as a coach and mentor to pursuit teams across Nordics

• A leader who understands what it means to build and execute on sales capability programs needed today, while also knowing how to position these programs as the building blocks for the capabilities needed tomorrow.

Leading Teams:

• The ability to attract and recruit top talent, motivate the team, delegate effectively, celebrate diversity within the team, and manage performance; widely viewed as a strong developer of others

• The ability to persevere in the face of challenges and exhibit a steadfast resolve and relentless commitment to higher standards, which commands respect from followers

• A leader who is self-reflective and aware of your own limitations; leads by example and drives the organization's performance with an attitude of continuous improvement by being open to feedback and self-improvement.

Relationships and Influence:

• Naturally connects and builds strong relationships with others, demonstrating strong emotional intelligence and an ability to communicate clearly and persuasively

• An ability to inspire trust and followership in others through compelling influence, powerful charisma, passion in your beliefs, and active drive

• Encourages others to share the spotlight and visibly celebrates and supports the success of the team

• Creates a sense of purpose/meaning for the team that generates followership beyond your own personality and engages others to the greater purpose for the organization as a whole.

Accountability and Metrics:

Under the CSO (Chief Sales Officer), the sales organization will drive a culture which is passionately bold, proactive, visionary, inspiring, consultative, strategic, long-term and transformational.

• Nordics overall Sales and Revenues target

• Direct Sales and Revenue targets; defined as Direct/Dual/Accenture channel expectations

• Sold margin

• Sales and Revenues forecast accuracy

• Win rate increase, in line with the Global KPI’s.

Preferred Education Background and Experience:

• Degree in Business, Computer Science, Management Information Systems or related field

• You likely have 10 + years in the IT / SI industry with significant experience in Solutions Management Consulting /project-based background

• 3+ years of experience in leading Nordic sales teams adapting a Global sales strategy to a regional one.