Key Skills

Job Description

Why this role exists Finance teams across Europe are still doing by hand what should have been automated years ago. Invoices processed manually. Approvals lost in email threads. Bank reconciliation done line by line. Cortena changes that with AI agents that plug into the accounting systems, banks, and tools finance teams already use. We have paying clients live and a product that works. Now we are ready to scale, and you will lead that. You will build Cortena’s commercial function from zero. You start as the first and only seller: you prospect, run discovery, demo, negotiate, and close. Then you turn what works into a sales engine and build the team that runs it. This is not a sales rep role. We are not looking for someone who works a pipeline handed to them. We need a driver: someone who builds the commercial function from zero, hunts their own deals, opens the partner channel, and treats revenue as a personal responsibility. You join the founding team next to Bruno (CEO) and Seb (CTO) and own everything commercial from day one. What you will do Own the full sales cycle, Germany first Germany is our priority market. You will also sell in the Netherlands, where we have clients live as well. From first message to signed contract. Discovery, live demo, proposal, negotiation, close. Your buyers are CFOs, finance leads, and founders of growing SMEs. You run every deal yourself. Build your own pipeline There is no inbound machine to hide behind. You generate pipeline through LinkedIn, email, events, and your network. You know which accounts to chase and which to drop. Open the partner channel Steuerberater, DATEV partners, consulting companies, and finance-stack partners can each bring us many clients at once. You build those relationships and turn them into a steady deal flow. Write the German playbook ICP, messaging, objection handling, pricing in practice, and a clean process in our CRM. Everything you learn on calls becomes something the next seller can use on day one. Shape the product and the offer You hear what German finance teams need before anyone else. Bring it back as sharp, specific input for product and engineering, and help us decide what we sell and how we price it. Build the team Once the playbook works, you hire and lead the next sellers and grow into owning the full commercial function. What we are looking for A doer with a strong commercial background. You get things done without being chased, move deals forward every single day, and do not wait for perfect conditions to start closing. You think like an owner, because you will be one. This is a hands-on role. You are our first salesperson, so you do the work yourself. If you want to manage a team from day one, this role is not for you. Must-have Fully hands-on. You book your own meetings, run your own demos, write your own proposals, and keep your own CRM clean. No SDRs, no assistant, no one to delegate to at the start. German is a must: native or full professional level. Fluent English too. If you do not speak German, please do not apply. A strong commercial background. You have built or scaled a sales function, not only worked inside one. 6+ years in B2B SaaS sales, with a track record of closing new business yourself. Not only leading a team. You have sold to finance buyers: CFOs, finance leads, accounting teams, or Steuerberater. You understand how a German SME’s finance stack fits together: DATEV, the Steuerberater, banking, spend tools. You have built a commercial function or a territory from zero, ideally at an early-stage startup. You build your own pipeline and you are comfortable with a long list of cold accounts. You use AI tools every day in your sales work. Commercial judgment. You know when to push, when to wait, and when to walk away. Nice to have Experience selling finance software like Cortena: AP automation, accounting, spend management, or other fintech. A network among Steuerberater or DATEV partners. Founding or co-founding experience. What you will get A founding role with participation in our equity plan. Competitive base salary plus variable pay tied to new revenue. Ownership of the commercial function from day one, with a path to CRO as the team grows. A seat on the founding team, with a real say in strategy, product, pricing, and positioning. Based in Germany or the Netherlands. If you are based in the Netherlands, expect regular travel to Germany. About Cortena Cortena is an AI-native finance operations platform for SMEs in Europe. We automate the manual, repetitive work finance teams deal with every day: invoice processing, pre-accounting, bank reconciliation, and more. We are backed by Builders Ventures and based in Amsterdam, with paying clients live in Germany and the Netherlands. We are a small, focused team. Every person we bring in shapes what we become.

Core Responsibilities

Lead Cortena’s commercial function, personally managing the full sales cycle in Germany and the Netherlands while generating pipeline and developing partner channels. Create the German sales playbook, provide product and pricing input, and hire and lead the sales team as the business scales.

Requirements

Requires 6+ years of hands-on B2B SaaS sales experience, a record of closing new business, and experience building a sales function or territory from zero. Candidates must speak German at native or full professional level and fluent English, have sold to finance buyers, understand the German SME finance ecosystem, and be comfortable generating their own pipeline.

Benefits

• Equity Plan
• Competitive Base Salary
• Variable Pay Tied To New Revenue