Sales Manager
At AIHR we're looking for a Sales Manager to join our team.
Full-time · Rotterdam HQ / Amsterdam
Sales Manager
Full-time · Rotterdam HQ / Amsterdam
Are you a strong leader with a passion for coaching and developing sales teams? Do you thrive in a fast-paced environment where you can optimize sales processes, drive performance, and align teams toward ambitious revenue goals? Do you want to be key in further shaping a high-performing sales culture? AIHR is looking for a Sales Manager (New Business). Join us and work to develop and lead a dynamic sales team that drives revenue growth and enhances our customer acquisition strategies.
Founded in 2016 with the mission to future-proof HR, the Academy to Innovate HR (AIHR) has become the world’s market leader in online training for human resources (HR) professionals. We have a global customer base spread across 140+ countries, amongst which companies like Unilever, Reckitt, Goldman Sachs, Philips, Deloitte, Nike, Heineken, and UBS. It is our goal to continuously upskill and empower 1,000,000 HR Professionals.
We are an international team of 90+ people, driven by excellence, innovation, and a hunger to grow in everything we do. As such, we strive to provide the world’s best courses and excellent support to our customers while continuously optimizing every aspect of our work. With over 30 nationalities, our team is diverse, yet we all share a few traits: we're friendly, enthusiastic, and great team players.
Being a fast-growing company, working at AIHR means taking on a lot of responsibility and getting countless opportunities to develop yourself in new areas and potential to craft your own role.
As a Sales Manager, you will lead a team of 5-7 Account Executives (New Business), focusing on team development, performance optimization, and the daily execution of our sales strategy. While you won’t be actively selling yourself, you will be responsible for coaching your team, improving sales processes, and ensuring that revenue targets are met. You will jump on calls with your team from time to time. This is a high-impact role that requires a mix of leadership and hands-on execution. Our bookings target is ambitious at ±30% growth, but this team has been reaching numbers like that for years. The deals your team brings in are primarily in the SME and Mid-Market segment and range from €2k to €25k. Your team is responsible for about €4m annually.
This role was created to ensure strong and supportive leadership across the Acquisition team, with dedicated managers overseeing separate subteams: Sales Trainees, SMB and Mid-Market AEs, and Enterprise and Growth AEs (Existing Business).
On a Monday morning, you start your day by reviewing last week’s sales numbers. You review progress against your quarterly plans. You identify key trends in the pipeline, note any areas of concern, and develop an action plan to address gaps. You prepare your input for the weekly Sales Management Standup with Cas (Head of Sales), Emilie (Head of LC), Maxim (Team Lead - Trainees), and Vincent (VP).
After the meeting, you coach one of your team members struggling with self-management, helping them set clear goals and accountability structures. You’ve discussed this topic with this individual before, and you both leverage their Gallup Strengths. Before lunch, you analyze sales data with Ario and Tom from the BizzOps team to present your forecast for Cas.
In the afternoon, you align with Nicolas from Marketing to fine-tune lead generation efforts and provide feedback on lead quality. You then refine the sales playbook to help the team handle objections more effectively. Before wrapping up, you conduct a one-on-one performance review with a top performer, identifying opportunities to develop their skills further and prepare them for future growth.
The next day, you have your weekly 1:1s lined up. You spend time with members of your team and have meetings with peers. In the afternoon, you work on the call review requests you’ve received from your team in Gong.
On Friday, you attend the monthly business update, where company-wide results are shared, followed by a casual team gathering with drinks to celebrate successes. Although we work hard to drive company growth, we also take time to recognize achievements and build team camaraderie.
We’re looking for a results-driven, digitally savvy Sales Manager who thrives in a fast-paced SaaS sales environment. You get energized by leading and developing high-performing sales teams, optimizing processes, and driving team success. You are proactive, structured, and people-focused while also bringing a sense of humor to the team.
Unlike traditional sales roles, this is not about driving to client meetings or leveraging pre-existing networks - 100% of our deals are closed online, with the majority of our customers located overseas. While we sell globally, we are locally based in the Netherlands, and our sales model has proven that in-person meetings and travel are not necessary to drive success. If you’re excited about leading a data-driven, remote-first sales motion rather than relying on in-person client visits, this role is for you.
The ideal candidate has the following:
Experience in a mid-level leadership role: You have ideally 3–8 years of experience in sales leadership, managing quota-carrying teams (AE, AM, BDR), with a strong focus on coaching and development. This is a hands-on leadership role, perfect for someone who enjoys working closely with their team to drive performance. If you are already on a senior sales director level, overseeing large teams at a strategic level (10-15+ years of experience), this role may not be the right fit;
Coaching & people development – Passion for mentoring, developing others, providing constructive feedback, and creating a culture of accountability and continuous improvement;
Sales execution – Strong ability to design and refine sales processes, ensuring alignment with company goals and driving consistent revenue growth. Has experience with international clients, closed deals with a minimum €50k TCV;
Experience in SaaS/Digital Sales/Subscriptiod-based B2B products: You have selling experience with B2B software, SaaS, or digital solutions. You are familiar with structured sales processes, and leveraging digital tools like HubSpot, Gong, and LinkedIn Sales Navigator. Predominantly experience in relationship-based, network-driven sales (e.g., real estate, hardware, or any non-digital industries) alone is not sufficient for this role;
Data-driven decision making – Experience working with HubSpot (or equivalent CRM) and sales analytics to track performance and forecast results;
Cross-functional collaboration – Ability to work with marketing, product, and business operations to align sales efforts and enhance lead generation and conversion;
Excellent communication & stakeholder management – Strong written and verbal skills (in English) to effectively communicate with leadership, team members, and external stakeholders;
Process-oriented & organized – Skilled in setting clear expectations, managing performance, and ensuring operational efficiency;
Entrepreneurial & proactive mindset – Thrives in a fast-paced, high-growth environment, always looking for opportunities to improve and innovate;
Based in the Netherlands – Able to work primarly from our Rotterdam HQ and occasionally our office in Amsterdam; you are where your team is.
A key role in shaping the success of a high-performing sales team, driving the adoption of our platform and services;
Competitive, benchmarked compensation;
The opportunity to shape your day-to-day work;
Regular growth talks and support to reach your career goals;
Flexible working hours & working from home arrangements;
A high degree of autonomy in a vibrant, result-driven, inclusive, and international team;
A beautiful office right across Rotterdam Central Station (Milleniumtower) and a brand new office in Amsterdam;
26 paid holidays per year + 1 extra day for every year you work here + you can exchange any 2 public holiday days for 2 other days of your choice;
Pension plan;
5 Mental health days per year;
Access to OpenUp mental health platform;
Personal development budget, training, and we pay for the books you read!
All public transport expenses covered (NS Business Card);
MacBook + all other equipment you need to do your work;
Daily lunch prepared by a chef, weekly drinks, and fun team activities;
Free access to the office gym.
Get a taste of AIHR experience and check out our AIHR Benefits Guide!
Are you excited to become our Sales Manager? Then we'd love to hear from you!
P.S. Research shows that while men apply to jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria, women tend to apply only when they meet 100% of them. So if you think you have what it takes, but don't necessarily meet every single point above, please still apply. We'd love to consider you and see if you could be a great fit.