About us

At Marama Labs, we’re solving some of the hardest industry challenges through our scientific innovations. We’re bringing physics and data analytics to global wine production. Our (patented) hardware and cloud software platform puts cutting-edge science in the hands of our winery clients around the world, helping them enhance their craft and create excellent wines that get recognized on the global stage.

Established in New Zealand, Marama Labs is a team of creative problem-solvers from differing backgrounds, who pool their knowledge to build our technology and support our clients to make award-winning wines. Ideas are our currency. Our differing views and varied skill sets, from physics, law, chemistry, and software, are what make us able to create innovative products and powerful solutions to complex industrial problems like winemaking.

Some of us may be guilty of trying to work out how to video-call from a surfboard, others might head home early to check their current sourdough batch. Others get distracted by tying knots (literally). We are a company on a mission to use scientific breakthroughs to help the world, all the while creating a wonderful environment for our people to work.

Please watch the following YouTube informative video on CloudSpec https://youtu.be/2bVJ3WBt9jU

Role description

Marama Labs is looking for a full-time U.S. Head of Sales (Wine), to amplify our commercial activity in the U.S. wine market. With a solid base of early wine customers on the West Coast, our world-leading wine-analysis technology needs an equally world-leading sales champion. You’ll be growing our existing customer base of the country’s most innovative wineries, enabling more wineries to create beautiful products by using our platform.

Leading our commercial operations in the U.S. alongside the company’s Global Head of Growth, you will have a passion for all things winemaking. You will love being on-site with new and existing clients, in the cellar, the lab, and the vineyard, and deeply understand the needs of the modern winery. You intuitively grasp the close interplay between technology, data, and winemaking, and can easily distill complex products down to what matters for the winemaker.

As the first contact point between clients and Marama Labs, you will establish and foster relationships with new clients, lift awareness of our products across the industry, and expand our market share in the U.S. You’ll be backed by our talented team of scientists and developers in New Zealand, knowing you’re bringing the best science to the best winemakers.

What you’ll be doing:

• Implementation and iteration of our U.S. sales strategy;
• Visiting production sites of prospective clients, demonstrating our products to key decision makers;
• Managing all aspects of the sales pipeline, from lead generation to product demos, to contract negotiation and close
• Working closely with marketing;
• Attending & presenting at industry trade shows and industry events, educating the market on the capabilities of our products;
• Maintaining and fostering client relationships through after-sale visits and customer support;
• Updating the executive team on sales metrics and pipeline status;
• Liaising with the technical team in delivering products and onboarding new clients;
• Conducting product webinars and digital workshops;
• Maintaining and enhancing Marama Labs’ brand;
• Identifying new opportunities for growth, e.g. collaborations & partnerships, and communicating these to the executive and technical team;
• Supporting the technical team in understanding customer feedback, to improve our products;

Who you are

• You’re a self-driven salesperson, adept at championing the customer before and after the sale;
• You have wine in your bones, understanding the industry deeply from viticulture to winemaking, to retail and supply chains;
• You’re passionate about new innovative technologies and how they can deliver value for clients;
• You can develop a strong network of relationships within the wine industry, quickly able to get your finger on the pulse of industry trends;
• You can inject a commercial slant into a highly technical team dynamic, knowing how to leverage the technical team’s skills to drive commercial success;

Experience and skills we expect

We certainly expect you to have:

• 4+ years experience as VP of sales;
• A technical background in winemaking, enology, wine processing equipment, or wine laboratory equipment;
• A passion for the wine industry;
• An extensive network of connections in the wine industry in the U.S, across major stakeholders categories (owners, winemakers, lab managers, industry bodies);

• An understanding of the wine equipment & software purchasing process;
• Extensive experience selling hardware technology in a B2B setting;
• Demonstrated performance in achieving sustained sales growth;
• Experience in developing and implementing a new sales strategy and sales playbook;
• Experience with all aspects of the sales funnel process, identifying, triaging, pursuing, and measuring leads;
• Track record of meeting and exceeding sales targets;
• Track record of achieving customer value growth;
• Demonstrated an ability to maintain and foster long-standing customer relationships;
• Experience presenting at industry conferences, trade shows, and webinars;
• Adept with modern CRM technologies and sales reporting tools;
• The ability to work with an international team.

We would really like you to have:

• Experience in sales roles with B2B SaaS products;
• Experience leading sales teams and mentoring junior team members;
• A track record of representing and evangelizing new technologies/products in the wine industry;
• Experience with and understanding of spectroscopy-based instrumentation;
• A degree in physics, chemistry, enology, wine science, or similar.

We’d be over the moon if you have:

• Experience with high-growth, venture-backed startups;
• An understanding of wine tannin and color chemistry;