EU Sustainability Solutions Lead

Position Summary:

This role will play a key role in helping scale up the business development functions of the company, particularly acting as a key point of contact for inbound leads. This position entails assessing lead quality, engaging in client conversations, and converting prospects into Clients and long-term strategic partners. Additionally, the role involves maintaining accurate and up-to-date records in CRM tools to provide comprehensive reporting to the company. This role will also serve as a subject matter expert, staying informed about the rapidly changing and evolving industry, and demonstrating thought leadership at the intersection of sustainability and business aviation. They will apply critical thinking to analyse how sustainability principles impact different stakeholders in the business aviation sector.

Location:

EU - Remote (office space is available in London)

Essential Functions:

1. Adhere to the fundamental principles, particularly long-term approach to relationships.
2. Contact and meet with potential clients, engage in client conversations, addressing enquiries, providing relevant information, and converting leads into customers and long-term strategic partners where appropriate.
3. Hold introductory calls with inbound leads to assess the quality and viability of inbound leads, effectively qualifying and prioritising potential business opportunities for the sales team.
4. Follow up with leads in a timely manner, ensuring consistent and personalised communication to nurture relationships and drive conversions.
5. Maintain accurate and updated records in the CRM sales tool to ensure accurate reporting, attribution and progress reports.
6. Assist inbound leads from marketing campaigns or events through the sales process to choose the right programme for them and deploy in a way that meets their needs.
7. Collaborate with marketing and programme team to ensure sales goals and client expectations are met and fulfilled.
8. Support targeted business development initiatives through industry events, strategic partnerships, trade associations and key stakeholder engagement across Europe and other relevant markets
9. Continuously evaluate and refine business development strategies, incorporating feedback and insights to optimise lead generation and conversion processes.
10. Travel within Europe and internationally to attend industry conferences, sustainability forums and business aviation events to identify opportunities and strengthen stakeholder relationships with the sales team.
11. Stay up to date with a quickly changing and evolving industry to be able to speak to recent developments in two industries.
12. Be a subject matter expert to demonstrate 4AIR thought leadership at the intersection of sustainability and business aviation. Be able to apply and critically think about how principles of sustainability affect different business aviation stakeholders.
13. Performs other related duties as assigned.

Key Skills and Competencies

• Thorough knowledge of sales process principles,

• Strong understanding of company products or services as well as business position and competition to keep business competitive

• Proficient understanding of client needs related to emissions reporting requirements under voluntary and regulatory programme schemes.

• Ability to meet deadlines, must be comfortable prioritising tasks, demonstrate flexibility, display a strong work ethic, fanatical attention to detail, and sense of urgency.

• Interpersonal skills necessary to establish and maintain effective working relationships with management, employees, and other departments.

• Innovative and creative critical thinker; proactively identifies opportunities; motivated by challenge, change and opportunity to help look at things differently

• Ability to prioritise and complete multiple projects simultaneously, and work in a small team environment.

Functional Skills:

• Highly proficient presentation skills necessary to effectively communicate, update, persuade, and/or facilitate discussions with all levels of management and vendors/partners

• Superior verbal and written communication skills, preferably with design skills to develop aesthetic sales presentations

• Computer skills necessary to learn and/or operate word processing, spreadsheet, database, email, and web-based applications

• Familiarity with Salesforce

Minimum Qualifications:

• 1-3 years experience in a sales or business development role.

• Proficiency in one European language besides English, preferably German

Additional Desired Qualifications:

• Additional proficiency in other languages, preferably French, Spanish or Arabic

• Bachelors degree in business/marketing or related work experience

• Previous experience servicing high-profile customers for luxury goods or previous experience in communicating sustainability initiatives

• Working knowledge of business aircraft industry, products, and services

• Working knowledge of sustainability industry, including carbon offsets, sustainable fuels, and new technology

• Working knowledge of European sustainability and climate policy frameworks, including the EU Emissions Trading System (EU ETS), ReFuelEU Aviation, Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) and related reporting obligations

• Working knowledge of EASA Regulations applicable to business aircraft industry

• Has obtained a pilot’s license