Head of Sales, APJ
Glean
Glean is seeking a dynamic, strategic, and inspiring Head of Sales to drive growth, coach high-performing teams, and set a new standard for sales excellence in the enterprise space. Below is a synthesized job description reflecting Glean’s mission, culture, and sales leadership expectations:
About Glean
Glean’s mission is to make knowledge work faster and more humane, connecting enterprise knowledge with AI for transformative workflows. Founded by former Google and Facebook engineers, Glean is backed by top-tier venture capitalists and staffed by leaders from industry-defining organizations. The culture is rooted in curiosity, creativity, inclusion, and a passion for impact.
Role Overview
As the Head of APJ Sales for Glean, you will lead all of sales management and their account executive (AE) teams across the Asia-Pacific and Japan region, setting the strategic direction for sales while ensuring operational excellence. Your mission is to drive substantial bookings growth, scale high-performing teams, and establish a best-in-class sales culture that positions us as a leader in the AI SaaS market.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead and Inspire Teams: Manage and motivate a team of front-line Sales Managers and AEs, setting ambitious bookings targets and driving consistent over-achievement.
- Execute Strategic Growth Plans: Partner with global go-to-market (GTM) leadership to implement region-specific strategies, processes, and systems tailored to APJ enterprise clients, focusing on verticals like technology, finance, and manufacturing.
- Optimize Sales Processes: Instill repeatable sales methodologies and training programs to boost rep productivity, addressing the complexity of AI solution sales with usage-based pricing.
- Define and Track KPIs: Develop and manage APJ-Specific sales KPIs (e.g., bookings per rep, win rates, Global 2000 penetration), dashboards, and forecasting in Salesforce for transparency and growth tracking.
- Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Work closely with Marketing, Product, and Enablement teams to refine GTM motions, ensuring alignment with APJ market dynamics and AI product innovations.
- Foster Inclusive Culture: Model and reinforce a sales culture of respect, integrity, inclusion, and transparency, championing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives across diverse APJ markets.
- Drive Operational Excellence: Identify opportunities to streamline systems, coach managers, and scale operations, reducing sales cycle friction.
- Ensure Pipeline and Deal Quality: Implement best practices for pipeline generation, customer engagement, and deal execution, targeting 30% of APJ bookings from Global 2000 clients.
- Build Leadership Bench: Hire, mentor, and retain top sales talent, strengthening leadership and AE capabilities through targeted development programs.
- Act as a Role Model: Exemplify ethical, skillful, and data-driven leadership, raising the bar for sales excellence across APJ.
- Shape Global Strategy: Contribute to global sales strategy forums, sharing APJ learnings to influence the company’s trajectory.
Minimum Qualifications
- 10+ years of experience as a front-line enterprise sales manager in SaaS or technology, with additional experience managing managers in multi-team leadership roles.
- Proven ability to lead and scale high-performing sales organizations in APJ, ideally in enterprise AI or SaaS.
- Demonstrated success in meeting or exceeding bookings targets, with a focus on enterprise segments (e.g., $1M+ ACV deals).
- Track record of hiring, coaching, and developing sales leaders and AEs in diverse, multi-country teams.
- Fluency in Salesforce and modern sales tech stacks (e.g., Clari, Gong), with data-driven decision-making skills.
- Exceptional communication, collaboration, and cross-functional leadership, with experience navigating APJ’s cultural and economic diversity.
- Experience fostering inclusive team cultures and championing DEI initiatives.
Preferred Qualifications
- Second-line leadership experience (managing managers) in enterprise AI or SaaS at a high-growth company.
- Deep understanding of APJ enterprise markets, including verticals like technology, finance, or electronics, with a track record of Global 2000 wins.
- Strong business acumen, analytical skills, and executive presence for engaging C-level stakeholders.
- Passion for building scalable systems, experimenting with AI-driven sales tools, and driving continuous improvement.
- Fluency in key APJ languages (e.g., Japanese, Mandarin) is a plus.
Compensation, Benefits, and Culture
- Competitive base salary, performance-based On-Target Earnings (OTE), and meaningful equity.
- Comprehensive benefits, including medical, dental, vision, superannuation/pension plans, and stipends for wellness, learning, and home office setup.
- Flexible, inclusive work environment with a commitment to professional and personal growth.
- Opportunity to thrive in a diverse, mission-driven team passionate about advancing enterprise AI.
Location
- This role is based in a major APJ hub (e.g., Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, or Bangalore), with hybrid work options.
- Requires up to 50% travel across APJ to meet clients, attend industry events, and visit regional offices.
Glean is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity at all levels of the organization. We encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply
.