Chief Commercial Officer (5th Co-founder)

Role overview

Kettrion is looking for a commercial co-founder to take a science-backed executive hiring intelligence platform to market. The company is building software for the EU AI Act era that embeds a practitioner-validated methodology for executive hiring. The business is pre-seed and currently has four founders in place: CEO, COO, CTO, and a co-founder focused on methodology, along with fractional CFO and legal support. The Chief Commercial Officer will become the fifth founder and help shape the go-to-market engine from the ground up.

What the role covers

Working closely with the CEO, you will design and lead Kettrion’s commercial strategy across 16 European markets, starting with DACH and the UK. The target buyer set is approximately 3,000 corporates, primarily CHROs and Heads of Talent with dedicated executive talent acquisition teams.

• Own the full enterprise software sales cycle, including market positioning, pricing, pipeline generation, deal closure, and account expansion over a three-year horizon.
• Plan and sequence the target universe of roughly 3,000 buyers across four go-to-market waves.
• Build the business development function from Series A onward across DACH, Benelux, Nordics, the UK, Ireland, and France.
• Help shape the investor story by translating commercial traction into a compelling fundraising narrative.
• Contribute to product direction as part of the executive team by bringing market feedback and evidence from customer conversations.

Candidate profile

The ideal candidate brings deep enterprise B2B software experience, strong commercial leadership, and the ability to operate in a lean, early-stage environment without an inherited playbook.

• At least 12 years of experience in enterprise B2B software.
• At least 5 years in a leadership role such as Head of Sales, VP Commercial, or Chief Commercial Officer.
• A proven history of selling complex, high-consideration software solutions to CHROs or talent decision-makers at large corporations.
• Experience in HR tech, talent intelligence, assessment, CRM, or executive search software is advantageous but not mandatory.
• Commercial experience across at least two European regions from DACH, Benelux, Nordics, and the UK; DACH is strongly preferred.
• Near-native English and strong German skills are required.
• French or another European language would be an additional advantage.
• Comfort working in a seed-stage setup with limited resources and no established sales blueprint.

Location and terms

Frankfurt area is preferred, while Düsseldorf and Munich can also be considered.

• Before the seed round closes: co-founder-style engagement of approximately 20 hours per week, with compensation deferred until the seed close, currently expected in November 2026.
• After the raise: the role becomes full-time with total compensation of €180,000, structured as 75% fixed pay and 25% pipeline bonus.
• A revenue-linked variable component will be added once the MVP is launched.
• Equity is activated at seed close.
• If the seed round has not closed by 1 November 2026, the engagement ends and no compensation is paid.

Application process

Instead of a standard cover letter, candidates are asked to respond with three concise answers:

• The most difficult enterprise sale you closed in Europe in the last five years, and why it ultimately succeeded.
• One thing the executive search software category misunderstands about its buyer.
• How you would sequence the roughly 3,000-buyer universe during the first 12 months after the raise.

The team expects to respond within five working days.