Helaina is a VC-backed biotech startup creating a new category of functional food products.

Our vision is to bring the functional properties of human proteins to food. Helaina will be the first company to put human milk proteins into food, defining a new category of consumer nutrition products focused on supporting immunity. We see a range of opportunities to use our breast milk proteins to enhance other types of functional foods for all segments of the population.

Helaina is backed by top VCs in the industry including Spark Capital, Siam Capital, Primary Venture Partners, and Plum Alley. We are a team of change-makers looking for our next team member who is intensely passionate about advancing synthetic biology for food and beverage products and redefining the future of nutrition.

About the Job:

The Director, Sales will generate new pipeline and close bookings to ensure that revenue targets are met. This hire will have a unique opportunity to work alongside the COO in building a scalable sales function at Helaina. The right candidate has a high degree of intuition, an innate drive to close deals, and a feel for numbers. They have experience selling B2B sales to functional foods, beverages, and supplements, and must fervently believe in the value proposition of Helaina and changing the world of nutrition.

What You'll Do:

• Identify new sales opportunities and see them through the entire sales process, and bring them to close.
• Manage customer relationships.
• Perform activities necessary to move prospects through the funnel including preparing client presentations, writing pricing proposals, and driving negotiations.
• Collaborate with marketing to build the library of sales assets, and support as needed on top of the funnel marketing activities.
• Work cross functionally with marketing, the COO, and the sales team to optimize the sales funnel.
• Collaborate with operations to track and report sales reports.
• Monitor market trends, competitive landscape, and industry developments to identify opportunities.
• Lead negotiation discussions with customers, including pricing structure.
• Run sales meetings with the goal of driving results.
• Collaborate with the COO to build a scalable sales infrastructure.
• Collaborate with the COO and CFO to create sales forecasting and budget.
• Provide input in demand forecasting initiatives.
  
  

About You:

• You have 10+ years of experience selling ingredients for functional foods beverages, supplements, or adjacent verticals.
• You have knowledge of the vertical and can reach out to the right contact within an organization.
• You have sales experience in an rapidly growing business climate.
• You have no problem rolling up your sleeves and helping build the sales function from the ground up.
• You have experience operating with little guidance in an ambiguous and fast-paced environment.
• You want to work at a company that moves fast and help build a function from the ground up.
• You are extremely process oriented and can implement new processes.
• You have an understanding of revenue forecasts and budgets.
• You have expertise executing at different stages of the funnel, including negotiation.
• You are comfortable with numbers and navigating excel.
• You are proficient on Hubspot or similar CRM platforms.
• You are passionate about Helaina's philosophy and mission.
• Bonus points if you have startup and/or sales operations experience.
  
  

This role will have a key position on building the sales function at Helaina and has the potential to grow into a senior role in the company. Compensation is market-competitive with a yearly cash base of $130k - $185k, and equity.

We use a disciplined approach to compensation. We believe this is the only way to create a consistent, strategic, and equitable compensation structure that in turn unlocks healthy growth for our organization. We build our range with benchmarking data for the particular role from Pave.com. Because Pave hooks into HRIS, they have the most accurate data for early-stage companies. We decide any given hire's offer based on three factors:

• first among them, expected performance in the role (based on performance in the interview process and proximity of experience);
• as well as seniority (amount of relevant experience);
• and location (different cost of living).
  
  

Benefits:

Helaina was founded on the belief that families should have freedom of choice. We are committed to providing an inclusive workplace that does just that, supporting our team's health, wellbeing and professional development at every stage and milestone. We are proud to offer comprehensive health care, generous parental leave and childcare reimbursement, equity packages and more to our Full-Time employees. A few highlights include:

• Full medical, vision and dental coverage
• Short and long term disability insurance coverage
• 401k match (up to 3%)
• Unlimited vacation days, including an all-company holiday between Christmas and New Year
• Paid Parental Leave for both parents + flexible return to work program
• Childcare reimbursement program
• Commuter Benefits
• Leadership Development coaching through BetterUp
  
  

Helaina is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Don't meet every single requirement? Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply to jobs unless they meet every single qualification. At Helaina we are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may just be the strongest candidate for this or other roles. For more information, please contact careers@myhelaina.com.

Learn more about Helaina: https://www.myhelaina.com/press