US Sales Lead

What You’ll Be Doing

You will personally own and close complex enterprise deals while setting the standard for how we sell in the US. You will:

• Own a new-business quota and run full-cycle enterprise deals end-to-end — from sourcing and deep discovery through pilot design, negotiation, and close.
• Aggressively land pilots and convert them into long-term, six-figure enterprise accounts.
• Spend significant time on the road with customers — building relationships, driving momentum, and developing real conviction in-market.
• Establish and enforce high standards across:
• Sales process and methodology
• Deal qualification and quality
• Pipeline discipline and forecasting rigor

Translate complex AI and patent/IP workflows into clear business value for senior stakeholders. Iterate messaging, positioning, and pricing based on live market feedback.

Hire, coach, and develop future US AEs — raising the bar on execution and culture from day one.

Partner closely with the London team to:

• Avoid territory conflicts
• Leverage existing relationships and references
• Feed US learnings back into the global sales playbook

What We Are Looking For

• Have 7+ years of experience in enterprise B2B SaaS sales, with a track record of closing complex, six-figure deals.
• Have experience opening new markets, territories, or building sales functions from an early stage.
• Are comfortable in a true player–coach role — carrying quota while developing others.
• Thrive in ambiguity and can create structure where none exists.
• Are confident selling to senior decision-makers in enterprise environments.
• Are highly disciplined with pipeline management and forecasting.
• Are energized by being in front of customers — and willing to travel heavily in the early days.

• [Bonus points] Have experience selling AI, technical platforms, or workflow software into enterprise teams.
• [Bonus points] Have sold into law firms, patent attorneys, or in-house IP / R&D functions.
• [Bonus points] Have built or scaled a US sales team at an early-stage (Series A/B) company.

Culture at Ankar

Culture at Ankar is how we think, build, and operate. We’re building a generational company that redefines how the world’s best R&D teams create and protect ideas.

• Contrarian - we think from first principles: We think deeply, question assumptions, and build from first principles. The best ideas come from clarity and rigour.
• Creative - we build with taste: We’re building the R&D tools for the AI era and shaping what applied research looks like over the next 20 years. We care about precision, quality, and systems that last.
• Competitiveness - we play to win: We move with urgency and set a very high bar for ourselves and each other. Every win raises the bar. Every challenge sharpens us.

This Role Is Not For You If...

• You need a highly structured environment, a predefined playbook, regular working hours, or a schedule that never requires travel.
• We operate with high autonomy and ownership, expect our team to go above and beyond, be obsessed with our mission and thrive in ambiguity rather than wait for direction.
• You prefer long planning cycles and certainty before acting.
• You take it personally when ideas are challenged, priorities shift, or work gets redirected.