Senior Vice President, Sales

Ascend Analytics, LLC

Senior Vice President, Sales

Our Client

Ascend Analytics is an innovative climate technology software and consulting company focused on energy analytics to support an increasingly complex power grid. The company’s products enhance critical power supply decisions for an array of key energy market stakeholders, from short-term operating strategies to long-term investment and resource planning. The key products offered by the company include:

• PowerSIMM™ Suite: This platform is geared towards optimizing energy portfolio management, resource planning, and project optimization. It integrates market and physical condition variabilities to aid in resource planning, portfolio management, and financial risk analysis​.
• PowerVAL/This tool focuses on the valuation and operation optimization of energy storage and renewable energy systems. It is designed to handle long-term valuation and planning for battery storage, integrating with renewable energy sources​.
• SmartBidder™: Aimed at optimizing bidding and scheduling in energy storage and renewable operations, SmartBidder assists in making financially optimal decisions under varying market conditions​.
• Market Intelligence™: Provides long-term forecasting and market intelligence, crucial for stakeholders needing detailed market analysis and price forecasts to inform their strategic decisions​.
• Ascend Energy Exchange™: This is a marketplace for clean asset transactions, providing a platform for buying, selling, and valuing clean energy assets​.
• EnSurance™: Targets financial risk management and the financing of merchant storage, offering insights into market risks and investment opportunities.

Ascend recently announced a strategic growth investment from prominent software and climate technology investors Rubicon Technology Partners, a private equity firm which is focused on investing in and growing software companies, Galvanize Climate Solutions, which invests in companies and solutions advancing the energy transition, and Silversmith Capital Partners, a technology-focused growth equity firm. Read more about how the investment will accelerate Ascend’s product innovation here. To learn more about Ascend, please visit us at www.ascendanalytics.com.

The Role

The Senior Vice President, Sales will be a key member of the executive team, responsible for all revenue-generating processes and execution of strategies to achieve the company's financial goals. This role involves strategic planning, overseeing market expansion efforts, and identifying new business opportunities in a rapidly evolving energy market. Furthermore, the SVP Sales will be instrumental in creating and executing a messaging strategy for Ascend Analytics that follows a compelling narrative tailored to resonate with the company’s customer base. The SVP Sales will be responsible for crafting the playbook to upsell across the company's ecosystem of products, ensuring a coordinated approach to maximize revenue growth.

The SVP Sales will oversee a team of 10 members, segmented into product-focused groups. Within each product group, each team has client relationship management, account management, and business development, ensuring targeted strategies and cohesive operations across the board. The base salary for this role is $250K - $300K.

Key responsibilities for the SVP Sales include:

1. Revenue Strategy and Market Alignment: Develop a cohesive revenue strategy, align product offerings with market needs, and optimize pricing.
2. Sales Performance and Goal Achievement: Drive performance against sales goals and profitability by monitoring market trends and maintaining pricing discipline.
3. Client and Stakeholder Relationships: Build strong relationships with key clients, stakeholders, and partners, and implement a strategic account management plan.
4. Sales Team Leadership and Development: Lead and expand the sales team, fostering a culture of success and continuous improvement, and focus on attracting and retaining top talent.
5. Collaboration and Integration: Work with Product and marketing teams to develop innovative solutions and support lead generation.
6. Reporting and Financial Management: Provide regular insights to the CEO and Board, manage revenue forecasting, and ensure high-quality proposals.
7. Value Proposition and Messaging: Create compelling value propositions and presentations, tailored to the needs of various stakeholders, and foster multi-layered engagement.

Candidate Profile

We are seeking an SVP Sales who embodies a dynamic blend of strategic vision and tactical prowess, capable of propelling our sales operations and enhancing the reach of our innovative energy analytics software. The ideal candidate should possess an innate ability to understand and articulate the narrative of our products, aligning this narrative effectively with the needs of our customers to ensure our messaging resonates and drives engagement.

The role demands a proven track record in building and scaling sales organizations, where the individual has demonstrated the ability to develop a 'right to win' strategy across our suite of product offerings by recognizing unique market opportunities. This person ideally has a player-coach mentality, fits well within our company culture by mentoring and leading through example, and should be skilled at convening the right mix of talent to deliver compelling, differentiated messages that close deals effectively.

A key attribute for the SVP Sales will be confidence and an engaging presence that not only uplifts team morale but also instills a robust competitive spirit across the organization. They must be able to see and articulate the interconnections across our product suite, helping clients understand how these integrations address broader business challenges, thus elevating our company’s message and positioning us as thought leaders in the energy analytics domain.

Leadership Qualifications

• Proven expertise in the energy sector or software industry, with a significant track record of surpassing revenue goals and leading strategic market expansions.
• Visionary leadership qualities, with demonstrated ability to inspire, manage, and develop high-performing teams in a dynamic and cross-cultural environment.
• Exceptional communication, negotiation, and presentation skills, capable of effectively engaging and influencing diverse internal and external stakeholders.
• Demonstrated proficiency in transforming strategic market insights into actionable, scalable growth strategies.
• Proven experience leading best-in-class go to market strategies including expertise in digital marketing, sales strategy development, and customer relationship management.
• Proven leadership in developing and mentoring a high-caliber sales team, fostering an environment of excellence, inclusivity, and collaboration.

Impact Qualifications

• Dynamic and inventive leader with robust sales acumen, deeply committed to propelling the company's mission in a high-growth setting. Excels at operational execution with a focus on enhancing critical business capabilities.
• Entrepreneurial spirit with a hands-on leadership style, ready to directly engage with all aspects of the business and lead by example.
• Strong commitment to driving social impact, particularly focused on advancing sustainable energy transitions.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, or a related field is required; an MBA is preferred.
• Presence in the Boulder office is required, preferably 3-4 days per week, to ensure effective team collaboration and leadership visibility.

Contact

Ryan Ransford

Russell Reynolds Associates

155 North Wacker Drive, Suite 4100
Chicago, IL  60606-1732
Direct: +1-312-535-7840
Mobile: +1-312-504-0775

[email protected]

Justin Lund

Russell Reynolds Associates

2 Alhambra Plaza, Suite 660
Coral Gables, FL 33134-5202
Direct: +1-786-725-2655
Mobile: +1-714-329-0440

[email protected]

Compensation: $250,000 - $300,000 base salary. Total compensation will include bonus opportunities.

Negotiable based on qualifications and experience. Ascend highly values our employees and often pays above industry average. 

We offer flexible work hours in a relaxed environment with opportunities for advancement and excellent benefits, including medical, dental, vision, short- and long-term disability, parental leave, dependent care spending account, and a 401k plan.  

We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Ascend Analytics is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information or other applicable legally protected characteristics.   

Ascend Analytics is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities and disabled veterans in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, please contact us at [email protected]