Building GTM Teams Across EMEA and the US for a Global EdTech Leader

15 Oct

A global leader in education technology, partnering with schools, universities and training providers worldwide, with commercial teams across North America and EMEA.

We have partnered with the company since 2022, running each search as the need arises across sales, pre-sales, channel and marketing, in contingent and retained search models.

The Challenge

Growth in EMEA meant hiring into markets where the company had little or no local team. The roles were specialist and hard to fill:

Multilingual Solutions Engineers who could run demos and RFPs in Spanish, Italian and English
Channel leaders to open the Middle East and Central Europe through partners, with Arabic and German
Regional Directors and Account Executives for higher education in the UK, DACH and the US
SDRs and marketing hires to build pipeline in new regions

Many of these hires were the first of their kind in the region, with no team to lean on from day one.

The Approach

One partner across regions. A single point of contact for sales leaders in EMEA and the US, briefed directly by each hiring manager.
Direct approach. Most hires were approached directly, not found through job boards.
Language and market mapping. Talent mapped by language and market before outreach, so every shortlist covered the territory.
Interview preparation. Every candidate briefed and prepared for panel interviews, presentations and demos.
Offer management. Compensation, start dates and counteroffers managed through to a signed contract.

Trust built over time. The client moved senior searches to exclusive retained assignments and passed its own inbound applicants to us for screening.

The Results

Since 2022 we have placed 14 commercial hires across five markets: UK and Ireland, Spain, DACH, the Middle East and the United States.

Roles Filled

Regional Directors × 3
Solutions Engineers × 3
Sales Development Representatives × 3
Channel leaders × 2
Marketing × 2
Senior Account Executive × 1

Key Outcomes

167 candidates assessed across 14 searches tracked since 2023
Specialist hires in five languages: English, Spanish, Italian, German and Arabic
Fast where it counts: one Solutions Engineer search went from first CV to offer in 8 days, and an SDR search in 3
Senior and hard to fill: an Arabic-speaking channel director for the Middle East, hired on an exclusive retained search in about 13 weeks
Hires who grow: our first SDR hire made President’s Club at 126% of quota and is now an Account Executive. Other hires have stepped up to senior titles or wider regional remits
Hires who perform: a US Senior Account Executive closed his first deals within his first quarter and was on track for ramped quota

Feedback from the Client

Former General Manager EMEA

“He's done a tremendous job, understanding my organization's needs and finding strong, qualified candidates to help us fill our sales vacancies.”

People Operations Manager

“John is the incredible professional I mentioned who sources all our exceptional candidates”

Sales Hiring Manager, US

“As usual you were incredibly helpful and your candidates were excellent, especially given the short timeframe you were provided.”

Director, Solutions Engineering EMEA

“These candidates you're finding are definitely the right caliber for me.”

Regional Vice President, US, on a Senior Account Executive hire

“He's caught on super quickly and has already closed his first couple of deals. He's on track to hit his ramped quota for Q3.”

Feedback from Candidates

Director of Channel Partnerships, Middle East

“He went above and beyond to ensure I was well-prepared for each interview and offered insightful advice that ultimately contributed to my success.”

Solutions Engineer, EMEA

“He was there to support me in every step of the process, always providing good feedback and suggestions.”

Solutions Engineer, UK

“If you haven't, get in touch with him to experience what a premium recruitment service feels like.”

Why It Works

A partner who knows the product, the buyer and the hiring managers, so each new search starts fast
Specialist reach into multilingual and channel talent that job adverts don’t find
A candidate experience that reflects well on the employer brand

See the roles behind this work in Sales Engineer Recruitment, Partner Manager Recruitment and our Placed Roles.