Are you looking for a meaningful sales job that serves a true purpose and has a real impact? At VTT, you can make a difference together with other brilliant minds. Our VTT Commercial Operations unit drives customer centricity in the organisation. As Solution Sales Lead for Transport technologies, you will play a central role in shaping the commercial offering and building our customer base in the fast-developing R&D field.

The Transport technologies research is driven by innovative solutions for zero-emissions and carbon neutral transportation to address the multiple parallel transformations in the transport industry. We help vehicle and transport industries and the society to transform towards energy-efficient, resilient, emission free and carbon neutral transport through novel technologies. Our research facilities offer experimental research capabilities and end-to-end services for the transport sector, including maritime transport, logistics sector, work machine industry, vehicle industry, battery industry, electric vehicle and vessel charging, fuel producers and users, and manufacturers and operators of unmanned aviation solutions. Our expertise in experimental research, combined with theoretical methods and modelling, makes us a leader in developing innovative and sustainable transport solutions.

We are looking for a Solution Sales Lead, Transport technologies

The key motivation for us is to turn our inventions to innovations through collaboration with our customers. For that role we're looking for someone with prior experience from sales from one or several fields in transport technologies. The person we are looking for is a team player able to help and coach our teams in technology transfer to our customers, coordinate and execute sales activities. You coordinate business activities between the research area and a number of customer account leads but also drive and look for new business opportunities by yourself and turn leads into orders. You understand basics of the technology fields our team covers.

We are working with tailored solutions and products that revolutionize tomorrow’s markets. We are proud of our comprehensive research on zero-emission and carbon neutral powertrains and our solutions to unmanned aviation, such as drones. For maritime industry we have focused on developing efficient and smart shipping solutions, such as carbon neutral and zero-emission vessels, autonomous ships and clean power solutions. For advanced automated driving solutions, we have large testing facilities and long-term experience and expertise in challenging outdoor conditions. We innovate new technological solutions and help our customers to enter into new markets.

Our customers range from fast growing SMEs to leading international companies mainly in manufacturing and OEM’s in transportation, maritime, non-road mobile machinery and air mobility industries.

The VTT office location for this position is preferably Espoo, other VTT locations (Oulu, Tampere, Jyväskylä) are negotiable.

With us, you will be responsible for:

• Driving and coordinating activities that enhance the transfer of our inventions to companies through commercial projects.
• Planning and executing sales activities and building sales pipeline in the transport technologies research area together with different stakeholders in commercial operations as well as the research area
• Ensuring continued business relationships with existing customers
• Acquiring new customers and driving sales growth in the fields of transport technologies
• Keeping track of the sales funnel in the CRM and ensure timely actions to move opportunities through it
• Participate with research teams in offers and contracts creation according to VTT’s sales guidelines, ensuring all different aspects are taken into account (pricing, deliverables, trade regulations)
• Coordinating and executing activities together with research teams to commercially transfer our IPR portfolio to our customers
• Customer centricity coaching of our researchers
• Contributing to offering creation and service models together with other stakeholders
• Participating in marketing action planning and execution, participating and coordinating exhibition participations in the field of transport technologies

Who we are looking for:

• A person who is motivated for developing and enhancing different ways of transferring our inventions to innovations through our customers
• A demonstrated track-record of managing customer relationships, understanding customer needs and enabling our customers’ business growth
• Several years of experience in a hands-on sales role in value-based and consultative solution sales, including a demonstrated ability of selling project entities and solutions that are tailored and fitted to specific customer needs
• Ability to collaborate with internal stakeholders in a matrix organization and engaging relevant people in building winning cases, a team player
• Understanding of transport industry related customer segments
• Prior experience in product management is considered an advantage
• Good communication skills in Finnish and English, both oral and written, are required. Other possible language skills (German, French etc.) are considered as an advantage
• Excellent negotiation and networking skills
• Higher level degree in a relevant field

As a person, we hope that you:

• Truly enjoy working with customers and your motivation comes from finding solutions for customers
• Besides having a humble attitude, have the ambition to drive results and close deals. You successfully motivate and influence colleagues and customers reaching your goals in collaboration with others
• Are energetic and dynamic professional who is thriving on actively grasping leads, contacting sales prospects and new customers hands-on
• Are development-oriented, have a broad perspective and a well-developed business understanding
• Have a proactive approach and desire to develop sales in the research area
• Have an analytical mindset and like a systematic approach in sales
• In addition, you are a team player able to collaborate with a large number of internal stakeholders

With VTT, you’ll enjoy:

• Work with a strong purpose. At VTT, you’ll get to use your professional expertise to help solve the greatest challenges of our time through science and innovation. Our research agenda is dedicated to creating solutions for systemic and technological challenges, such as reaching carbon neutrality and creating superior digital systems. At VTT, you’ll get to do your part in driving this meaningful change through your professional skills. Read more about our strategy, the path of exponential hope, and our organisational culture as the builder of the world's most meaningful place to work.
• An inspiring community. VTT houses all the cutting-edge fields of innovation, from quantum technology to synthetic biology, under one roof. As a professional at VTT, you’ll witness and influence the future of science and technology as it happens. 
• Career and learning opportunities. As a scientific expert organisation, we emphasise learning and development and support our people in reaching their full potential. People stay at VTT for more than ten years, as we offer opportunities to develop and grow into new responsibilities. If you’re curious, ambitious, and willing to learn, VTT is the place to take your career to the next level.
• Support for your well-being. Our people are our main asset, so we take good care of them. We aim to nurture excellent team spirit and leadership and offer versatile well-being services to enable a good work-life balance. On top of 6 weeks of paid holidays annually (after one year of work), we offer exercise and culture benefits, hobby clubs, and voluntary well-being services such as meditation and cognitive ergonomics training.

Apply now and join our community of brilliant minds!

Please send your CV and application with your salary request via our recruitment system as soon as possible but at the latest by 15 April 2025. We will process applications as they come in and fill the position as soon as we find the right candidate. A security clearance procedure may be conducted during the recruitment process.

Interested and want to know more?

For further information, please contact Leena Maanpää (Sales Director), +358 40 565 6303 on Friday April 4th, between 14:00-15:00 (UTC+3) or on Monday April 14h between 10-11 (UTC+3).

We look forward to hearing from you!

Location: Preferably Espoo, other VTT locations (Oulu, Tampere, Jyväskylä) are negotiable.