Head Of Pre-sales

Sonata One is a rapidly scaling, regulated fund services and technology (fintech) business.  We're The Private Funds Clearinghouse, connecting more than 53,000 investors with 6,500 funds and 180 fund managers around the globe. Our vision is to change the paradigm of private markets investing through harmonising the end-to-end investment process within one platform. Investors benefit from a seamless, one & done experience across the fund lifecycle (from fund selection and subscription through to settlement and reporting) underpinned by a globally compliant KYC passport and 24/5 support. Fund managers can raise capital faster at a lower cost from a wider pool of pre-approved investors.  Founded in 2015, Sonata One has a presence in eight locations worldwide including the US, UK and Luxembourg, Guernsey, South Africa and Mauritius.    

We operate as #OneGlobalThread in line with our values: We challenge the norm, we change the way we think and work, by connecting systems and people, while committing to our vision and each other. We are now looking to recruit an experienced Head of Pre-Sales to join our global team.

Position Overview:  

We are hiring an experienced, commercially minded Pre-Sales leader to create and shape the function across Sonata One's global commercial organisation. This is a highly strategic role sitting at the intersection of Sales, Product, Operations and Technology. You will be responsible for translating complex client requirements into compelling, process maps and workflows that demonstrate the value of Sonata One's platform.

You will work closely with our Sales teams throughout the entire enterprise sales cycle, from discovery and qualification through to solution design, demonstrations, RFP/RFI responses, commercial proposals and contract close. The successful candidate will be equally comfortable engaging with senior commercial stakeholders and highly technical audiences, including CFOs, COOs, Heads of Operations, Fund Operations leaders, Compliance, Technology and Transformation teams.

You will become a trusted subject matter expert on Sonata One's platform, and broader technology stack, understanding both the capabilities of our technology, and the operational challenges faced by participants across the private market’s ecosystem.

This role combines traditional service setup, product demonstration and acting as a strategic solution consultant, helping clients understand how Sonata One can transform complex fund and investor onboarding processes. There will also be a strong internal focus to ensure client requirements are translated into actionable technology and operational solutions.

Pre-Sales Leadership

• Own and develop Sonata One's global pre-sales strategy and function, establishing best practice across the commercial organisation
• Partner closely with the managing director – Global growth, Head of New Business sales, and the new business team to develop winning strategies for complex large scale global client opportunities
• Lead the pre-sales process across strategic opportunities, ensuring a consistent and high-quality client experience from discovery through to close
• Develop a scalable approach to solution consulting, demonstrations, discovery, RFP/RFI responses and technical proposals
• Establish frameworks, methodologies and content that enable the wider commercial team to communicate Sonata One's proposition effectively
• Coach and embed a pre-sales mindset across the organisation
• In due course, scale a pre-sales team to manage an increasing number of client engagements. This role will not start with any direct reports.

Service Consulting & Client Engagement

• Jointly lead discovery sessions with prospective clients to understand their strategic objectives, operational workflows, technology environments and pain points
• Help understand complex client requirements and provide suggested template workflow that guides prospects into best practice of implementing Sonata One
• Deliver sophisticated, tailored product demonstrations and presentations to senior stakeholders
• Develop demonstrations around specific client use cases. This includes creating test users, and user environments to show prospects how we tailor to their needs, within the S1 service framework and process maps.
• Engage directly with economic, operational and technical buyers, adapting communication to different stakeholder groups
• Articulate how Sonata One's platform can improve efficiency, control, compliance, scalability and the overall private markets investment experience
• Challenge client assumptions where appropriate and identify opportunities to redesign inefficient processes
• Act as a trusted advisor throughout the sales cycle, providing insight into private markets operating models, technology and industry trends

Private Markets Expertise

Demonstrable understanding of the private market’s ecosystem, including:

• General Partners (GPs) across private equity, private credit, real assets and venture capital
• Fund structures, investor onboarding and subscription processes
• Transfer Agency and fund administration workflows
• KYC, AML, FATCA and CRS requirements
• Investor servicing and ongoing investor management
• Fund operations, middle office and finance processes
• Relationships between GPs, LPs, fund administrators, custodians and other intermediaries
• Technology and data challenges across the private markets investment lifecycle
• The operational and regulatory friction experienced by private markets participants

Technical & Commercial Solution Design

• Work with clients to understand their business, operational and technical requirements
• Translate requirements into clear solution designs, workflows and proposed operating models
• Partner with Product, Technology, Operations, Compliance and Legal teams to validate proposed solutions
• Assess integration, data, implementation and technical considerations as part of the sales process
• Identify product gaps and communicate structured feedback to Product and Technology teams
• Support the development of business cases, ROI propositions and commercial proposals
• Help Sales teams position Sonata One against alternative approaches, incumbent providers and competing solutions
• Ensure proposed solutions are commercially viable, operationally deliverable and aligned with Sonata One's product strategy

RFP / RFI & Enterprise Sales Support

• Own the pre-sales contribution to complex RFPs, RFIs, tenders and enterprise sales processes
• Develop compelling written responses that clearly articulate Sonata One's capabilities and differentiation
• Coordinate input from Product, Technology, Operations, Compliance and other internal stakeholders
• Support commercial negotiations by providing appropriate technical and solution-based context
• Participate in senior-level client presentations, workshops and proof-of-concept / proof-of-value exercises
• Help develop reusable proposal content, case studies, solution materials and sales enablement assets

Commercial Profile

• Proven experience in Pre-Sales, Solution Consulting, Sales Engineering or a similar client-facing role, ideally within fintech, financial services, SaaS or enterprise technology
• Experience supporting complex, consultative enterprise sales cycles with multiple stakeholders and extended buying processes
• Strong ability to bridge the gap between commercial objectives, operational requirements and technical solutions
• Comfortable working alongside senior Sales leaders and taking ownership of strategic opportunities
• Demonstrated ability to influence complex buying groups and build consensus across multiple stakeholders
• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to understand both client value and business case
• Experience operating within a high-growth environment where products, propositions and processes continue to evolve

Strong understanding of:

• Private markets, fund services, financial services or adjacent fintech environments
• Enterprise SaaS and technology-enabled financial services
• Complex operational workflows and technology ecosystems
• Solution architecture and technical discovery
• API, integration, data and implementation concepts
• Regulatory and compliance considerations within financial services
• The ability to translate complex technology into clear business outcomes
• The ability to communicate technical concepts to non-technical senior executives

Personal Attributes

• Highly credible with senior commercial, operational and technical stakeholders
• Exceptional communication, presentation and storytelling skills
• Naturally curious with a genuine interest in understanding how businesses operate
• Able to build trusted relationships and operate as a peer and strategic advisor to clients
• Commercially minded with strong business acumen
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity and solving complex problems
• Able to simplify highly complex concepts without losing the underlying detail
• Collaborative and able to bring together stakeholders across Sales, Product, Technology and Operations
• Confident challenging existing thinking and proposing alternative approaches
• Highly organised, structured and able to manage multiple strategic opportunities simultaneously
• Passionate about technology and its ability to transform the private markets ecosystem

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Economics, Computer Science, Technology or a related field preferred but not essential with relevant experience
• Professional qualifications in financial services, technology or project management are advantageous
• Relevant experience within private markets, fund administration, fintech, financial services or enterprise SaaS will be highly valued

Being part of Sonata One provides a collaborative and inclusive work culture that values innovation and diversity. We believe in the power of our unique mission and we all work together towards that one single goal. We also believe in being real. We’re not a big corporate. Everyone has an important role to fulfil, and your contribution will be an integral part of our success story.   

Benefits:   

• Life Insurance – Peace of mind for you and your loved ones 

• Income Protection – Financial support when you need it most 

• Hybrid Working – Supporting work/Life Balance 

• Annual Leave – With extra days that grow the longer you’re with us 

• Pension Scheme – Employee matched helping you plan confidently for the future 

• Employee Assistance Program – Confidential, 24/7 support for life’s ups and downs 

• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity & Adoption Leave – Because family matters 

• Career Training & Development – Ongoing learning opportunities to help you grow 

• Paid Volunteering Day – Take time to give back to causes you care about

• Cycle to work Scheme – Employees can benefit from significant tax savings on bicycles and cycling equipment