Job Summary

The DataPelago Sales Leader will build and own the sales function from the ground up, from new-customer acquisition and pipeline generation to hiring, forecasting, and repeatable enterprise sales execution. This is a hands-on, quota-carrying player-coach role: initially, the leader will personally prospect, lead complex sales cycles, negotiate, and close deals while recruiting and coaching Account Executives and Solution Architects. 

Working with DataPelago's founders, product and engineering teams, and NetApp Account Executives, this leader will establish the sales strategy and operating discipline required to win early customers. As the business scales, the leader will build a repeatable sales engine and progressively integrate the sales motion into NetApp's broader field organization.

Location: San Jose, California

About DataPelago and NetApp 

DataPelago is building a new data-processing platform applying accelerated computing for the AI era. Its technology is designed to accelerate analytics and AI workloads by bringing high-performance compute closer to enterprise data. 

Following its acquisition by NetApp, DataPelago combines the ownership, pace, and influence of an early-stage company with NetApp's global customer reach, resources, and enterprise relationships. DataPelago will continue operating with a focused, startup-style model while it builds a scalable business and go-to-market motion. 

This is a zero-to-one environment. We are looking for builders who are energized by ambiguity, move quickly, work directly with customers, and take ownership beyond traditional role boundaries. The strongest candidates will ideally bring experience from both early-stage companies and established organizations. They will know how to build with speed while also creating the processes, partnerships, and operating discipline needed to scale successfully within a larger enterprise. 

Job Responsibilities

• Define and execute the zero-to-one sales plan, including ideal customer profiles, target accounts, segmentation, coverage, sales plays, and revenue goals. 
• Carry a personal sales quota initially; originate pipeline, engage executive buyers, and personally negotiate and close net-new enterprise deals. As the team grows, assume accountability for team-level sales targets. 
• Build pipeline through direct outbound prospecting, executive relationships, customer introductions, ecosystem partners, and collaboration with NetApp sales teams. 
• Own complex enterprise sales cycles from qualification and discovery through business-case development, technical validation, pricing, procurement, negotiation, close, and customer handoff. 
• Build, hire, onboard, coach, and lead the Account Executive and Solution Architect team, remaining directly involved in priority deals and customer relationships. 
• Establish the sales operating foundation, including CRM discipline, qualification criteria, pipeline stages, account planning, forecasting, deal reviews, conversion metrics, and performance reporting. 
• Partner with Solution Architects to define evaluation success criteria, demonstrate business value, and turn successful technical evaluations into commercial wins. 
• Establish a clear co-selling model with NetApp Account Executives, including lead routing, technical qualification, opportunity ownership, and follow-through. 
• Work closely with DataPelago founders, product, engineering, and Product Marketing to refine buyer priorities, positioning, competitive differentiation, and commercial strategy. 

Qualifications & Education

• 15+ years overall sales experience with 5+ leading sales teams.  Bachelors degree preferred.
• Proven record of carrying and exceeding an individual enterprise sales quota, including personally sourcing, advancing, and closing complex net-new deals. 
• Strong hunter orientation and demonstrated ability to create pipeline without relying primarily on existing accounts, inbound demand, or an established lead-generation engine. 
• Experience selling emerging enterprise data, analytics, or AI technologies to technical buyers and senior business executives. 
• Experience building or materially shaping a zero-to-one sales motion, including early customer acquisition, sales processes, and team development. 
• Ability to hire, coach, and lead a sales and pre-sales team while remaining personally involved in deals. 
• Strong command of complex enterprise buying cycles, technical evaluations, ROI-based selling, commercial negotiation, and contracting. 
• Ability to establish pipeline discipline, reliable forecasting, sales metrics, and operating cadence from the ground up. 
• Familiarity with enterprise data and AI buyers and use cases, including data engineering, ETL/ELT, cloud analytics, and modern data platforms, is desirable. 
• Strong executive communication, commercial judgment, cross-functional influence, and a high-ownership builder mindset. 
• Experience in both an early-stage technology company and a larger enterprise organization is preferred.