Recruiting a Head of International Sales at a SaaS Company – A Case Study of Vercom’s Global Expansion

Executive Summary

As part of the executive search process for the Head of International Sales at a SaaS/CPaaS company (Vercom), we reviewed 94 candidates on the international market.

We presented the client with the four best-matched profiles (top ~4%), and the final candidate was hired within three weeks of the start of the process.

The key challenge was finding a leader who combines experience in global B2B SaaS sales with the ability to build a team and develop a strategy from the ground up.

The successful candidate has experience in scaling international sales and working with enterprise clients (including Adidas and Zalando), which directly supports the company’s continued global expansion.

About the customer

Our client was a technology company Vercom, a B2B company offering communication solutions in the SaaS/CPaaS space.

The company is currently experiencing rapid growth and is pursuing a strategy of international expansion, developing its sales in European and global markets.

A key element in further scaling the business was building an international sales function from the ground up and acquiring enterprise clients and partners (primarily enterprise-level e-commerce clients).

As a result, the company has decided to hire a Head of International Sales, who will be responsible for both the strategy and the day-to-day operations of building the global sales team.

The recruitment challenge

The recruitment process for the Head of International Sales position at a SaaS/CPaaS company presented several significant challenges that have significantly limited the availability of suitable candidates in the market.

1. A very small group of candidates

The ideal candidate combined skills that are rarely found together:

• Experience in international B2B sales (SaaS / CPaaS / telco)
• the ability to build sales structures from the ground up
• experience working with enterprise clients
• the ability to act at both the strategic and operational levels

In practice, this means that most of the candidates available on the market did not meet the key criteria for the role.

2. A role at the intersection of strategy and execution

The client wasn't looking for a traditional "sales manager," but rather a leader who:

• will develop a strategy for international expansion
• will build a sales team from scratch
• At the same time, he will be actively involved in attracting key clients and partners

Candidates with this type of background are particularly difficult to find through standard sales recruitment processes.

 3. Competition for talent in the global market

Candidates who meet the above criteria are actively sought after by global technology companies—including large organizations and well-funded scale-ups.

This means that effective recruitment required reaching out directly to candidates (outbound) rather than relying solely on job postings.

 4. The importance of business alignment

Given the strategic nature of the role, it was crucial not only that the candidate had the necessary experience, but also that they were able to collaborate effectively with the management team and had a solid understanding of the SaaS/CPaaS business model.

A poor hiring decision at this level could significantly slow down the company’s international expansion.

Our Approach

Given the complexity of the role and the limited pool of candidates available on the market, the process was designed as a targeted executive search—involving direct outreach to carefully selected candidates and close collaboration with the client at the business level.

1. Clarifying the actual job profile (not just the job description)

We began the process by redefining the candidate profile—going beyond the standard job description.

The key was to identify what kind of experience would actually lead to success in this role, rather than just focusing on the formal requirements listed in the job posting.

We focused on profiles that:

• built their international sales from the ground up
• have worked with enterprise clients in a B2B model
• combined strategic responsibilities (GTM, expansion) with operational ones (sales, partnerships)

2. Targeted sourcing instead of posting job ads

Given the nature of the role, the process did not rely on posting job ads, but rather on reaching out to candidates directly.

We conducted a market survey, focusing on people working in:

• SaaS / CPaaS companies
• organizations focused on expanding global sales
• environments where sales to enterprise customers are a key component of the business model

This allowed us to reach candidates who were not actively seeking employment.

 3. Selection based on the ability to scale the business

Each candidate was evaluated not only on the basis of their experience, but above all on their ability to effectively scale sales in an international environment.

Among other things, we verified:

• experience in building and managing a team
• participation in the development and implementation of the GTM strategy
• sales results (including growth and acquisition of enterprise clients)

As a result, 94 candidates were evaluated, and the four best-suited profiles were selected.

4. Close collaboration with the client and a fast decision-making process

A key factor in our success was our direct collaboration with the client’s decision-makers and an efficient decision-making process.

This made it possible to:

• conducting interviews with selected candidates in a timely manner
• maintaining high candidate engagement
• completion of the process within 3 weeks

The selected candidate

The successful candidate has experience in building and scaling international sales in a B2B environment, working with enterprise clients across multiple markets.

Experience and Scope of Responsibilities

The candidate served as Global Sales Team Manager, responsible for new business development and building sales structures.

As part of your role:

• built and developed a business development team (7 FTEs) and collaborated with support teams (a total of 20–30 people indirectly involved)
• led strategic sales and product initiatives (including the development of cross-border services, the launch of new products, and the optimization of sales processes)
• was responsible for meeting sales targets and developing relationships with key clients

Results and scope of operations

The candidate has proven experience in driving significant sales growth and working with global clients:

• 291% year-over-year revenue growth
• expansion of the enterprise client portfolio (including Adidas, Zalando, Mango, and Pandora)
• Effective customer acquisition through outbound activities (cold calling)

In addition, he was responsible for implementing the go-to-market strategy and optimizing sales processes (CRM, sales pipeline, new sales channels).

Why this candidate?

A key factor was the ability to combine strategic thinking with operational activities—from team building and developing sales strategies to directly acquiring customers.

The candidate brings experience working with large organizations and proven expertise in scaling international sales, which directly addresses the company’s needs in the context of its continued global expansion.

The process and key figures

The recruitment process was designed as a targeted executive search, focusing on the quality of candidates rather than the number of profiles submitted.

What does this mean in practice?

Only a small percentage of candidates met the requirements for this role, which underscores just how limited the pool of sales leaders with experience in global SaaS is.

At the same time, narrowing the shortlist down to four candidates allowed the client to focus exclusively on the most suitable profiles, without having to review a large number of resumes.

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