Job Description

Founding Sales & Business Development Manager

n

Location: Bengaluru / Hybrid

n

Company: ShiftAI

n

Experience: 3–8 years in B2B sales / business development, preferably in SaaS, AI, technology consulting, or enterprise solutions

n

About ShiftAI

n

ShiftAI helps manufacturing companies identify, implement, and scale practical AI solutions across their operations.

n

We work with businesses to move beyond AI experimentation and create measurable business impact — from identifying high-value use cases to deploying AI solutions that improve productivity, quality, decision-making, and operational efficiency.

n

We are looking for an entrepreneurial Founding Sales & Business Development Manager to build and own our sales engine.

n

The Role

n

This is a full-cycle sales role.

n

You will be responsible for taking an opportunity from lead generation → qualification → discovery → demo → proposal → negotiation → closure.

n

You will also play a key role in figuring out how ShiftAI should generate demand and sell into manufacturing companies.

n

This is an early-stage role, so we are looking for someone who is comfortable creating the process rather than simply following one.

n

What You Will Do1. Build the Sales Pipeline

n

n
- Identify target manufacturing companies and decision-makers.
n
- Develop and execute outbound sales strategies.
n
- Experiment with LinkedIn, email, calling, partnerships, events and other channels to generate qualified opportunities.
n
- Develop account-based approaches for high-value prospects.
n
- Continuously test and improve messaging, targeting and lead-generation strategies.
n

n

2. Own the Sales Cycle

n

Once a lead is generated, you will own it end-to-end:

n

Lead → Qualification → Discovery → Demo → Proposal → Negotiation → Closure

n

n
- Respond to and qualify incoming leads.
n
- Conduct discovery conversations with prospects.
n
- Understand their business processes, pain points and AI opportunities.
n




- Conduct compelling ShiftAI demos tailored to customer requirements.
n
- Develop proposals and commercial discussions.
n
- Manage follow-ups and stakeholder conversations.
n
- Handle objections and drive negotiations.
n
- Close new business.
n

n

3. Sell AI Solutions, Not Just Software

n

Our customers may not always know exactly what AI solution they need.

n

You will therefore need to:

n

n
- Understand manufacturing processes and business problems.
n
- Identify opportunities where AI can create measurable value.
n
- Translate customer problems into relevant AI use cases.
n
- Communicate the business value of AI in simple, compelling terms.
n
- Work with the ShiftAI team to shape solutions and POCs.
n

n

4. Help Build the Sales Strategy

n

You will work closely with the founder to answer questions such as:

n

n
- Which manufacturing segments should we target first?
n
- Who are the right decision-makers?
n
- Which use cases generate the strongest demand?
n
- What messaging gets customers interested?
n
- Which channels generate the best leads?
n
- How do we shorten the sales cycle?
n
- What should our sales process look like?
n

n

You will have significant ownership in building the sales playbook for ShiftAI.

n

What We're Looking For

n

n
- 3–8 years of experience in B2B sales, business development or enterprise sales.
n
- Proven ability to generate opportunities and close deals.
n
- Strong communication and presentation skills.
n
- Comfortable conducting customer meetings and product/solution demos.
n
- Strong consultative selling ability.
n




- Ability to understand business problems rather than simply pitch a product.
n
- Experience selling SaaS, technology solutions, consulting or enterprise software is a strong plus.
n
- Experience selling into manufacturing / industrial companies is a major plus.
n
- Comfortable with ambiguity and working in an early-stage company.
n
- High ownership and persistence.
n
- Ability to independently research accounts, identify prospects and create opportunities.
n

n

What Will Make You Successful

n

We are not looking for someone who waits for marketing to provide leads.

n

We are looking for someone who thinks:

n

"Give me a market, a product and a target customer — I'll figure out how to get meetings and close business."

n

You should enjoy:

n

n
- Talking to customers.
n
- Finding the right people.
n
- Opening doors.
n
- Understanding business problems.
n
- Running demos.
n
- Negotiating.
n
- Closing.
n
- Experimenting with new ways to generate demand.
n
- Building something from scratch.
n

n

Why Join ShiftAI?

n

n
- Work directly with the founder and leadership team.
n
- Own a significant part of the company's growth journey.
n
- Build the sales engine from the ground up.
n
- Work at the intersection of AI + Manufacturing + Business Transformation.
n
- High ownership and autonomy.
n
- Prospect to grow into a Sales Lead / Head of Sales role as the company scales.
n

n

How We Measure Success

n

Your primary goal is simple:

n

Build a predictable pipeline and convert it into revenue.

n

Key metrics will include:

n

n
- Qualified opportunities generated
n
- Customer meetings and demos
n
- Pipeline value
n
- Proposal conversion
n
- Win rate
n
- Sales cycle
n
- Revenue closed
n

n

Apply

n

If you are someone who enjoys building rather than just executing, we'd love to hear from you.

n

Send us your profile along with a short note explaining:

n

n
- "How would you generate the first 20 qualified manufacturing leads for ShiftAI?"
n

📌 Founding Sales / Business Development Manager - AI Solutions (Bengaluru)
🏢 Shift AI
📍 Bengaluru