VP Sales

Description
Encore AI builds AI agents for financial institutions that handle real banking workflows end to end: onboarding, lending, applications, servicing, transaction and card queries, and handoff to a human when needed. Live today at banks and lenders including Byline Bank and iLending. At Byline Bank, Encore cut KYC onboarding time by 30% and false positives by 15%. At iLending, it drove 30% higher loan conversion. Backed by Team8, having raised $30M, and doubling in size every six months.

The moment

The product works in production, at real banks, with numbers to show for it: 30% faster KYC onboarding and 15% fewer false positives at Byline Bank, 30% higher loan conversion at iLending. Byline and iLending are proof that the model works — the opportunity is to turn that into a repeatable engine for winning the next twenty accounts like them. That means codifying the ICP and qualification criteria from what already worked, building a proof-of-value pilot structure banks can move through quickly, and turning Byline and iLending into reference stories the team can sell from directly. You’ll lead a team of 2 account executives and a sales engineer from day one, growing to 5 account executives by the end of the year, and sell alongside the CEO directly into mid-size US banks and lenders — the same kind of buyer who has already said yes.

What you’ll own

Manage a team of 2 account executives and 1 sales engineer from day one, growing to 5 account executives by the end of the year — set targets, run pipeline reviews, coach live calls.
Sell directly alongside the CEO into mid-size US banks and lenders — the head of retail banking, SVP lending, and the CPO/CDO/COO who signs.
Define the ICP and qualification criteria from what has already worked at Byline and iLending, and use it to prioritize the pipeline.
Design the proof-of-value pilot structure: one agreed conversion metric per pilot, a fixed timeline, and a clear path from pilot to signed contract.
Build the case-study and reference assets from Byline and iLending that the team can use to sell without the CEO on the call.
Build pipeline sources beyond the CEO’s network — inbound, outbound, and referral — and decide the right mix.
Run discovery-first sales cycles: quantify the prospect’s pain and urgency on the first call, demo live, and close the loop without extra follow-up demos.
Report the North America number and plan to the CEO and the board.
Requirements

Has managed a small team of AEs (ideally with a sales engineer alongside) while still carrying their own pipeline — this is a player-coach role, not pure management.
Has built a sales motion at an early stage — defined an ICP, set up a proof-of-value or pilot process, not just executed one someone else designed. Bonus if you’ve crossed a real ARR milestone doing it.
Has sold into a regulated or otherwise complex buying environment — financial services, banking, lending, or similarly compliance-heavy verticals strongly preferred. Comfortable in a room with a CFO, FP&A, or compliance stakeholder.
Can describe, concretely, how they qualify and quantify urgency on a first call, and why it shortens their sales cycle.
Has sold against a crowded competitive field and won on differentiation, not price — and can describe how they track and counter specific competitors.
Based in or willing to relocate to New York. This is an in-office role.

Nice to have

Familiarity with founder-led, fast-moving organizations.
Experience selling AI or agentic products, or translating a technical product into an economic story for a non-technical buyer.