Business Development Manager (France)

About Us
Pdftools is on a mission to empower people and businesses to share documents with trust and confidence, today and in the future! In over 70 countries, more than 6000 customers trust our PDF technology to power their mission-critical business processes.

As a pioneer in the PDF industry since 1994, we have been instrumental in shaping the PDF standard as it is known today. We enable our customers to do their business effectively with a wide range of software solutions and developer components that define the PDF solution they can trust. Built with precision and passion in Switzerland. We are proud to say that we have an inclusive, supportive, and fun culture, yet ambitious in helping you grow your career.

About the role

We’re looking for a high-energy, entrepreneurial Business Development Manager to build the French market from scratch. You will identify, engage, and close new customers (direct and through partners/resellers), set up repeatable go-to-market motions, and be the face of PDF Tools in France. This is a builder role: you’ll prospect, run demos, negotiate contracts, and influence our product roadmap with customer insights.

About you

• Language: Native-level French and professional English; any additional European language is a plus.

• Experience: 3–6+ years in B2B SaaS new business sales (hunter role), ideally selling to technical and business stakeholders.

• Track Record: Consistent achievement of new-logo ARR targets and closing multi-year deals.

• Mindset: Entrepreneurial self-starter who loves the zero-to-one phase and thrives with autonomy.

• Sales Skills: Confident in outbound prospecting, discovery, value selling, and complex negotiations.

• Technical Curiosity: Comfortable discussing APIs/SDKs and technical integrations (you don’t need to code, but you enjoy understanding how things work).

• Tools: Proficient with CRM (HubSpot preferred), LinkedIn Sales Navigator, sequencing tools, and basic reporting.

• Collaboration: Skilled at orchestrating internal stakeholders (Product, Marketing, Support) while keeping the customer at the center.

• Network: an existing strong business network in the market is a big plus

Responsibilities

• Market Development & Pipeline Generation

  • Map the French market: define ICPs, verticals, and key buyer personas (business & technical).

  • Proactively source leads via outbound (email, phone, LinkedIn, events) and qualify inbound interest.

  • Build and manage a healthy pipeline in HubSpot with accurate forecasting and activity tracking.

  • Evangelize PDF Tools at industry events, webinars, and through local partnerships.

• Full-Cycle Sales Execution

  • Run discovery, product demos, technical deep dives (with SE/Support help when needed).

  • Craft business cases and ROI stories that resonate with customer challenges in the document lifecycle.

  • Lead pricing and contract negotiations to close multi-year, 4–6 figure SaaS deals.

  • Hand off new wins smoothly to Customer Success / Account Management for onboarding and expansion.

• Feedback Loop & Internal Collaboration

  • Consolidate market and product feedback; work closely with Product Managers to inform roadmaps.

  • Partner with Marketing on French-language campaigns, content, and localization initiatives.

  • Coordinate with Support and Engineering to ensure a frictionless buyer experience.

  • Identify and onboard local channel/technology partners where it accelerates growth.

• Process & Playbook Building

  • Document outreach sequences, discovery frameworks, and objection handling to scale what works.

  • Identify efficiency gaps in tooling/process and propose improvements.

  • Track and report KPIs (pipeline coverage, win rates, deal velocity, ARR won) and iterate on tactics.

Why Pdftools

🌍 Influence the way over 1,000 world leading organizations handle PDF workflows every day. Push boundaries and iterate quickly to discover new solutions.

💻 Flexible, hybrid work model – with regular team meetings to strengthen team spirit.

🏝️ 30 vacation days – yes, you read that right!

🐶 Don’t leave your four-legged friends at home, our offices are pet-friendly.

👶 16 weeks parental leave—100% of your salary—for all new parents

🧳 Sabbatical opportunities after 2 years with the company.

📚 2,000 CHF annual training budget, including additional time off for courses or training.

🤓 Internal knowledge sharing & external coaching to further develop your professional and social skills.

🥧 Opportunity to participate in the PSOP - Phantom Stock Option Plan (terms & conditions apply).

PDF Tools is an equal opportunity employer. We believe in diversity and inclusion. We do not tolerate discrimination. We support a safe and respectful environment where everyone thrives.

By submitting your application, you allow PDF Tools to handle and store your data.

PDF Tools does not seek or accept unsolicited applications or CVs from recruitment agencies. We will not pay fees or commissions without a written contract that covers such arrangements.