Proposition Manager

Each year, 7% of the more than 300 million electro motors in the global industrial economy experience failure. Semiotic Labs has developed state-of-the-art technology to predict failure in a smart and timely manner, allowing clients to plan the necessary maintenance, slash costs, and prevent energy waste. This solution has already proven highly attractive to a range of clients, but their exact needs differ. The new Proposition Manager will develop and standardize the portfolio of application offerings.

A nugget of gold

Semiotic Labs was founded in 2016 by two entrepreneurs with a passion for ‘cool tech’. Their mission was to find a way to drastically reduce waste that is caused by electro motor failure. They developed SAM4, a technique that is based on measuring electro waves at a distance from the actual engine. This innovative approach allows for more efficient use of maintenance resources, as well as real-time monitoring – more accurate and safer than traditional monitoring solutions.

In 2019, two strategic and commercial heavyweights joined as CEO and CCO. The startup has now become a scaleup, with a comfortable funding position (no VC), a lot of attention for strategy and culture, and an excellent developer squad. Semiotic Labs currently has ~50 employees, who are all equally inspired and inspiring.

The industry has quickly realized the potential of SAM4. Large multinationals, but also local governments and smaller companies in a range of industries are among Semiotic Labs’ clients. All aspects of Semiotic Labs are set up to scale fast, given this huge commercial opportunity. But the differences in customer needs for all these (potential) clients mean there is a pressing need to develop, structure and strategize a cutting edge proposition portfolio. This is where the Proposition Manager comes in.

Vacancy: Proposition Manager

The Proposition Manager will initially work closely with the Pricing & Proposition Manager, Jeroen Röhner – a tech-savvy former strategy consultant. In time, the Proposition Manager will be expected to run the proposition-building trajectory for certain clients and industries on their own.

The goal of developing specific propositions is to best match a certain customer’s needs. A customer proposition trajectory typically starts with a co-creation workshop with a (prospective) customer, to pinpoint the customer needs and problem solve how SAM4 could solve for these needs. These workshops are usually joined by the customer’s maintenance and operation managers, and by Semiotic Labs’ maintenance consultants, who will approach the subject from an engineering perspective. On the other hand, once the need for a specific application and the potential for a value-adding solution have been formulated, the Proposition Manager will need to liaise with Semiotic Labs’ commercial team to finalize the product. Throughout this trajectory, the Proposition Manager will run or oversee the necessary analyses, calculate business cases, and prepare client presentations.

At the same time, the Proposition Manager will be involved in developing industry-specific propositions not linked directly to commercial leads. These propositions should specifically target markets believed to be strategically relevant for SAM4. This trajectory typically starts from industry or market segment research, and problem solving on applications that could add value there. This may happen in liaison with technology-focused colleagues and, potentially, external experts or customers. Once developed, the Proposition Manager will work closely with Marketing and Sales teams to launch relevant messaging for targeted campaigns.

Although the initial focus of this role will be on establishing new, individual propositions for clients and industries, there is a need in the longer term for strategic portfolio standardization. The Proposition Manager will own this responsibility, guided where needed by the Pricing & Proposition Manager.

Poised communicator with an interest in tech
Semiotic Labs has a nose for recruiting top talent, and this role is no exception. The ideal candidate is a top tier strategy consultant with around 2 years’ experience, who has just received their first promotion offer or is expecting to receive one soon. This person enjoys the analytical rigor and client relations that are important in consulting. However, this person is also looking for more of an entrepreneurial spirit; a desire to create hands-on impact for Semiotic Labs and its customers; and better working hours. This role guarantees tremendous learning opportunities, not just in terms of content, responsibility, and client contact, but also because of the highly inspiring senior colleagues and management board.

A successful candidate is a poised communicator and knows how to carry him- or herself around (potential) new clients. This person has a true interest in technology, even if that interest is not visible in their educational background. The Proposition Manager is excited about the opportunity to take initiative around colleagues and clients – much more than would be possible as a junior consultant – while also being open for coaching and steering.

Semiotic Labs works with Top of Minds to fill this vacancy.
Contact Catherine Visch at catherine.visch@topofminds.com for more information.