The posting
Apera is an innovative, Vancouver-based company at the forefront of robotics, AI, and machine vision — recognized with the 2025 Frost & Sullivan Technology Innovation Leadership Award and the 2024 BC Tech "Company of the Year, Growth" award. We're on a mission to redefine AI-driven robotic vision.
Apera AI helps manufacturers make their factories more flexible and productive. Robots enhanced with Apera's software have 4D Vision — the ability to see and grasp objects with human-like capability. Challenging applications such as bin picking, sorting, packaging, and assembly are now open to fast, precise, and reliable automation. We work with the world's leading automotive OEMs and Tier 1 suppliers.
Our portfolio spans Vue (our 4D Vision software), Forge (a no-code simulation and AI training studio where customers build, validate, and de-risk robotic cells before any hardware is bought), and VuePod, our new turnkey, productized bin-picking cell.
Role Summary
We are looking for a proactive, technically minded Inside Sales Representative to build, manage, and grow our Value Account segment. This role owns the full sales cycle—from proactive prospecting and first contact through to closing for a portfolio of accounts supported primarily via virtual sales engagement.
The ideal candidate combines genuine technical aptitude with compelling, influential communication skills. You will be comfortable engaging engineers on application details, translating complex robotics and AI vision concepts into clear business value, and persuading decision-makers to act. You will work in close alignment with Marketing to turn campaigns and leads into qualified pipeline and closed business.
This is a key revenue-generating role with a clear path for growth in the robotics and advanced automation sector.
Key Responsibilities
Proactive Prospecting & Pipeline Generation
- Proactively identify, research, and engage new prospects across the Value Account segment through outbound calls, email, LinkedIn, and targeted campaigns.
- Consistently generate new pipeline, meeting weekly targets for new conversations, qualified opportunities, and virtual demonstrations.
- Respond rapidly to marketing-generated leads, qualifying and converting them into active opportunities.
Own and Grow Value Accounts
- Manage a book of mid-sized customers (Value Accounts) across North America.
- Build relationships with key decision-makers in engineering, operations, and purchasing.
- Identify expansion opportunities within existing accounts, including additional robot cells, lines, and plant locations.
Technical, Consultative Selling
- Develop a deep working knowledge of Apera’s AI vision products, robotic applications, and integration requirements.
- Lead technical discovery to understand customer applications, including part characteristics, cycle-time targets, cell layout, robot platform, and integration constraints.
- Deliver confident, credible virtual product demonstrations (e.g., using Apera Vue) and independently answer first-line technical questions.
- Assess application fit early, qualify opportunities on technical feasibility, and engage applications engineering for complex requirements.
End-to-End Sales Responsibility
- Prepare, send, and manage quotes and proposals.
- Deliver compelling, persuasive presentations tailored to engineering, operations, and executive audiences.
- Handle objections, negotiate effectively, and influence multiple stakeholders toward a buying decision.
- Follow up consistently to close deals and hit revenue targets.
Marketing Alignment
- Partner closely with Marketing on target segments, account lists, campaigns, webinars, trade shows, and events.
- Agree on lead definitions, handoff process, and follow-up timelines, and close the loop on every lead in the CRM.
- Share customer insights, competitive intelligence, and win/loss feedback to sharpen messaging, case studies, and sales content.
- Participate in regular joint sales and marketing pipeline reviews.
Account Strategy & Forecasting
- Maintain a strong pipeline and forecast accurately in the CRM (e.g., HubSpot).
- Track customer activity, deal progress, and opportunity health.
- Work with sales leadership to refine strategies for high-conversion outreach.
Collaboration & Support
- Coordinate with engineering and applications teams on complex technical evaluations.
- Provide input to product teams based on customer feedback and application requirements.
- Ensure smooth handoff to delivery and customer success post-sale.
Qualifications
- 3+ years of experience in technical inside sales or full-cycle B2B sales, ideally in robotics, industrial automation, machine vision, or advanced manufacturing.
- Strong technical aptitude, with a proven ability to quickly learn complex technical products and discuss them credibly with engineers and integrators.
- Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills; able to communicate in a compelling, persuasive way and influence stakeholders at every level.
- Ability to simplify complex technical concepts into clear customer value and a compelling business case.
- Demonstrated success in proactive outbound prospecting and self-generated pipeline.
- Proven track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets.
- Experience working closely with Marketing, including lead follow-up and campaign-driven selling.
- Strong virtual selling skills, including conducting live product demos and solution-based consultative selling.
- Experience with quoting tools and CRM platforms (HubSpot, Salesforce, etc.).
- Degree or diploma in Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related technical field is strongly preferred; a Business degree with demonstrated technical sales experience will also be considered.
Nice to Have
- Hands-on familiarity with robotic systems, industrial automation, PLCs, or AI-based machine vision.
- Prior experience in an applications engineering, field service, or technical support role before moving into sales.
- Experience selling to Tier 1 or Tier 2 manufacturers in sectors like automotive, packaging, or logistics.
- Experience with marketing automation, sales engagement, or account-based marketing tools.
Why Apera?
- Purpose with impact: You’re not building for someday. You’re deploying systems that are improving production right now.
- Compensation: Competitive salary in the range $90,000 – $150,000 CAD OTE per year (base salary + incentive), plus stock options and comprehensive benefits.
- Equity for every employee — because we all build Apera together
- Growth at the edge: Gain exposure to AI, vision, and advanced automation — all in one role.
