Head of Marketing & Demand Generation (m/f/d) at Ververica GmbH

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain -

Full Time

Start Date

Immediate

Expiry Date

12 May, 26

Salary

0.0

Posted On

11 Feb, 26

Experience

5 year(s) or above

Remote Job

Yes

Telecommute

Yes

Sponsor Visa

Skills

Demand Generation, Team Management, B2B Marketing, B2C Marketing, Campaign Execution, Data-Driven Decision Making, Technical Marketing, Storytelling, Cross-Functional Collaboration, Go-To-Market Strategy, Brand Positioning, Thought Leadership, Creative Marketing, Performance Marketing, Pipeline Metrics, Conversion Optimization

Industry

Software Development

Description

The Mission Ververica will be bold. We will be opinionated. We will divide and conquer. For too long, we've played the role of the good corporate citizen: respectful, accommodating, waiting for the market to recognize what we've built. That ends now. We are the original creators of Apache Flink®. We defined the standard for stream processing. Now we have perfected it. We deliver Real-Time AI for a world in motion, engineered in Europe, sovereign by design. We provide the only asset that matters to AI: Governed, Absolute Truth. No Lock-In. No Latency. No Compromise. While the world buffers, we act. We need a Head of Marketing who can make the market understand this reality. Someone who doesn't just build campaigns, but builds movements. Someone who knows that being polarizing isn't a bug, it's a feature. Someone who understands that we don't need to be loved by everyone. We need to be indispensable to the right ones. If you're still reading, keep going. The Opportunity You'll report directly to the Chief Revenue Officer as part of The Market Engine: the team responsible for revenue generation, customer success, demand generation, business development, partnerships, and field operations. This is where we win hearts, minds, and contracts. This is our voice to the world. You'll lead a lean team of 4 (with room to grow) and own two critical mandates: Build a demand generation engine that delivers a qualified pipeline and drives revenue. Establish Ververica as the dominant voice in real-time data processing, starting with regulated industries like banking and financial services. This isn't a "grow awareness by 10%" role. This is a "make Ververica impossible to ignore" role. We're laser-focused on regulated industries. These are customers who understand the cost of latency. Who live and die by compliance and governance. Who need what only we can deliver. We will out-position, out-message, and out-deliver the competition in this vertical. This is not a land grab. This is surgical domination. What You'll DoBe the Challenger, Not the Citizen Lead our transformation from humble innovators to bold challengers. We will no longer wait to be discovered. We will take stands, be vocal, and be visible. Craft messaging that cuts through the noise and calls out the industry's sacred cows: That most "real-time" platforms are pretenders. That data sovereignty isn't a nice-to-have. It's existential. That AI without governed truth is just expensive noise. That enterprises are tired of latency, lock-in, and compromise. Own our positioning in regulated industries, particularly banking and financial services. Make us the undisputed authority. Build a Demand Generation Machine Design and execute integrated campaigns that deliver a qualified pipeline across paid, organic, content, events, webinars, and ABM. Own the numbers: pipeline contribution, conversion rates, CAC, and revenue influence. You'll be measured on outcomes, not activities. Partner closely with Sales to ensure marketing translates into closed revenue, not just top-of-funnel noise. Move fast, test, learn, iterate. Act while competitors buffer. Elevate the Brand Make Ververica the category-defining brand in real-time AI and stream processing. Build thought-leadership programs that position our executives and technical experts as authorities the market can't ignore. Own our presence at key industry events, conferences, and in the Apache Flink community. Bring B2C-level creativity to enterprise marketing. We're selling mission-critical infrastructure, but that doesn't mean it has to be boring. Drive Go-to-Market Strategy Lead GTM strategy for product launches, vertical expansions, and key initiatives in partnership with Product and Sales leadership. Develop messaging frameworks, value propositions, and sales enablement assets that actually get used. Engage developers, data engineers, and C-suite buyers with programs that educate, inspire, and convert. Lead the Team, Get Your Hands Dirty Lead, mentor, and scale a lean marketing team of 4. Set the bar high, support your people, and hold everyone accountable. Roll up your sleeves. Build campaigns, write copy, optimize funnels. This isn't a "delegate everything" role. Collaborate across The Market Engine (Sales, Customer Success, Partnerships) and with The Orchestration Engine (Product) and The Innovation Engine (Engineering). Measure, Optimize, Win Be data-driven. Instrument everything, measure what matters, optimize relentlessly. Build dashboards that give the business visibility into marketing performance and ROI. Move fast, make hard calls, and iterate based on what works. What You BringNon-Negotiables 5+ years of marketing and team management experience with a proven track record in both B2B and B2C environments. You know how the best consumer brands build emotional connections. You know how the best B2B companies drive pipeline. You know how to blend both. You also know how to lead and manage a team. Demand generation mastery. You've built and scaled demand gen programs that directly contributed to revenue growth at a high-growth company. You know the difference between vanity metrics and pipeline metrics. Hands-on execution. You're not just a strategist. You've built campaigns, written copy, designed landing pages, and optimized conversion funnels yourself. You can coach your team and jump in when needed. Growth-stage experience. You've been in the trenches. You know how to move fast, prioritize what matters, and make an impact with limited resources. Technical marketing chops. You're comfortable marketing to technical audiences, such as developers, data engineers, and architects. You can translate complex technical concepts into compelling narratives that resonate with both technical and business buyers. What Makes You Dangerous Bold and opinionated. You have strong views on positioning, messaging, and go-to-market strategy. You're not afraid to challenge the status quo or take controversial stands if they're right. Challenger mindset. You've competed against larger, better-funded competitors and won. You know how to position as the disruptor and make it stick. Creative + analytical. You have the creative instincts of a brand marketer and the rigor of a performance marketer. You don't sacrifice one for the other. Bias for action. You'd rather test and learn than debate and delay. You ship, iterate, and improve. You act while others buffer. Cross-functional influence. You know how to get things done in matrixed organizations. You build trust through results and collaboration. Storytelling ability. You can take a technical product and turn it into a story that resonates emotionally and intellectually with enterprise buyers. Nice to Have Experience in marketing developer tools, data infrastructure, cloud platforms, or open-source technologies. Deep understanding of enterprise sales cycles, especially in regulated industries like financial services. Track record of building brands in competitive or emerging categories using challenger positioning. Comfortable presenting to executives, customers, and at industry events. Experience with Apache Flink, streaming data, or real-time analytics. Not required, but helpful. What We Don't Need No managers looking to "build a team" before proving they can execute. No strategists who can't or won't get their hands dirty. No marketers who measure success by activity volume instead of business outcomes. No one who needs consensus before making decisions or taking action. No one uncomfortable with bold positioning or controversial stands. What We Offer Impact Shape the marketing strategy and execution at a company pioneering real-time AI. Your work will directly influence revenue and market position. This is category-defining work. Autonomy We're not micromanagers. You'll have the freedom to build, test, and scale programs your way. We measure outcomes, not activities. Team Work alongside world-class engineers, including the original creators of Apache Flink, and a Sales team hungry to win. Mission You'll be part of a team with full alignment and category-defining conviction. No hedging. No half-measures. No looking back. Culture We value creativity, collaboration, and bold thinking. We don't do "that's how it's always been done." We move fast, make hard calls, and hold each other accountable. Growth This is a growth-stage company with big ambitions. If you deliver, there's no ceiling on where this role can go. Compensation Competitive salary based on experience and location. Performance bonuses tied to pipeline and revenue metrics. Work Environment Based in Barcelona with flexible hybrid arrangements. Modern tools, minimal meetings, maximum output. The Bottom Line We have the technology. We have the pedigree. We have the proof. It's time we acted like it. We're looking for a marketing leader who's done it before, wants to do it again, and knows how to turn conviction into market dominance. Someone who can build a demand generation machine that actually generates demand. Someone who can craft positioning that cuts through the noise and makes enterprises choose us over the pretenders. This isn't a "maintain the status quo" role. This isn't for someone who wants to play it safe or wait for consensus. This is for someone who understands that being bold, opinionated, and polarizing is exactly what it takes to divide and conquer a market. The opportunity is ours. The time is now. If you're the kind of marketer who gets excited about building category-defining brands, who brings both strategic vision and tactical execution, and who's ready to take on a market ripe for disruption, we want to talk. This role isn't for everyone. But if it's for you, you already know it.

Responsibilities

Lead the marketing team to build a demand generation engine and establish Ververica as the dominant voice in real-time data processing. Design and execute integrated campaigns while collaborating closely with sales to ensure marketing translates into closed revenue.