Founding Business Development Representative
MeiliSearch
Sales & Business Development
Paris, France
Posted on Sep 23, 2025
About the company
Meilisearch is redefining the future of search for developers and end-users alike.
Our open-source, Rust-powered search engine delivers lightning-fast, typo-tolerant, and hyper-relevant results—out-of-the-box, with intuitive APIs and minimal configuration.
From powering the discoverability of 300,000+ AI models at Hugging Face to transforming retail experiences for Louis Vuitton, Meilisearch is trusted by thousands of organizations and developers worldwide.
Since 2018, we’ve grown into a remote-first team across 8+ countries, backed by leading investors including Felicis Ventures, CRV, Seedcamp, and Vercel CEO Guillermo Rauch. Our vibrant community drives innovation, with every design spec, SDK, and feature built transparently in collaboration with contributors.
Join us and help shape the next generation of search—where speed, simplicity, and developer experience come first.
Meilisearch is growing fast, and we’re looking for our Founding BDR — the very first outbound sales hire. You’ll play a pivotal role in building the foundation of our outbound motion, working directly with two AEs and reporting directly to the CEO. This is an opportunity for someone ambitious who’s ready to own outbound outreach and help bring a critical product to new markets.
We’re searching for someone who is both:
- A great cold caller who can open any door and thrives in conversations with people.
- A sharp, structured thinker who would help us shape and execute the right outbound strategy, testing and analyzing different ICPs, in-product signals, and external buying triggers.
What you'll do
- Conduct research to identify and build your own lead lists, targeting the right accounts and personas.
- Run structured, multi-channel cadences (calls, email, LinkedIn, signals) to create new opportunities.
- Qualify opportunities and ensure smooth handoff to AEs.
- Test and improve targeting strategies based on ICP definitions, in-product usage signals, and external market data.
- Be a core user of our sales tech stack (HubSpot, SalesNav, Lusha, Common Room, and more).
- Collaborate with the sales team to refine outbound messaging, share insights, and continuously improve.
What we are looking for
Must-haves
- 1–2 years of BDR/SDR experience with proven cold-calling success.
- Languages: French and English at C1 level or above (close to native fluency).
- A natural “door opener” who is not shy of picking up the phone and creating conversations.
- A structured and analytical approach to outbound — able to think strategically and execute effectively.
- Experience qualifying opportunities and booking meetings in a SaaS or tech environment
- Strong familiarity with sales tech tools (HubSpot, SalesNav, Lusha, etc.).
Nice-to-haves
- Experience in SaaS and/or developer-first products.
- Exposure to using signal-based prospecting tools (like Common Room).
Who you are
- Highly intelligent, hard-working, independent, and reliable.
- Resilient and confident, thriving on conversations and engagement.
- Have a sharp mind for structure — you see patterns in prospects and signals, and you help test and improve outbound strategy while excelling in execution.
- Bring a mindset of a GTM engineer — curious about tools, eager to optimize, and comfortable experimenting.
- Excited to make a tangible impact in an early-stage, product-driven company.
Why you'll enjoy working with us
- Hybrid working in Paris 🇫🇷, remote in EU or US East-coast timezone.
- Permanent full-time contract,
- Stock options,
- Protected Fridays & flexible working hours,
- If you’re working from home, we will provide either a stipend for you to equip yourself, or an access to Fleex (Europe),
- Access to a mental health platform (moka.care) + 6 sessions with a coach/trained therapist,
- We support physical health and provide either a membership or a stipend for your sports activities each month,
- 3 months paid parental leave,
- 6 weeks paid time off,
- Management training to freshly hired and newly appointed managers,
- We all get together at least twice a year for a company offsite.
Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend not to apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We strive to develop an inclusive work environment that reflects the diversity of our open-source community. We strongly encourage you to apply!