Strategic Account Director, EU Trade & Customs

Altana is the network for trusted trade. Our AI-powered product network empowers governments and businesses to build a more resilient and secure global economy while keeping trade flowing.

The Opportunity at Altana

This is a foundational business development role based in Amsterdam - a chance to build a business, not just join one. You'll drive Altana's growth across European customs and trade, shaping the strategy, relationships, and presence that establish us as the partner of choice to governments across the EU.

You'll build trusted relationships with senior officials at hard-to-navigate organizations, acting as a thought partner who helps them move through technology transformation. Your focus: generating opportunities that reshape how an entire customs administration or trade authority operates. Success in this role comes from curiosity, judgment, integrity, long-term thinking, and the ability to lead through inspiration.
For the right operator, this is the most ambitious and rewarding work of a career. Altana has a deep, engaged global network of customers, champions, and partners - you'll activate and expand it, and help define the future of trade in the region.

You Will

• Own Altana's growth strategy for EU customs and trade, translating it into a concrete plan and a focused set of high-value target accounts across member states, EU institutions, and key partners.
• Shape new opportunities by communicating Altana's value to senior government and industry stakeholders and partnering with them as they design their transformation.
• Pursue complex, large-scale government opportunities, building a pipeline that reflects strategic vision rather than a quota.
• Develop relationships across customs authorities, economic security bodies, and industry partners - from the operational level to the strategic.
• Help define how Altana operates in Europe: ways of working, culture, and the credibility that turns early wins into a durable business.
• Anticipate what each pursuit will require and surface those needs internally early, coordinating across teams you don't directly control.
• Partner closely with the VP of Strategic Business Development (London) and stay aligned with Government Affairs and executive leadership.
• Run effective discovery and partner with Solution Architects, Product, and Engineering to craft solutions and surface use cases early.
• Become fluent in EU trade and customs policy and the regulatory landscape, and act as the voice of the European customer internally.

You Have

• Significant experience in business development and complex solution sales, with a focus on public sector customers - and a track record of opening markets and shaping large, strategic deals.
• Familiarity with customs, trade, or economic-security practices, and a network across European government you can activate.
• A builder's instinct: you've led complex efforts, you operate effectively through influence, and you're energized by standing up something new rather than inheriting it.
• Fluency in English; additional European languages (Dutch and French especially) a strong plus.
• Working knowledge of EU or member-state operations and government procurement.
• Excellent judgment and communication skills, with the ability to engage senior stakeholders independently and translate complex value into a clear case.
• Comfort with software tools; familiarity with modern AI tools a plus.
• A hunter's mindset paired with the patience and optimism to prevail in long government procurement cycles.

This role is based in the Netherlands with hybrid work flexibility. Candidates must be within commuting distance to Amsterdam.

The recruiter assigned to this role can share more information about the specific compensation and benefit details associated with this role during the hiring process.

Our Values

Our values are the core beliefs that shape who we are, what we stand for, and how we behave.They form the foundation of Altana’s culture and integrity and guide how we hire, design, build, and connect with each other and our customers.

• Trust: Our customers and partners entrust us with missions of the highest importance. We honor that by keeping our word, meeting commitments, and ensuring every action we take reinforces confidence in us. We rely on each other to deliver, to speak openly, and to hold ourselves accountable.
• Resilience: In a world of uncertainty and complexity, our work must withstand challenges, evolve with conditions, and ensure reliability over time. Resilience is both how we operate and what we deliver. It’s how we respond when things don’t go to plan - - we adapt, we support each other, and we keep moving forward.
• Stewardship: We are stewards of every mission we touch. Because our work impacts lives and futures, we hold ourselves accountable to delivering mission impact and never compromising. Our responsibility extends beyond individual projects to the broader system of global trade. We believe that stewardship starts from within so that we can bring focus, creativity, and excellence to our work. Each of us is personally responsible for fostering a workplace where people can thrive. And we are stewards of the greater good of the company. By holding ourselves and each other accountable, we build a culture of innovation and collective success that reflects the scale of our mission.
• Courage: Courage is what unlocks the seemingly impossible for our customers. It’s the core value that drives us make bold moves and take on big, complicated network problems - the ones others avoid. We know success isn't guaranteed, but we have the audacious vision to believe a solution is possible and to build it. Courage fuels our growth mindset. It means embracing challenges that make us stronger, and it’s demonstrated by how we approach hard conversations and complex projects.

At Altana, we believe that a diverse workforce enables greater creativity, performance, and adaptability. We’re proud to be an equal opportunity employer and welcome you to join us as you are. Our employment opportunities and decisions are based on business needs and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religious creed, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetic information, family care or medical leave status, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by the laws or regulations in the areas in which we operate. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type, in any situation.

Offers related to employment at Altana will come from an Altana.ai email address. We will never ask for payment as part of the interview or onboarding process.