Jumpstart - Graduate Commercial Programme

Interested in finding a commercial role at a top startup?

On Jumpstart’s Commercial Programme, startups pitch their roles to you.

We help great people with 0-3 years of experience land full-time junior commercial roles at mission-driven, VC-backed startups.

Join the programme to have top startups pitch their sales roles to you (think Sales Development Representative, Account Executive, Commercial Associate and similar) and get fast-tracked to interview every month.

Why join Jumpstart’s Commercial Programme?

When you take part in a Jumpstart cohort, the startups pitch their roles to you. No more deciphering confusing job descriptions or ambiguous websites - talk to the founders and teams directly. You can then quiz the founders on anything, from the company mission to team culture, to work out if the role is a right fit.

As one of our alum said, “you don’t get vibes from just a job description”.

You’ll get direct access to top startups looking to hire junior commercial talent, and we’ll give you plenty of training to make sure you’re happy in your work and able to hit the ground running (so don’t worry if you haven’t worked in a sales role before!).

Alumni from our programme go on to work for top, mission-driven startups. From tackling homelessness, to improving access to women’s healthcare, to boosting social mobility, you’ll be working for a company with real impact.

Once you’ve secured a role, you’ll be supported by mentors, industry-experts, and our growing alumni network (along with plenty of socials and networking events throughout the year!).

How does Jumpstart’s Commercial Programme work?

• Start-up pitches: we invite impressive, socially impactful and well-compensated start-ups to pitch their junior sales roles to you.
• Training: you'll receive plenty of training so you’re able to hit the ground running - from understanding a typical sales cycle, to building a winning prospection strategy, to how to pitch to potential customers!
• Fast track to interview: you'll go straight to interview with the start-ups of your choice (and receive offers within just 2 weeks of interviewing), with specific interview training and support from the Jumpstart team.
• Ongoing mentorship and support: once you've landed your perfect role, we'll continue to support your career growth with networking events, 1:1 mentorship from experts, further training, and socials.

The roles:

Whether or not you consider yourself a ‘natural’ salesperson, if you’re motivated, proactive and great at building relationships then a commercial role could be a great fit for you. On the Jumpstart Commercial programme, you’ll be introduced to a mix of junior commercial roles, including (but not limited to!):

• Sales Development Representative (or SDR): this role is most common in tech startups, where SDRs play a critical role in scaling the company’s growth by sourcing new potential customers/clients. This could be a great fit if you’re motivated and target-driven, and you’re looking for rapid career progression (e.g. to Business Development Manager and Head of Sales) and the opportunity to build a fantastic network.
• Sales Executive: in this role you go one step further, closing deals and bringing in new business. If you’re outgoing and love a bit of healthy competition then this role could be a brilliant fit.
• Account Executive (or AE): your primary responsibility is to maintain and grow existing client relationships by making sure clients are happy and using your product to its full potential, as well as identifying opportunities to grow their accounts. The best AEs are great listeners, problem-solvers and natural communicators.

Not sure where you fit in? No problem! The Jumpstart team will help you figure out what type of role and startup would suit you best. What’s more, start-up roles are flexible by nature – so starting out in one thing may be the perfect stepping stone to something else.

What we look for:

No sales experience or startup knowledge is necessary, but we do look for people who are:

• Excellent verbal and written communicators
• Natural relationship-builders
• Incredibly motivated and outcome-focused
• Highly proactive and willing to learn independently
• Excited about working for a mission-driven company
• Up for working in a fast-paced environment where no two days are the same
• Happy to get stuck into anything and everything

The typical salary range is £30-40k base salary (with lots of the startups offering commission on top) and the role will be full-time, five days a week.

Worried you don’t fit the bill?

Don’t worry! We care about outcomes rather than tick-box criteria, and it’s often the case that the perfect person for the role has a CV that looks a little different. Research (by Harvard University) shows that women are particularly likely to second-guess themselves and not apply — so if you’re worried you don’t meet all the criteria, get in touch anyhow and let us do the worrying.