How Enemix built Shoals' founding Australian sales team
This is the story of how that search came together, and what it takes to hire senior commercial talent in renewable energy when the people you want are not looking.
Shoals was building its founding commercial team in Australia, a make or break moment for its APAC growth. A previous agency had been unable to deliver, and with the US leadership team watching closely, there was no room for a slow or low quality process.
The harder part was the nature of the roles. Senior sales people in renewable energy do not apply for jobs. They are employed, well looked after, and selective about who they will even take a call from. Reaching them is one thing. Giving them a reason to move is another. How the opportunity was positioned would decide whether this search succeeded or stalled like the last one.
The work started with a proper scoping consultation, not a job order form. That distinction matters. A real conversation about what the founding team needed to look like, and why, gave us the language to go to market with conviction rather than a list of bullet points.
An existing relationship between our team and Shoals' incoming Managing Director meant trust was there from the first day, which let the process move quickly without cutting corners. Weekly alignment calls with the US leadership team kept everyone on the same page across time zones. From identifying candidates through to the offer, Enemix managed the full journey and kept it transparent at every stage, so there were no surprises for the client or the candidates.
Two hires. A Senior Sales Manager and a Sales Engineer, the founding commercial team Shoals needed to launch in Australia.
The way the process ran did more than fill two roles. It built enough confidence for an ongoing partnership, with further roles already confirmed as Shoals continues to grow across APAC. For a business in its first months in a new market, that kind of continuity is worth as much as the placements themselves.
“Tala brought a structured and highly professional approach, quickly building a strong pool of qualified candidates and preparing them thoroughly before presenting them to us. Her understanding of both the technical and commercial requirements of the roles ensured that the shortlist aligned closely with our expectations from the outset. Her ability to manage each stage efficiently, while maintaining a high bar for capability and cultural fit, materially improved the quality and speed of our first hires.”
- The best candidates are passive. Treat the search as a positioning exercise, not an advertising one. Your story has to be sharp enough to make a comfortable, well paid person consider a move.
- Scoping is where searches are won or lost. Time spent understanding the why behind a role pays back in shortlist quality.
- Technical and commercial fit both matter. A sales hire who cannot hold a credible conversation about the technology will struggle, so screen for both.
Enemix is a specialist recruitment partner for the energy transition, working across renewables, transmission and utilities from hubs in Sydney and Amsterdam. Whether you are building a team, entering a new market, or filling a hard role, let us talk.
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