EU Companies Paying Americans $85K+ Remote – The 5 Skills They Can’t Find Locally

European companies are desperately hiring Americans for remote positions at $85,000+ because their local talent pools are missing critical skills that every mid-level American professional takes for granted. German engineering firms can’t find project managers who actually manage projects. French luxury brands need marketing directors who understand ROI. Spanish startups are begging for sales leaders who can close deals without nine committee meetings. My Dutch client just hired their fourth American this year at $95,000 because they couldn’t find a single European who could build a sales pipeline without a PhD-level theoretical framework.

The skill gap isn’t technical – Europeans have excellent technical training. It’s the soft skills, the business acumen, the ability to move fast without consensus that Europeans never developed because their systems never required it. American corporate trauma created exactly the skillset European companies now desperately need to compete globally.

After placing 200+ Americans in European remote roles last year, I know exactly which five skills make Europeans throw money at American candidates.

1. Sales That Actually Closes

Europeans cannot close deals. They relationship-build forever, discuss endlessly, analyze perpetually, but asking for money? Cultural impossibility.

European sales process:

• Month 1-3: Relationship building
• Month 4-6: Needs assessment
• Month 7-9: Proposal discussion
• Month 10-12: Maybe decision
• Close rate: 10%

American sales process:

• Week 1: Qualify prospect
• Week 2-3: Demo and proposal
• Week 4: Close or move on
• Close rate: 30%

German SaaS company hired Jake from Austin at $92,000 plus commission. Their entire German sales team hadn’t closed a US enterprise deal in two years. Jake closed three in his first quarter.

“They were allergic to asking for the sale,” Jake told me. “Beautiful presentations, perfect technical knowledge, but nobody could say ‘So, are you ready to move forward?’ It’s like they were afraid of money.”

European companies expanding to US markets discovered their European sales teams can’t function in American business culture. They need Americans who can pick up the phone, push for decisions, and handle rejection without existential crisis.

What EU companies pay Americans for sales:

• Business Development: $85,000-110,000
• Sales Director: $120,000-150,000
• VP Sales: $150,000-200,000
• Plus commission structures Europeans find insane

2. Project Management That Ships

European project management is consensus-building theater. Americans ship products.

Swedish tech company hired Sarah at $88,000 after their local project managers took 18 months to launch a simple app update. Sarah shipped it in 6 weeks.

European project management:

• Everyone must agree
• All stakeholders consulted
• Risk assessment paralysis
• Documentation over delivery
• Meetings about meetings

American project management:

• Define requirements
• Set deadline
• Make decisions
• Ship something
• Iterate later

“They had 47 people in the steering committee,” Sarah said. “For a button color change. I disbanded the committee, made the call, shipped the update. They think I’m a wizard.”

European companies need Americans who can:

• Make decisions without consensus
• Accept “good enough”
• Ship MVPs not masterpieces
• Handle stakeholder conflict
• Drive outcomes not process

The PMP certification Americans mock is gold in Europe because it represents someone who might actually deliver something.

3. Content Marketing That Converts

European content marketing is artistic expression. American content marketing drives revenue.

French fashion brand hired Maria from LA at $95,000 because their beautiful content generated zero leads. Their Instagram was gorgeous. Their pipeline was empty.

European content approach:

• Brand storytelling
• Artistic vision
• Cultural sophistication
• Engagement for engagement
• Metrics are vulgar

American content approach:

• SEO-optimized
• Conversion-focused
• A/B tested
• Data-driven
• ROI measured

Maria implemented basic SEO, added CTAs, created lead magnets. Traffic up 400%. Leads up 900%. European team horrified by the “commercialization” but executives thrilled by revenue.

European companies need Americans who understand:

• Content is for conversion not awards
• SEO beats artistic vision
• Data drives decisions
• Testing beats assuming
• Revenue matters most

4. Customer Success That Retains

Europeans treat customer success as customer service. Americans prevent churn.

Berlin B2B startup hired Tom at $91,000 after losing 60% of customers annually. Their customer success team was reactive support. Tom built proactive retention.

European customer success:

• Wait for problems
• Solve tickets
• Polite but distant
• Technical focus
• React to complaints

American customer success:

• Quarterly business reviews
• Usage monitoring
• Proactive outreach
• Upsell identification
• Prevent problems

Tom implemented health scores, automated alerts, quarterly check-ins. Churn dropped to 15%. European team thought it was “too aggressive.” CFO thought it was perfect.

EU companies desperately need Americans who can:

• Predict and prevent churn
• Upsell without shame
• Build customer relationships
• Create retention systems
• Think revenue not service

5. Operations That Scale

European operations are crafted for perfection. American operations are built for scale.

Spanish marketplace hired Jennifer at $105,000 to fix operations that broke at 1,000 orders daily. Their Spanish team kept trying to perfect the process. Jennifer automated everything.

European operations:

• Artisanal approach
• Perfect every detail
• Manual quality control
• Resist automation
• Pride in complexity

American operations:

• Automate everything
• 80/20 rule
• Standardize ruthlessly
• Technology-first
• Scale or die

Jennifer replaced their 12-person manual review team with $50/month software. Spanish team insulted. Investors delighted. Company scaled to 10,000 orders daily.

European companies need Americans who:

• Think systems not tasks
• Automate before hiring
• Standardize chaos
• Choose efficiency over elegance
• Scale without perfection

The Hidden Advantages

Americans getting these roles don’t realize their advantages:

American work culture creates:

• Urgency Europeans lack
• Decision-making speed
• Risk tolerance
• Customer focus
• Results orientation

These aren’t skills you list on LinkedIn. They’re cultural programming Europeans never developed and desperately need.

The Application Strategy

To get these roles:

1. Lead with results: Europeans hire Americans for outcomes
2. Emphasize speed: They know they’re too slow
3. Show decision-making: They have too much consensus
4. Demonstrate customer focus: They’re too product-focused
5. Prove scale thinking: They’re stuck in craft mode

Your cover letter should scream: “I ship things fast and make money.”

Where To Find These Roles

• AngelList: European startups desperate for American energy
• Remote.eu: EU companies specifically seeking Americans
• LinkedIn: Filter for EU companies, remote, English-language
• Direct outreach: Email EU companies expanding to US

Search terms: “US expansion,” “American market,” “remote US,” “English-speaking”

The Compensation Reality

Base salaries:

• Mid-level: $85,000-110,000
• Senior: $110,000-150,000
• Director: $150,000-200,000

Plus:

• No health insurance costs (you handle your own)
• Often equity in growing EU companies
• Flexible hours (they’re asleep half your day)
• Unlimited PTO (European standard)

The Interview Process

European interviews are different:

• Multiple rounds (they love process)
• Case studies common
• Cultural fit matters more
• They’ll test your patience
• Decision takes forever

But once hired, they’re loyal. European companies don’t do American-style layoffs.

The Tax Warning

Working remotely for EU companies has tax implications:

• You’re a contractor, not employee
• Handle your own taxes
• No benefits provided
• Consider incorporation
• Get an accountant

The $85,000 is gross. Plan accordingly.

The Cultural Navigation

Working with Europeans requires adjustment:

• They take August off entirely
• Decisions take longer
• Direct feedback is rare
• Hierarchy matters more
• Work-life balance is real

But they won’t call you at midnight or expect weekend work.

The Success Profile

Americans succeeding in EU remote roles:

• Ship first, perfect later
• Comfortable with autonomy
• Patient with process
• Results-focused
• Culturally adaptable

Americans who fail:

• Need constant validation
• Require hand-holding
• Can’t handle slow decisions
• Expect American pace
• Fight the culture

The Five Skills Summary

1. Sales: Close deals without relationship theater
2. Project Management: Ship products without consensus paralysis
3. Content Marketing: Drive revenue not just engagement
4. Customer Success: Prevent churn not just solve tickets
5. Operations: Scale systems not perfect processes

These aren’t complex skills. They’re American business basics that Europeans never developed.

The Opportunity Window

This arbitrage won’t last forever. Europeans are learning American business tactics. But right now, they need Americans to teach them.

Your mediocre American business skills are extraordinary in European context. Your basic sales ability is wizardry to consensus-paralyzed Europeans. Your normal project management is revolutionary to committee-addicted teams.

European companies will pay $85,000+ for skills you think are worthless. Because they can’t find them locally. Because their culture doesn’t create them. Because they need them desperately.

The jobs are there. The money is real. The bar is low.

Apply today. While European companies still think American business culture is magic. Not trauma response.