Founding Account Executive

Clera

$130K — $180K *
Business Services
Less than 5 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • 2-6 years as an Account Executive in a startup or finance with a proven sales record.
  • Full-cycle sales ownership experience with self-sourced deals.
  • Successful cold outbound experience, including significant deal closures.
  • Expertise in closing mid-market and enterprise deals with complex sales cycles.
  • Experience constructing sales processes or playbooks from the ground up.
  • Management experience with SDRs or junior sales staff.
  • Demonstrated career progression or rapid promotions in sales.

Responsibilities

  • Own the full sales cycle from discovery to closure for mid-market and enterprise clients.
  • Self-source sales pipeline through warm/cold outreach and inbound qualification.
  • Develop and refine the sales closing playbook, including pricing strategies and objection handling.
  • Collaborate with founders to influence go-to-market strategies and positioning.
  • Generate upsell and expansion revenue from existing accounts.
  • Recruit and mentor BDRs as the sales team grows.

Benefits

  • Early-stage equity participation.
  • Direct collaboration with the founding team.
  • Chance to build and lead the sales organization as the company expands.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is a rare opportunity to join a fast-growing AI-powered recruiting technology startup as their first dedicated closer. You'll own the full sales cycle end-to-end - from discovery through signature - for mid-market and enterprise deals. Working directly alongside the founding team, you'll not only carry the number but build the playbook, shape pricing and positioning, and lay the foundation for a sales organization you'll eventually lead. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
What You'll Do
  • Own the complete sales cycle - discovery, demo, negotiation, and close - for mid-market and enterprise customers
  • Self-source pipeline through both warm and cold outbound, as well as inbound qualification
  • Build and continuously refine the closing playbook, including pricing strategy, objection handling, and deal stage definitions
  • Partner directly with the founding team to shape go-to-market strategy and positioning
  • Drive expansion revenue and upsell opportunities within the existing customer base
  • Hire and mentor BDRs as the sales organization scales
What We're Looking For

Dealbreakers
  • 2-6 years of experience as an Account Executive at a high-velocity startup or in finance, with a consistent track record of beating quota
  • Full-cycle sales ownership: you've sourced, run, and closed your own deals - not exclusively worked handed-off pipeline
  • Proven cold outbound success, including at least one significant deal sourced entirely through cold outreach

Required
  • Experience closing mid-market and enterprise deals with complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles
  • Experience building and documenting sales processes, playbooks, or methodologies from scratch
  • Experience managing expansion revenue or upsell opportunities within existing accounts
  • Experience hiring, training, or managing SDRs or junior sales staff
  • Track record of rapid promotion or accelerated career progression within sales

Nice to Have
  • Experience working directly with founders or C-suite on go-to-market strategy and pricing decisions
  • Prior startup founding experience, significant competitive achievement, or a demonstrated history of tackling difficult objectives
  • Familiarity with recruiting, talent, or HR technology verticals
Compensation & Benefits
  • Base salary: $130,000 - $180,000 USD annually (OTE will exceed base)
  • Early-stage equity participation
  • Direct exposure and collaboration with the founding team
  • Opportunity to build and lead the sales org as the company scales
Location

This role is on-site in San Francisco, CA. Remote work is not available. Visa sponsorship is not offered.

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