Founding Account Executive

Clera

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

Qualifications

  • 2-6 years of high-performing Account Executive experience in startups or fast-paced finance environments.
  • Proven track record of beating quotas with full-cycle sales ownership.
  • Successful cold outbound prospecting experience with sourced deals.
  • Experience with mid-market and enterprise deal closures involving complex sales cycles.
  • Hands-on knowledge in building sales processes, playbooks, or methodologies.
  • Experience managing upsell strategies within existing accounts.
  • Experience hiring or training BDRs is a plus.
  • Background in recruiting or HR technology is beneficial but not mandatory.

Responsibilities

  • Own the complete sales process for mid-market and enterprise customers.
  • Self-source pipeline through outbound efforts and qualify inbound leads.
  • Build and refine a closing playbook covering pricing and objection handling.
  • Collaborate directly with founders on go-to-market strategies.
  • Grow expansion revenue and manage upsell opportunities with current clients.
  • Hire and mentor BDRs as sales organization scales.

Benefits

  • Flexible working environment to suit individual needs.
  • Opportunity to shape the sales strategy from inception.
  • Direct mentorship and collaboration with founding team members.
  • Potential for career growth as the company expands.
Full Job Description
About the Role

This is the first dedicated closing hire at a fast-growing AI recruiting startup, putting you at the center of a product that's redefining how talent connects with companies. You'll own the full sales cycle for mid-market and enterprise deals and work shoulder-to-shoulder with the founding team to build the sales motion from the ground up. The impact you have here directly shapes the company's trajectory.
What You'll Do
  • Own the complete sales cycle - discovery, demo, negotiation, and close - for mid-market and enterprise customers.
  • Self-source pipeline through warm and cold outbound, as well as qualify inbound leads.
  • Build and refine the closing playbook, including pricing strategy, objection handling, and deal stage definitions.
  • Partner directly with founders on go-to-market strategy, positioning, and pricing decisions.
  • Grow expansion revenue and manage upsell opportunities within the existing customer base.
  • Hire and mentor BDRs as the sales organization scales.
What We're Looking For
  • 2-6 years of experience as a top-performing Account Executive at a high-velocity startup or in a fast-paced finance environment - or a demonstrated rapid SDR-to-AE progression.
  • Consistent track record of beating quota with full-cycle deal ownership: you've sourced, run, and closed your own deals.
  • Proven success with cold outbound prospecting, including at least one meaningful deal sourced entirely through cold outreach.
  • Experience closing mid-market and enterprise deals involving complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles.
  • Hands-on experience building or documenting sales processes, playbooks, or methodologies.
  • Experience managing expansion revenue or upsell motions within existing accounts.
  • Experience hiring, training, or managing BDRs or junior sales staff is a strong plus.
  • Background in recruiting, talent, or HR technology is a plus but not required.
  • A track record of doing something exceptional - founding a company, a major competitive achievement, or another signal that you operate at a different level.
Compensation & Benefits

Base salary: $130,000-$180,000 USD annually. Visa sponsorship is not available for this role.
Location

On-site in San Francisco, CA.

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