4-7 years of quota-carrying sales experience in SaaS, developer tools, or tech marketplaces
Proven record of selling to CTOs and technical founders
Previous experience at a high-growth startup or as an early sales hire
Genuine interest and understanding of AI/ML technologies
Established personal network in the tech/AI startup space
Strong sense of urgency and bias toward speed
Bachelor's degree in a technical or business-related field; CS or engineering background preferred
Responsibilities
Own and drive new business for Mercor, managing the full sales cycle
Build a pipeline through the AI/tech startup ecosystem, utilizing various networks and events
Manage quick sales processes, from qualifying leads to closing deals
Communicate effectively with technical buyers, understanding their specific needs
Develop customized engagement models for startups
Establish a notable presence within the AI/tech talent community through content and events
Provide market intelligence insights back to Product and Delivery teams
Benefits
Dynamic work environment focused on cutting-edge technology
Opportunity to work directly with high-profile CTOs and growth-stage startups
Visibility within a rapidly evolving AI and tech landscape
Autonomous role with significant responsibilities from day one
Access to a vibrant tech community through events and networking opportunities
Full Job Description
About the Role
We are building the definitive talent infrastructure for top-tier enterprises. As our Startup Account Executive, you will own the relationship with venture-backed tech companies and growth-stage startups that need world-class engineering, research, and technical talent deployed fast. Your buyers are CTOs, VPs of Engineering, Heads of AI, and technical founders who evaluate vendors on talent quality, speed to deploy, and technical credibility. You do not need a staffing background; you need to understand how builders buy and how to earn trust with technical leaders. You will be a one-person revenue engine: building pipeline, running discovery, presenting solutions, negotiating terms, and ensuring successful account launches.
What You Will Do
Own and drive new business for Mercor. Find your way to the right people at prospective customers, educate them about AI-powered contingent workforce solutions, and help them succeed. You'll own the full sales cycle, from first call to close
Run a high-velocity outbound motion and build the pipeline through the AI/tech startup ecosystem: VC networks, founder communities, Twitter/X, GitHub, conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, YC Demo Day)
Manage rapid sales cycles (1-4 weeks): qualify, demo, propose, close
Speak the language of technical buyers: understand ML infrastructure, cloud, engineering org design, and talent market dynamics
Develop startup-specific packaging: flexible engagement models, pilot programs, and ramp-based pricing
Become a visible presence in the AI/tech talent community through content, events, and thought leadership
Feed market intelligence back to Product and Delivery
What You Bring
4-7 years of quota-carrying sales experience in SaaS, developer tools, tech marketplaces, or tech-enabled talent platforms
Track record of selling to CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and technical founders
Experience at a high-growth startup or as an early sales hire (employee #1-30)
Genuine curiosity and fluency in technology, especially AI/ML: can discuss fine-tuning, inference costs, GPU clusters, and engineering team scaling
Strong personal network in the tech/AI startup ecosystem
Bias toward speed: default urgency in everything
Bachelor's degree in a technical or business field; CS or engineering background a plus
