Position Summary: The Strategic Account Executive (Strategic AE) is a hybrid role that combines direct selling with a strategic overlay. As a direct seller, the Strategic AE develops new business in an assigned territory. As a strategic overlay, the Strategic AE also serves as executive sponsor on a defined list of pre-approved, high-potential school district prospects, working those accounts alongside our AEs. In that capacity they lead top-down engagement with Economic Buyers such as CBOs, CFOs, assistant superintendents, school board members, and purchasing leadership, while the AE builds bottom-up champion relationships. The role also helps raise the level of the team by coaching AEs to sell at a more complex level.
Location: This is a remote role. Candidates must live in or near a major East Coast metro area with convenient airport access
Salary Range: $115,000.00-$135,000.00/year plus commission
Responsibilities: Direct Selling (Territory Ownership)- Develop, execute, achieve, and maintain sales goals for the assigned territory based on senior management feedback, territory performance, and organizational goals
- Develop new business and retain existing business by prospecting, qualifying, and taking opportunities through the full sales process to close
- Prepare and deliver proposals, quotes, demos, and presentations in conjunction with team members and functional groups; communicate negotiation outcomes back to internal groups with clear details, critical timeframes, and expectations
- Establish and maintain ongoing client relationships to anticipate and resolve potential problems; routinely participate in site visits
- Collaborate with the operations team to evaluate account performance, recommend refinements to proposals, and identify data that can improve performance metrics and forecasting for new and existing clients
- Track and report to senior management on a frequent basis the status of proposals, pipeline performance, and negotiations; keep Salesforce and account profiles current so everyone managing day-to-day operations has what they need
- Work with internal and external teams and senior management to identify priorities and operational changes for new and existing clients
Strategic Overlay- Serve as executive sponsor on an assigned list of pre-approved, high-scoring Strategic target accounts, partnering with the AE who co-owns each deal
- Lead top-down: research, identify, and engage Economic Buyers and own those relationships through contract signature, while the AE owns the champion relationship
- Lead the later sales stages on Strategic deals, including contract pricing, negotiation, and bringing the agreement to signed close
- Build account strategy and a Mutual Action Plan with the AE; engage 3-5 stakeholders early and pursue the Economic Buyer in parallel with the champion
- Build an Economic Buyer-level point of view using district financials, board priorities, and operational pain, and navigate competitive bids/RFPs, school board presentations, and local and state leadership as needed
- Orchestrate internally: lead structured deal reviews, align executive involvement, and communicate forecast and resource needs; forecast Strategic pipeline with conviction
- Partner with Field Operations, implementation, and technology teams to de-risk launch and capture revenue quickly after close (target: first billing within approximately 60 days of launch), then transition day-to-day account management to the AE
- Coach and mentor AEs by modeling best-in-class account research, executive engagement, objection handling, and negotiation
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree and/or equivalent relevant years of experience
- Minimum 5 years of experience in business development, outside sales, or strategic B2B sales, with a record of closing large, multi-stakeholder deals
- Demonstrated experience selling to executive and economic buyers; K-12, public sector, or transportation experience strongly preferred
- Experience with competitive bids/RFPs and public board presentations preferred
- Working knowledge of a structured sales methodology such as MEDDIC, and comfort with a team-selling, co-ownership model
- Proficiency with Salesforce and Microsoft Office (Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook)
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with executive presence and strong presentation skills
- Collaborative, coaching mindset with the ability to influence without direct authority
- Valid U.S. driver's license is required
- Position will be remote/WFH and requires up to 50% travel
