Founding Account Executive

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.

See also

Sales jobs by country — openings, pay and top skills →

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