Strategic Account Executive
External
Handshake · RemotePrepare for this interview
EliteAI-generated questions, company research, and talking points tailored to this role
About the role
We're hiring a Strategic Account Executive to join our Strategic New Business team, focused on landing net new Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 employers that do not yet partner with Handshake. This is a pure hunter role, built for a seller who thrives in high-visibility deal cycles, creates pipeline through proactive outreach, and can close complex six-figure partnerships with senior HR and business leaders. You will inherit a defined book named accounts and own the full sales cycle end to end, from account planning and first meetings through executive alignment, negotiation, and close. You will operate with high autonomy and minimal support, and you will be expected to travel, host customers, and win in the room. You Have
Requirements
- 4+ years of SaaS closing experience, including 2+ years selling into enterprise or strategic customers
- Proven track record of net new logo acquisition and consistent quota attainment (President's Club strongly preferred)
- Experience closing complex six-figure deals with multiple stakeholders and longer sales cycles
- Strong outbound and account planning skills, with comfort owning a defined book and building pipeline proactively
- Ability to lead executive-level conversations, position value, and run a disciplined sales process end to end
- High ownership and scrappiness, with comfort creating your own materials and running your own demos without heavy support
- Strong forecasting hygiene and deal management discipline across monthly and quarterly rhythms
- Willingness to travel regularly and engage in in-person selling, customer events, and relationship-building
- Bonus Points:
- Experience selling HR tech, recruiting software, or workforce solutions into Fortune 500 employers
- Background as an enterprise AE with 2 to 5 years tenure looking to step up into strategic new business
- Existing relationships with senior HR, TA, or early talent leaders at large employers
Benefits
Additional Information
About Handshake Handshake was founded on a simple belief that everyone deserves a path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today, we power 25 million job seekers, 1 million+ employers, and 1,600 educational institutions. In 2025, we started Handshake AI and built the fastest-growing AI data business in history. We work directly with frontier AI lab researchers to create evaluations, publish benchmarks, and push the boundary of data. We've grown from $0 to ~$1B run rate and pay ~$60M to over 30K individuals every month. Why join Handshake now: Shape how every career evolves in the AI economy, at global scale, with impact your friends, family and peers can see and feel Partner hand-in-hand with world-class AI labs, Fortune 500 partners and the world's top educational institutions Work together with engineers, scientists, operators, and more from Palantir, Meta, Scale AI, and former YC founders Build a massive, fast-growing business with billions in revenue
Your Match
How well this role fits your profile.
Company Intel
What employees say
Worked at handshake? Share your experience