Commercial Account Executive

External

Aiven36 · Austin, TX

$100K–$200K/yrFull-timeOn-site1mo ago

Cross-functional CollaborationDocumentationKafkaNegotiationPostgreSQLSalesforce

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About the role

As a Commercial Account Executive, you will drive predictable, repeatable revenue growth by acquiring new customers and expanding usage within high-growth technology companies generating $50M-$500M in annual revenue. This segment represents the critical scaling phase where companies are professionalizing their data infrastructure, moving from tactical solutions to strategic platforms. This is a high-velocity, quota-carrying role focused on new logo acquisition and baseline usage expansion across North America by targeting scaling technology companies across Fintech, B2B SaaS, Digital Commerce, and Industrial Tech sectors. There are clear success metrics: 6 closed new logos annually with an average deal size of $150K ARR, while generating $6.6M in qualified pipeline per fiscal year. This is a hunter role requiring 100% self-sourced pipeline generation-there is no SDR support You will engage Director and VP-level stakeholders across technical and business functions (VP Engineering, Director of Platform, Head of DevOps, Director of Data Engineering), positioning Aiven as the strategic open-source data platform that enables their next phase of growth. You'll leverage proven sales methodologies-MEDDPICC qualification, Challenger Sales, and Command of the Message-to manage efficient sales cycles from discovery to close, typically 30-120 days.

Responsibilities

Own Complete Pipeline Generation:

Generate 100% of your pipeline through strategic outbound prospecting, account-based approaches, and relationship development.

Qualify 4 opportunities per month (3 medium-sized $100K-$200K ARR, 1 large-sized $200K-$400K ARR) using rigorous MEDDPICC framework.

Generate $6.6M in qualified pipeline annually through disciplined territory management and multi-channel prospecting.

Drive New Logo Acquisition:

Close 6 new enterprise customers annually at $150K average ARR in your East Coast territory, focusing on high-growth technology companies across Fintech, B2B SaaS, Digital Commerce, AdTech, and Industrial Tech sectors.

Lead the full sales cycle from initial prospecting and discovery through technical validation, negotiation, and closing.

Execute Strategic Prospecting:

Develop and maintain target account lists of 100-150 ideal customer profile companies.

Conduct deep account research using LinkedIn Sales Navigator, ZoomInfo, Crunchbase, and 6sense to identify trigger events and buying signals.

Execute 80-100+ weekly prospecting touches across calls, emails, LinkedIn, and video messaging to secure first meetings with target personas.

Director & VP-Level Stakeholder Engagement:

Build trusted relationships with Directors and VPs in Engineering, Platform, DevOps, and Data organizations.

Challenge the status quo of customers' current data infrastructure (DIY Kafka, cloud vendor lock-in, operational overhead) and inspire a vision for how Aiven's platform drives better business outcomes.

Solution Selling & Value Articulation:

Become an expert in Aiven's platform and the open-source technologies we offer (Kafka, PostgreSQL, OpenSearch, ClickHouse and more).

Articulate business value in terms of reduced operational overhead (40-60%), faster time-to-production (3-5x), and infrastructure cost optimization (30-50%).

Maintain strong Command of the Message when conveying Aiven's value proposition and differentiation.

MEDDPICC Sales Process:

Rigorously qualify all opportunities using the MEDDPICC framework to ensure high-quality pipeline.

Maintain complete MEDDPICC documentation in Salesforce for every qualified opportunity.

Accurately forecast with 85%+ commit accuracy and execute on quarterly sales plans.

Manage 30-90 day sales cycles with disciplined, metrics-driven approach to qualification and closing deals.

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

Partner closely with Solution Architects on technical validation and proof-of-concept management for qualified opportunities.

Work with Customer Success to ensure seamless onboarding and adoption.

Collaborate with Product and Engineering to incorporate customer feedback and align on roadmap priorities for strategic opportunities.

Territory Planning & Market Insight:

Develop and maintain 90-day rolling territory plans with clear account prioritization and pipeline generation goals.

Monitor technographic signals, funding events, and technology adoption patterns to identify high-intent accounts.

Represent Aiven at regional industry events and conferences to build network and generate pipeline.

Exceed Targets:

Consistently meet and exceed your sales quotas and KPIs.

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Commercial Account Executive

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