Strategic Account Executive

About Handshake: Handshake was founded on the simple belief that everyone deserves a clear path to a great career, regardless of where they went to school or who they know. Today, our talent marketplace powers over 25 million job seekers, 1 million employers, and 1,600 educational institutions globally. In 2025, we launched Handshake AI, which has rapidly evolved into the fastest-growing AI data business in history. Partnering alongside frontier AI research labs, we publish critical benchmarks, create advanced evaluations, and push data boundaries—growing from $0 to a ~$1B run rate while paying out ~$60M monthly to over 30,000 global individuals. Backed by world-class teams from Palantir, Meta, and Scale AI, Handshake is reshaping how careers evolve in the AI economy.

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly autonomous, channel-fluent, and commercially sharp Strategic Account Executive to join our Strategic New Business division under a permanent, full-time remote footprint in the United States. Operating within our Employer Revenue function, this is a pure hunter role designed for an elite software seller who thrives in high-visibility corporate deal cycles and proactively drives net-new logo acquisitions across Fortune 500 and Fortune 100 employers. Shifting completely away from routine non-regulated administrative transcription logs, inbound support ticketing, or basic data entry, you will operate an active cross-functional deal framing, multi-threaded C-suite procurement, and high-stakes financial contract negotiation laboratory. Inheriting a defined book of high-value named accounts, you will own full sales cycles from account planning through closing complex six-figure partnerships with senior HR and business leaders. This position requires an enterprise sales authority with 4+ years of SaaS closing experience who handles corporate pipelines fluidly natively using Sales Representative, Lead Generation, and Cold Calling primitives, demonstrates immaculate forecasting hygiene, and travels regularly to win relationships in the room.

Key Responsibilities

• Fortune 500/100 Logo Acquisition Governance: Target, engage, and secure net-new strategic enterprise employers across the United States, driving high-velocity sales processes natively utilizing Sales Representative best practices.
• End-to-End Deal Lifecycle Control: Claim complete technical ownership of complex six-figure contract lifecycles—encompassing deep territory account planning, outbound initialization, discovery, and contract execution.
• C-Suite Relationship Instrumentation: Design, author, and present high-impact business cases and technical presentations to Vice Presidents, Chief Human Resources Officers (CHROs), and Senior Talent Acquisition executives.
• Outbound Pipeline Sourcing: Build, calibrate, and maintain a robust sales pipeline proactively within a named account book natively deploying aggressive Lead Generation strategies and tools.
• Scrappy Independent Prototyping: Operate with high autonomy and minimal technical support, confidently building your own pitch decks, collateral, and executing software demonstrations independently.
• Forecasting & Deal Management Discipline: Maintain impeccable database records and forecasting metrics within sales infrastructure networks, analyzing weekly and monthly rhythms to predict revenue tracks natively using Cold Calling tracking metrics.
• In-Person Strategic Advisory: Travel regularly to engage in face-to-face selling sessions, host executive customer dinners, and manage brand visibility at national corporate events.
• Cross-Functional Value Translation: Collaborate alongside our distributed AI data scientists, engineers, operators, and customer outcomes teams to align technical product capabilities with prospective client workforce challenges.

Required Skills & Qualifications

• A minimum of 4+ years of proven, successful professional field sales experience operating as an Enterprise Account Executive, SaaS Closer, Corporate Sales Director, Senior Business Development Lead, or closely matching tech-enabled market acquisition capacity.
• Strategic Enterprise Sales History: At least 2+ years of dedicated experience selling software directly into enterprise or strategic-tier corporate customers, with a documented history of closing complex six-figure annual contract value (ACV) deals with lengthy sales cycles.
• Proven track record of consistent quota attainment, net-new enterprise logo acquisition, and driving multi-threaded procurement or legal redlining tracks (President’s Club recognition is highly preferred).
• Outstanding written, verbal, and textual presentation communication strengths in English, with an established background leading high-stakes negotiations alongside executive committees.
• Location Context: Position operates under remote guidelines open exclusively to qualified enterprise sales authorities residing permanently within the United States, with the strict willingness to travel regularly for client engagement.

Preferred Strategic Indicators (Nice to Have)

• Prior platform or enterprise background selling explicitly within the HR Tech, automated recruiting software, workforce analytics, or AI data solutions sectors into Fortune 500 employers.
• Possess deep, active existing relationships with senior Human Resources, Talent Acquisition, or early career talent leaders across large corporate verticals.
• An adaptable, high-agency hunter persona who thrives in fast-paced hypergrowth environments and embraces iterative, data-driven sales methods.

What We Offer

• Top-Tier US Strategic Enterprise Sales Remuneration Matrix: A highly competitive annual target cash salary package of $275,000 — $300,000 USD calibrated precisely to your geographic location and closing pedigree, supplemented by lucrative corporate equity configurations and performance-driven commissions.
• 100% remote workspace infrastructure freedom open across the United States, with home internet allowances and commuting support provided.
• Venture-Scale Marketplace Footprint: Elite career landmarks built by single-handedly architecting the primary hiring partnerships connecting Fortune 100 employers to our 25 million member talent marketplace.
• Comprehensive family wellness benefits, including top-tier Medical, Dental, and Vision coverage plans, mental health assistance, fertility benefits, paid parental leave, and parental coaching loops.
• Access to matching 401(k) retirement options, financial coaching, a $500 annual wellness stipend, a $2,000 quarterly learning allowance, and flexible PTO structures with 15 paid company holidays plus 2 flex days off to support uncompromised lifelong mastery.