Account Executive - Higher Ed and SLED - TOLA/Midwest

About the Role

VAST Data is the data platform company for the AI era, building enterprise software infrastructure to capture, catalog, refine, enrich, and protect massive datasets for real-time data analysis and AI training and inference. This role focuses on higher education SLED (State, Local, and Education) accounts, involving building executive-level relationships, driving sales strategies, and managing complex sales cycles within colleges and universities.

Responsibilities

• Develop business across a mix of enterprise-level customers across the spectrum.
• Generate revenue and work closely with a network of Channel Partners to successfully sell the VAST Data offering.
• Manage the sales process to align with customer buying cycles.
• Manage customer relationships from first meeting through (optional) proof of concept, as well as post-sale to expand the VAST Data footprint.
• Develop and present proposals demonstrating how the VAST solution meets customers’ business objectives and justifies the sale.
• Prospect, penetrate large accounts, reach decision-makers, and close business.

Requirements

• 7 or more years of sales or account management experience, with a background in Higher Education, SLED, or Public Sector verticals.
• Consistent track record of exceeding quota and driving referenceable business with large strategic customers.
• A history of developing selling regions from the ground up with limited resources.
• Passion for developing account expansion strategies and valuing post-sales customer success.
• Excellent time management and communication skills.
• Desire to drive change and evangelize new technologies in a way that resonates with customers.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment; a mix of large company and startup experience is key.
• Ability to engage with customers and partners at both a business and technical level.
• Knowledge of the storage industry, specifically NFS, Object Storage, and Enterprise Computing architectures.
• Competitive attitude and strong work ethic with the ability to enthusiastically represent the company.
• Proficient with Salesforce.com and Microsoft Office.