Commercial Account Executive

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.

Success metrics

• 6 closed new logos annually with an average deal size of $150K ARR
• $6.6M in qualified pipeline per fiscal year
• 100% self-sourced pipeline generation—no SDR support
• 30–120 day sales cycles

Responsibilities

• Own complete pipeline generation: 100% self-sourced via strategic outbound prospecting, account-based approaches, and relationship development
• Qualify 4 opportunities per month (3 medium $100K–$200K ARR, 1 large $200K–$400K ARR) using MEDDPICC
• Generate $6.6M in qualified pipeline annually through disciplined territory management and multi-channel prospecting
• Close 6 new enterprise customers annually at $150K average ARR in the East Coast territory
• Lead full sales cycles from initial prospecting and discovery through technical validation, negotiation, and closing
• 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
• Engage Director and VP-level stakeholders across 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
• Become an expert in Aiven’s platform and open-source technologies (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%)
• Rigorously qualify opportunities using MEDDPICC; maintain complete MEDDPICC documentation in Salesforce
• Accurately forecast with 85%+ commit accuracy and execute quarterly sales plans
• Partner closely with Solution Architects on technical validation and proof-of-concept management
• 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
• 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
• Consistently meet and exceed sales quotas and KPIs with minimum 4:1 pipeline coverage ratio

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of success in commercial or mid-market B2B SaaS sales, selling complex technical solutions to scaling technology companies
• Proven track record of 100% self-sourced pipeline generation with consistent quota attainment of 90–100%+ against multimillion-dollar targets
• Demonstrated ability to generate $5M–$8M in annual qualified pipeline through outbound prospecting across multiple channels without SDR support
• Experience closing 6–12 new logos annually with $100K–$300K ACV deal sizes and 60–160 day sales cycles
• Strong prospecting skills with ability to maintain 50+ weekly touches and convert outreach to meetings at 10–15% rates
• Hands-on experience with MEDDIC/MEDDPICC or similar sales frameworks; able to maintain Command of the Message throughout the sales cycle
• Track record of 85%+ forecast accuracy based on evidence-based qualification
• Familiarity with open-source technologies, data infrastructure, cloud services, and developer platforms (e.g., Apache Kafka, databases, analytics, streaming platforms)
• Experience selling into scaling technology companies ($50M–$500M revenue) across East Coast ecosystems, particularly Fintech (NY, MA, GA), B2B SaaS (NY, MA, VA), Digital Commerce (FL, NJ, NC), AdTech/MarTech (NY, NJ, CT), and Industrial Tech (NJ, PA, MD)
• Willingness to travel 25–35% for customer meetings and events; comfortable with hybrid work model

Benefits

• Participate in Aiven’s equity plan
• Hybrid work policy to balance work and life
• Choose the equipment you need to set yourself up for success
• Professional Development Plan budget for learning opportunities
• Holistic wellbeing support through the global Employee Assistance Program
• Global Time Off Commitment covering Parental and Sick Leave, as well as Personal Time
• Country-specific benefits for our global team