Public Sector Account Executive

Job Description

Join us at Zendesk, where we're on a mission to power exceptional service for every person on the planet. We're accelerating our ambition by building products rooted in the belief that behind every interaction is an opportunity to make a human connection. 

To achieve this, we're looking for a successful Public Sector Account Executive with a proven track record in Public Sector sales (with a heavy focus on Education and State Government across the North-East of the United States) and a passion for driving growth within the SaaS space.  You will play a vital role in growing our Public Sector account base, and closing deals of varying sizes and sales cycles. Your focus will be on building relationships and introducing innovative solutions to new customers, in addition to growing our existing partnerships by continuing to expand our offerings and deepen Zendesk's impact.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Directly drive top-line revenue growth through the acquisition of new Public Sector customers and developing strategies to penetrate top tier accounts.

• Proactively identify and pursue opportunities to cross sell additional products and services to existing customers to optimize account revenue and profitability.

• Manage and nurture key customer relationships to ensure maximum satisfaction and retention, fostering long-term strategic partnerships.

• Leverage data insights, customer intents, and adoption history to effectively prospect new clients and enhance retention strategies, leading to improved conversion rates in new business pipeline and increased retention and expansion of existing clients.

• Demonstrate a strong understanding of Zendesk products and align them with clients’ business objectives to secure product expansion and customer satisfaction.

• Lead complex, value-centric sales cycles, including multi-month deals with proof of concept stages.

• Consistently develop a robust pipeline of qualified opportunities and maintain an accurate sales forecast to exceed quarterly and annual revenue goals.

• Establish and maintain Public Sector executive sponsorship, leveraging your industry expertise to build relationships with decision-makers and champions.

• Collaborate effectively with internal teams and leadership to optimize sales strategies and drive sales execution.

• Negotiate and close complex deals, leveraging a consultative approach, utilizing exceptional communication skills to present compelling business cases and value propositions.

What You Bring to the Role:

• BA/BS degree or equivalent experience required.

• A Minimum of 5 years of Public Sector sales or solution engineering experience, preferably in the SaaS industry with a proven record of exceeding sales targets.

• Strong, consistent track record of achieving targets & quota achievement in 2 of the last 3 years; President’s club membership is a plus.

• Expertise in navigating complex sales cycles and renewals, including multi-month, value-centric processes with proof of concept stages.

• Experience in managing customer relationships with organizations across a range of revenue scales.

• History of sales success with VP and C-level executives in Public Sector accounts. 

• Outstanding presentation, negotiation, and closing skills.

• Experience creating and leveraging territory and account plans.

• An entrepreneurial spirit, a collaborative mindset, and a drive for personal and professional growth.

• Demonstrated industry experience, with the ability to navigate industry trends and dynamics and build relationships with key decision-makers and champions.

• Familiarity with key Sales tools such as Salesforce, Outreach, and Clari.

• Ability to travel to customer locations. 

The US annualized OTE (On Target Earnings) range for this position is $216,000.00-$324,000.00 with a pay mix of 50/50 (base/commission). This position may also be eligible for bonus, benefits, or related incentives. While this range reflects the minimum and maximum value for new hire salaries for the position across all US locations, the offer for the successful candidate for this position will be based on job related capabilities, applicable experience, and other factors such as work location. Please note that the compensation details listed in US role postings reflect the base salary only (or OTE for commissions based roles), and do not include bonus, benefits, or related incentives.

The intelligent heart of customer experience

Zendesk software was built to bring a sense of calm to the chaotic world of customer service. Today we power billions of conversations with brands you know and love.

Zendesk believes in offering our people a fulfilling and inclusive experience. Our hybrid way of working, enables us to purposefully come together in person, at one of our many Zendesk offices around the world, to connect, collaborate and learn whilst also giving our people the flexibility to work remotely for part of the week.

As part of our commitment to fairness and transparency, we inform all applicants that artificial intelligence (AI) or automated decision systems may be used to screen or evaluate applications for this position, in accordance with Company guidelines and applicable law.

Zendesk is an equal opportunity employer, and we’re proud of our ongoing efforts to foster global diversity, equity, & inclusion in the workplace. Individuals seeking employment and employees at Zendesk are considered without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, marital status, medical condition, ancestry, disability, military or veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law. We are an AA/EEO/Veterans/Disabled employer. If you are based in the United States and would like more information about your EEO rights under the law, please click here.

Zendesk endeavors to make reasonable accommodations for applicants with disabilities and disabled veterans pursuant to applicable federal and state law. If you are an individual with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to submit this application, complete any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participate in the employee selection process, please send an e-mail to [email protected] with your specific accommodation request.