Account Executive - West Coast

Operant AI•San Francisco, CA

14h•Hybrid

About The Position

Operant AI is seeking an Account Executive, West Coast, based in the San Francisco Bay Area, to sell their AI security platform. This role involves a full sales cycle, from prospecting to closing, and requires a deep understanding of both cybersecurity and AI. The Account Executive will work with enterprise and high-growth tech companies, translating complex technical concepts into business value for C-level executives and technical teams. The position emphasizes a fast-paced sales cycle, aligning with the rapid growth of the AI industry, and requires the ability to quickly learn and articulate the differentiation of Operant's products.

Requirements

3-5 years of B2B sales experience, with a track record of closing enterprise cybersecurity deals.
Demonstrable experience selling cybersecurity solutions — ideally in runtime security, API security, cloud security, or AI/ML security.
Working knowledge of AI and agentic systems — you understand what LLMs, AI agents, and MCP are, and why they introduce new attack surfaces.
Experience selling to security personas (CISO, SecOps, AppSec) and technical platform personas (AI/ML leads, DevSecOps, platform engineering).
Proven ability to run a full sales cycle independently in a fast-paced, early-stage environment.
Strong technical acumen — you can hold your own in conversations about prompt injection, zero-trust, API security, and agentic AI without needing an SE in every meeting.
Excellent discovery and value-selling skills; you ask great questions and connect product capability to customer pain.
Clear, concise communicator — in writing, in decks, and in the room.
Comfortable with ambiguity and motivated by building in a category-creating environment.
Passionate lifelong learner who proactively self-teaches to stay in the know about technology and the industry at the absolute forefront of AI and Agentic development, and is able to translate that knowledge into pragmatic and empathetic understanding of the problems the buyers are trying to solve and how those problems impact end-users and real people.

Nice To Haves

Prior experience at a cybersecurity startup or category-defining security vendor.
Familiarity with the AI security landscape — AI TRiSM, OWASP Top 10 for LLMs, MCP, and related frameworks.
Existing relationships with West Coast enterprise security or AI platform teams.
Bachelor's degree in a relevant field, or equivalent experience.

Responsibilities

Own and grow a Bay Area-anchored territory, targeting enterprise security buyers across industries including tech, financial services, healthcare, and defense.
Drive net-new ARR by identifying and closing opportunities for Operant's AI Gatekeeper, MCP Gateway, and Agent Protector solutions, as well as new solutions launching multiple times per quarter.
Navigate complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles involving CISOs, AI/ML platform leads, security architects, and DevOps teams.
Translate highly technical concepts — MCP security, agentic risk, runtime AI defense, non-human identity (NHI) controls — into clear business value for executive audiences.
Partner with Solutions Engineers on technical deep-dives, POCs, and proof-of-value engagements, while still being able to converse at a technical level with technical CISO’s, VPs of engineering, and heads of AI.
Develop and manage a healthy pipeline with accurate forecasting in CRM (Apollo, Hubspot).
Represent Operant AI at Bay Area and West Coast conferences, industry events, and executive briefings.
Collaborate with channel and alliance partners to expand reach and accelerate deals.