Commercial Account Executive, M&E

Navan•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

Navan is seeking a motivated, experienced Account Executive to generate pipeline, close new business, and deliver revenue. The role uses a value-based sales approach to build trusted relationships with decision-makers at established companies. The M&E Account Executive turns meetings and event demand into successful Navan Events programs, owning the sales process from prospecting and discovery through a signed order. The role sells Advanced Events, an AI-powered event platform, and, where appropriate, managed planning services. The Account Executive works across eligible Navan customers and net-new opportunities, partnering with Core Net New, account teams, and M&E specialists to help customers bring their event programs onto Navan. The position owns the full sales cycle and develops qualified account pipelines with multiple event opportunities. It involves qualifying customer needs and matching event complexity to the appropriate solution, building value-based business cases, coordinating with internal teams, and maintaining accurate pipeline and revenue forecasts. After a sale, the Account Executive coordinates a handoff to the M&E Account Manager and event planner, remains engaged through launch and the initial event transaction, and collaborates on future opportunities without taking over delivery ownership.

Requirements

At least 2 years of experience in a full-cycle, closing sales role.
Demonstrated outbound prospecting skills, product-demonstration experience, and a record of meeting or exceeding sales goals.
Ability to manage event-driven opportunities involving multiple stakeholders, variable scope, firm dates, and operational dependencies.
Strong discovery and qualification skills, including the ability to identify a real event need, budget, timeline, champion, economic buyer, and decision process, and to involve specialists early.
Strong communication and relationship-building skills.
Self-starter who is agile, coachable, collaborative, and motivated to keep learning.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience.
Familiarity with Salesforce, its MCP, and using advanced AI builds.

Nice To Haves

Experience in SaaS or a similar environment.
Experience selling meetings, events, event technology, venue or hotel sourcing, travel, hospitality, or related services.
Understanding of how event decisions, budgets, and delivery constraints come together.
Training in a sales methodology such as MEDDPICC, SPIN, Challenger, or Command of the Message.

Responsibilities

Own the full sales cycle, from outbound prospecting and cold outreach through discovery, product demonstrations, proposals, negotiation, and close.
Build and manage a qualified pipeline of accounts with multiple event opportunities.
Use account signals such as event intent, travel patterns, account-team referrals, inbound interest, and targeted outbound research to identify opportunities.
Lead discovery into event purpose, dates, locations, attendance, budget, stakeholders, decision process, sourcing needs, attendee travel, and internal planning capacity.
Qualify and recommend solutions ranging from room blocks and Advanced Events capabilities to managed planning and execution; match scope to event complexity and customer needs.
Position Advanced Events only when there is a clear use case and adoption plan.
Partner with the Core Net New team on net-new customers so event capabilities connect to the broader Navan relationship.
Coordinate with the account owner before contacting existing customers and follow established account-coverage rules.
Build value-based business cases, engage relevant stakeholders, and communicate Navan’s value proposition to decision-makers, including senior executives.
Engage event and marketing leaders, executive assistants, travel managers, finance, procurement, executive sponsors, and other relevant planners, approvers, funders, and attendees.
Scope managed-services opportunities with the M&E planning team, aligning on deliverables, attendee and supplier requirements, timing, pricing, payment milestones, and operational capacity using approved packages and contracting processes.
Maintain accurate pipeline and revenue forecasts in Salesforce, meet agreed revenue goals, and use prospecting and sales tools effectively.
Track event-level pipeline and role measures, such as qualified event volume, expected GBV or platform-fee revenue, signed business, launch readiness, and validated event outcomes.
Partner with Marketing, Sales Development, Growth, and Account Management to create opportunities and support successful customer outcomes.
Coordinate a clear post-sale handoff to the M&E Account Manager and event planner, stay engaged through launch and the initial event transaction, and partner on future opportunities without duplicating delivery ownership.