Pursuit Lead, Elevate

ServiceNow•Chicago, IL

15h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Pursuit Lead, Elevate owns transformational opportunities end-to-end—from first strategic engagement through close and into early customer success. You are the single point of accountability for deal progression, commercial architecture, and customer outcomes. Unlike traditional deal roles, you work shoulder-to-shoulder with an embedded Transformational Platform Consultant; you own the transformation strategy and commercial model while they own the technical transformation narrative and North Star architecture. Together, you present one unified voice, one coherent vision, and one executable path to operational transformation through the ServiceNow platform. You operate upstream of traditional sales motions, identifying and developing transformational opportunities that cut across business units and require platform-level thinking, executive engagement, and cross-functional orchestration from our ecosystem and partners.

Requirements

10+ years of traditional enterprise sales, Software Sales and deal structuring
5+ years of Large Deal Pursuit type role with proven track record closing $50M+ TCV contracts with a focus on incremental revenue vs renewals
And/or 5+ years of experience with corporate strategy, business development, large, complex corporate transactions (M&A, IP acquisition, revenue-share models, strategic partnerships, or consulting engagements)
Demonstrated executive presence: Credible with C-suite stakeholders in strategic business conversations, not just sales pitches
Deep understanding of enterprise transformation: Know how operating models change, what drives customer urgency, and how to sequence multi-year transformation programs
Ability to influence without authority: Align partners, internal teams, and customer stakeholders around a shared deal strategy with no formal power over most parties
Comfort operating in ambiguity and building structure where none exists: Complex deals require inventing new playbooks
Single point of accountability mindset: Own deal outcome completely; solve problems rather than escalate blame

Nice To Haves

Experience originating transformational opportunities proactively, not just advancing inherited deals
Familiarity with platform-based enterprise selling, cross-business-unit deal development, or ecosystem partnerships
Experience with Office of CEO, Strategic Initiatives, or similar portfolio management
Track record of building and mentoring teams, codifying playbooks, and raising capability standards across an organization

Responsibilities

Own Deal Outcome & Business Impact: Drive the complete deal lifecycle as the business strategist and executive deal leader. Own the strategic hypothesis for transformation from initial customer vision all the way through to value driving deal shaping, commercial architecture, and handoff into post-sale. Ensure the deal structure, investment thesis, and success metrics align with the customer's bold transformation ambition, not just a software purchase.
Shape Transformational Hypotheses Using Platform Depth: Partner with the Transformational Platform Consultant to connect customer business imperatives to the ServiceNow platform as a unified operational backbone. Develop a North Star vision that shows how NOW enables measurable outcomes—faster decision cycles, reduced operational friction, AI-accelerated operations, or enterprise-wide visibility. Make the platform's operational impact tangible and urgent, not abstract.
Orchestrate Cross-Functional Pursuit Execution: Act as the single point of accountability for deal momentum. Mobilize Partners, Value teams, GTM, Enterprise Architecture, Hyperscalers, Finance, Legal, Revenue, etc into one unified pursuit with clear ownership. Remove blockers, escalate conflicts, redirect resources, and maintain tempo. Silo'd work isn't allowed—every function moves the deal forward together or not at all.
Build Commercial Models That Unlock Transformational Investment: Challenge assumptions about what transformational deals can look like. Invent new commercial structures (outcome agreements, platform commitments, co-investment models, pricing ramps) that align customer risk with platform value realization. Own the deal economics—not just revenue, but deal shape, investment strategy, and commercial terms that reflect transformation scope.
Create Executive Conviction Through Outcome Clarity: Craft C-suite narratives that connect business imperatives to platform capabilities to measurable operational outcomes. Move customers from curiosity → confidence → commitment by simplifying complexity and making the transformation case irrefutable. Work alongside the Transformational Platform Consultant to speak both business and technical languages with credibility.
Codify and Raise the Bar for Future Pursuits: Every deal teaches. Capture what worked—use-case patterns, commercial structures, stakeholder plays, objection patterns, sequencing. Mine deal stalls for pattern insights. Feed playbook learnings back into Elevate strategy teams. Mentor peers on pursuit mastery. Redefine how ServiceNow pursues transformational business with each win.
Lifecycle Ownership: S0–S5+
Sense Intent & Shape Opportunity (S0–S1): Identify transformation signals: Where is the customer facing structural business change (market shift, operating model redesign, AI adoption cliff, loss of strategic capability)? Conduct deep strategic discovery with C-suite and board: Uncover business imperatives, organizational constraints, transformation timelines, and success metrics. Partner with Portfolio Intelligence to form transformation readiness hypothesis and identify the right NOW capabilities. Co-create the opening vision with the Transformational Platform Consultant: Position this as a transformational moment where NOW becomes the operational backbone, not a software conversation. Sequence ecosystem partners (Product, Inspire, GTM, Enterprise Architecture) into a deliberate strategy before pursuit begins.
Co-Create & Architect (S2–S3): Validate the North Star: Work with the Transformational Platform Consultant to stress-test the platform vision against customer architecture, integration needs, and operating model. Build executive conviction: Craft C-level narratives showing how NOW solves their boldest imperative. Make the business case undeniable. Design commercial architecture: Invent deal structures (outcome agreements, platform commitments, phased investment, shared risk) that reward transformation outcomes. Orchestrate cross-functional alignment: Ensure Partners, Enterprise Architecture, Finance, Legal, and Revenue are aligned on pursuit strategy and customer commitments. Maintain stakeholder momentum: Lock in customer commitment to sequencing, investment timeline, and success metrics.
Drive Commercial & Close (S4–S5): Lead final negotiations: Finalize commercial terms, investment structure, and customer commitments. Maintain executive engagement: Keep deal momentum through decision cycles by reinforcing strategic messaging and outcomes. Coordinate internal execution: Align approvals, financing, Legal, and ecosystem delivery sequencing. Ensure commercial integrity: Validate that deal terms, platform scope, and success metrics all ladder to the transformation thesis.
Secure & Embed Value (S5–S5+): Own the handoff to Account Owner, Customer Success, and Delivery teams: Ensure transformation thesis, platform roadmap, commercial model, and success metrics are understood and locked in. Monitor early value realization: Track customer's time-to-value, adoption, outcome realization. Identify and remove blockers. Identify adjacent opportunities: Spot expansion use cases and renewal growth as customer scales transformation. Capture and codify learnings: Document use-case patterns, commercial structures, stakeholder plays, deal stalls, and success factors. Share playbook insights with team.