Senior Account Executive (SLED)

Equinix•El Segundo, CA

1d•Hybrid

About The Position

The primary responsibility of this role is the acquisition of new State, Local Government, and Education (SLED) customers within the assigned Southern California territory and additional states (Nevada, Arizona). This position is primarily a hunter-focused, new logo sales role with a strong emphasis on outbound prospecting, relationship creation, and pipeline generation. While the role includes responsibility for existing accounts, success is measured by the ability to identify, pursue, and close new SLED customer opportunities across State, Local, and Education organizations. 90% New Acquisition / 10% Account Management. New Business Acquisition & Territory Ownership: Own and execute existing customer acquisition strategy across SLED territory, including current customers, Los Angeles Unified School District, San Bernadino County and Riverside County to name a few. This also includes all local government and education entities across the region. Target net new agencies, institutions, and buying centers within assigned and whitespace accounts. Drive new collocation and digital infrastructure sales within the assigned territory. Play an integral role in defining account strategies and identifying priority target accounts. Focus on opportunities that originate through outbound prospecting and hunting activities, which then convert into owned territory accounts. High Activity Strategic Sales Execution: Maintain a high level of channel-partner focused growth initiatives and activity, proactive engagement with C-suite including CIO, CFO, procurement and attending industry conferences, trade shows, and regional SLED events. Pursue highest propensity prospects and consistently fill the sales funnel. Pitch primarily to C-level and senior government stakeholders. Leverage industry relationships, channel partners, and ecosystem connections to create new opportunities. Pipeline Development & Opportunity Management: Coordinate with Opportunity Development teams to strategize lead qualification and opportunity advancement. Actively monitor and maintain opportunity status in Salesforce, following best practice forecasting principles. Identify at risk opportunities, expiring contracts, and churn risks. Provide accurate sales forecasts using Salesforce and Clari. Tool Utilization: Utilize modern sales tools to drive prospecting, pipeline management, and territory execution, including: Outlook, Salesforce (SFDC), Clari, LinkedIn Navigator, ERepublic / GovTech Navigator, AI driven tools (e.g., Perplexity) for research, messaging, and productivity. Build Prospect & Customer Relationships: Plan, build, and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across SLED organizations. Lead and participate in Executive Briefings. Facilitate customer relationships to ensure timely resolution of issues. Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to uncover expansion and upsell opportunities. Leverage Internal & External Partners: Lead a coordinated sales approach across internal teams (Sales Engineers, Solutions Architects, Customer Care, Commercial Solutions, Sales Operations). Work closely with resellers, strategic alliance partners, and channel partners to penetrate accounts and scale opportunity creation. Account & Territory Planning: Research and document a detailed understanding of customer business environments, organizational structures, and buying dynamics. Develop and execute strategic territory and account plans focused on acquisition and expansion. Prioritize accounts and prospects for short and long term pursuit. May focus on specific sub verticals within the SLED sector. Solution Selling: Identify customer business needs, challenges, and technical requirements. Map customer needs to Equinix solutions in partnership with Sales Engineers and Solution Architects. Lead customer presentations and solution pitches, adapting messaging to customer personas. Demonstrate proficiency across the Equinix portfolio, including global platform and interconnection solutions. Leverage external partners for solution development within new prospects and use cases. Contract Renewals & Commercial Negotiations: Proactively address high churn risk customers using internal and external resources. Facilitate contract renewals and negotiations to protect revenue. Lead commercial discussions, understanding pricing, deal structures, and contractual levers. Partner with sales leadership for regional deal reviews. Leadership & Mentorship: Mentor Account Executives and other sales professionals as needed. Lead special projects and provide guidance on new products, processes, and best practices.

Requirements

Senior Account Executive (SLED) role
Acquisition of new State, Local Government, and Education (SLED) customers
Southern California territory and additional states (Nevada, Arizona)
Hunter-focused, new logo sales role
Strong emphasis on outbound prospecting, relationship creation, and pipeline generation
Identify, pursue, and close new SLED customer opportunities
Own and execute existing customer acquisition strategy across SLED territory
Target net new agencies, institutions, and buying centers within assigned and whitespace accounts
Drive new collocation and digital infrastructure sales within the assigned territory
Define account strategies and identify priority target accounts
Focus on opportunities that originate through outbound prospecting and hunting activities
Maintain a high level of channel-partner focused growth initiatives and activity
Proactive engagement with C-suite including CIO, CFO, procurement
Attend industry conferences, trade shows, and regional SLED events
Pursue highest propensity prospects and consistently fill the sales funnel
Pitch primarily to C-level and senior government stakeholders
Leverage industry relationships, channel partners, and ecosystem connections to create new opportunities
Coordinate with Opportunity Development teams to strategize lead qualification and opportunity advancement
Actively monitor and maintain opportunity status in Salesforce, following best practice forecasting principles
Identify at risk opportunities, expiring contracts, and churn risks
Provide accurate sales forecasts using Salesforce and Clari
Utilize modern sales tools to drive prospecting, pipeline management, and territory execution
Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across SLED organizations
Lead and participate in Executive Briefings
Facilitate customer relationships to ensure timely resolution of issues
Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to uncover expansion and upsell opportunities
Lead a coordinated sales approach across internal teams (Sales Engineers, Solutions Architects, Customer Care, Commercial Solutions, Sales Operations)
Work closely with resellers, strategic alliance partners, and channel partners to penetrate accounts and scale opportunity creation
Research and document a detailed understanding of customer business environments, organizational structures, and buying dynamics
Develop and execute strategic territory and account plans focused on acquisition and expansion
Prioritize accounts and prospects for short and long term pursuit
Identify customer business needs, challenges, and technical requirements
Map customer needs to Equinix solutions in partnership with Sales Engineers and Solution Architects
Lead customer presentations and solution pitches, adapting messaging to customer personas
Demonstrate proficiency across the Equinix portfolio, including global platform and interconnection solutions
Leverage external partners for solution development within new prospects and use cases
Proactively address high churn risk customers using internal and external resources
Facilitate contract renewals and negotiations to protect revenue
Lead commercial discussions, understanding pricing, deal structures, and contractual levers
Partner with sales leadership for regional deal reviews
Mentor Account Executives and other sales professionals as needed
Lead special projects and provide guidance on new products, processes, and best practices
Salesforce (SFDC)
Clari
LinkedIn Navigator
ERepublic / GovTech Navigator
AI driven tools (e.g., Perplexity) for research, messaging, and productivity

Responsibilities

Acquisition of new State, Local Government, and Education (SLED) customers within the assigned Southern California territory and additional states (Nevada, Arizona).
Hunter-focused, new logo sales role with a strong emphasis on outbound prospecting, relationship creation, and pipeline generation.
Identify, pursue, and close new SLED customer opportunities across State, Local, and Education organizations.
Own and execute existing customer acquisition strategy across SLED territory.
Target net new agencies, institutions, and buying centers within assigned and whitespace accounts.
Drive new collocation and digital infrastructure sales within the assigned territory.
Define account strategies and identify priority target accounts.
Focus on opportunities that originate through outbound prospecting and hunting activities.
Maintain a high level of channel-partner focused growth initiatives and activity.
Proactive engagement with C-suite including CIO, CFO, procurement.
Attend industry conferences, trade shows, and regional SLED events.
Pursue highest propensity prospects and consistently fill the sales funnel.
Pitch primarily to C-level and senior government stakeholders.
Leverage industry relationships, channel partners, and ecosystem connections to create new opportunities.
Coordinate with Opportunity Development teams to strategize lead qualification and opportunity advancement.
Actively monitor and maintain opportunity status in Salesforce, following best practice forecasting principles.
Identify at risk opportunities, expiring contracts, and churn risks.
Provide accurate sales forecasts using Salesforce and Clari.
Utilize modern sales tools to drive prospecting, pipeline management, and territory execution.
Plan, build, and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across SLED organizations.
Lead and participate in Executive Briefings.
Facilitate customer relationships to ensure timely resolution of issues.
Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to uncover expansion and upsell opportunities.
Lead a coordinated sales approach across internal teams (Sales Engineers, Solutions Architects, Customer Care, Commercial Solutions, Sales Operations).
Work closely with resellers, strategic alliance partners, and channel partners to penetrate accounts and scale opportunity creation.
Research and document a detailed understanding of customer business environments, organizational structures, and buying dynamics.
Develop and execute strategic territory and account plans focused on acquisition and expansion.
Prioritize accounts and prospects for short and long term pursuit.
Identify customer business needs, challenges, and technical requirements.
Map customer needs to Equinix solutions in partnership with Sales Engineers and Solution Architects.
Lead customer presentations and solution pitches, adapting messaging to customer personas.
Demonstrate proficiency across the Equinix portfolio, including global platform and interconnection solutions.
Leverage external partners for solution development within new prospects and use cases.
Proactively address high churn risk customers using internal and external resources.
Facilitate contract renewals and negotiations to protect revenue.
Lead commercial discussions, understanding pricing, deal structures, and contractual levers.
Partner with sales leadership for regional deal reviews.
Mentor Account Executives and other sales professionals as needed.
Lead special projects and provide guidance on new products, processes, and best practices.