Updated September 2026
A strong startup account executive job description states the deal size, sales cycle and buyer, sets out the quota and ramp in plain terms, and says how much pipeline the AE is expected to build themselves. Good candidates use those details to judge whether they can win in your market. Leave them out and you attract people who have only sold with a big brand and an SDR team behind them.
Copy-and-paste account executive job description
Account Executive at [Company]
About [Company]
[Company] helps [buyer] to [outcome]. We raised [round] from [investors], have [number] customers and are [number] people. Until now, [founder name] has closed every deal.
The role
You'll be our [first] Account Executive, owning deals from first call to signature. Our average contract is around [ACV], the sales cycle runs [X to Y weeks], and you'll sell to [buyer title] with [economic buyer] signing. You'll report to [founder].
What you'll do in your first 6 months
- Close [number] new customers against a ramped quota of [amount], with a [X]-month ramp.
- Build at least [X]% of your own pipeline through outbound, events and your network.
- Turn what the founders do today into a written sales process: qualification criteria, stages, a discovery guide and a standard proposal.
- Run a weekly forecast the founders can plan cash around.
What you'll bring
- [X]+ years closing new business at a similar deal size ([ACV range]) and cycle length.
- A record of hitting quota that you can walk us through deal by deal.
- Experience generating a meaningful share of your own pipeline.
- Comfort selling a product that is still changing, with fewer case studies than you're used to.
- Clear, concise writing. Most of our deals are won or lost over email.
Nice to have
- You've sold to [buyer title] or in [industry] before.
- You've been an early sales hire at a Seed to Series B company.
What we offer
- Base salary [£/$/€ X to Y], on-target earnings [£/$/€ X to Y], paid [monthly / quarterly], uncapped.
- Equity: [range] options, [vesting terms].
- [Remote / hybrid], at a [Seed / Series A / Series B] company where you'll help decide how sales is run.
The line most founders skip is "Until now, [founder name] has closed every deal." It tells candidates they are inheriting founder-led sales, which filters out anyone who needs a finished playbook. Prefer a guided form? Try our free job description builder.
"Manage the full sales cycle and consistently exceed quota in a fast-paced environment."
"Close [number] customers at around [ACV] in your first 6 months, building at least [X]% of that pipeline yourself."
How the AE job description changes from Seed to Series B
| Seed | Series A | Series B | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who they sell alongside | The founder, often on the same calls | One or two other AEs, maybe one SDR | A sales manager, SDR team and sales engineer |
| Where pipeline comes from | Founder network and the AE's own outbound | Mix of inbound, SDR meetings and self-sourced | Mostly marketing and SDR, with named accounts |
| Playbook | Doesn't exist yet, the AE helps write it | Rough version, still changing | Documented, with enablement support |
| What to stress in the JD | Ambiguity, building process, product feedback | Repeatability and forecast accuracy | Segment focus, larger deals, working across teams |
Scorecard: how you'll judge success
Write this before you open the role. It keeps interviewers testing the same things and becomes your first performance review.
| Outcome | What good looks like at 12 months | How you'll test it in interviews |
|---|---|---|
| Closed new revenue | At or above ramped quota for two consecutive quarters | Deal-by-deal walkthrough of their last four quarters |
| Self-sourced pipeline | A steady share of pipeline created by the AE, not handed over | Ask what share of their closed deals they sourced, then probe two |
| Repeatable sales process | Stages, exit criteria and a discovery guide the next AE can use | Ask them to sketch a sales process they built or rebuilt |
| Forecast accuracy | Monthly commit lands within an agreed range | Review a live deal: what stage, what's missing, what date |
| Market feedback to product | A ranked list of lost-deal reasons, shared monthly | Ask why they lost their last three deals |
30-60-90 day plan
| Period | Focus | By the end they should have |
|---|---|---|
| Days 1 to 30 | Learn the product, the buyer and why customers bought | Joined 15+ founder calls, interviewed 5 customers, run discovery with support |
| Days 31 to 60 | Own deals and start outbound | Their own qualified pipeline, draft stages and exit criteria, a weekly forecast |
| Days 61 to 90 | Close and write it down | First deals closed or late stage, a signed-off discovery guide and proposal |
Have your AE call those five customers themselves. They learn the words buyers use, and gain references for their own deals.
Four mistakes founders make in an AE job description
- Hiding the compensation plan. AEs judge a role on base, OTE, ramp and how quota is set. Leave them out and the best candidates assume the plan is weak.
- Asking for enterprise experience when you sell mid-market. A rep used to nine-month cycles with procurement can struggle with a 30-day deal, and the reverse. Match deal size and cycle.
- Treating a big logo as proof. Strong numbers at large companies often come from brand, inbound and SDR support. State how much pipeline the AE must build.
- Writing a sales leader JD for an individual contributor. "Build and lead the team" attracts people who want to manage, then quit when the headcount doesn't come. Promise leadership only if you mean it.
Where Funded.club fits
We are a fixed-fee recruiting partner for funded startups across North America, Europe and APAC, and we have helped 500+ startups hire, sales teams included. One dedicated recruiter runs each search end to end, with first screened candidates within 7 days.
Our fee is agreed upfront and averages 6 to 9% of salary, from $4,900 to $21,900 per hire. It doesn't rise with OTE or commission, which matters for sales roles where total pay can be much higher than base. See pricing, or read our guide on how to hire your first account executive.
Frequently asked questions
Should an AE job description include the salary and OTE?
Yes. Sales candidates compare roles on base, on-target earnings, ramp and quota, and they skip adverts that leave those out. Benchmark against current data for your market before you publish the range.
When should a startup hire its first account executive?
Usually once the founders know who buys and why, and founder time has become the limit on revenue. Hire earlier and the AE is really being asked to find product-market fit.
What should I ask an AE candidate in interviews?
Test deal-level detail, self-sourced pipeline and a mock discovery call. Our account executive interview questions page has 22 questions and a scoring rubric.
Worth a brief chat about your next hire? Book a free call.
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