Enterprise Account Executive

Join us at Zendesk, where we’re on a mission to power exceptional service for every person on the planet. We’re accelerating that ambition by building AI-driven, intelligent CX solutions rooted in the belief that behind every interaction is an opportunity to make a meaningful human connection. The Hunter AE creates and closes durable net-new business. The role turns priority prospects into customers through disciplined prospecting, consultative discovery, evidence-based value cases, executive selling, commercial judgment and a clean transition to the post-sale account team. It does not own installed-base expansion or post-sale commercial outcomes. What you’ll be doing

• Create and maintain enough qualified net-new pipeline to meet or exceed quota through targeted outbound, inbound conversion, partner routes and disciplined territory planning.
• Lead a repeatable prospecting-to-close process: discovery, qualification, value mapping, mutual action planning, business-case development, negotiation, contracting and close.
• Translate customer business priorities, service-operation challenges and transformation goals into a credible Zendesk platform and AI value proposition.
• Build executive and multi-threaded alignment across business, technology, security, finance, procurement and the economic buying committee.
• Own commercial strategy, deal progression and negotiation within approved guardrails; protect customer value and delivery credibility.
• Orchestrate Solution Engineers, Product Specialists, Marketing, SDR/BDR partners, ecosystem partners and leadership to improve win probability.
• Maintain accurate CRM data, pipeline health, forecast discipline and early risk visibility; make decisions based on evidence rather than optimism.
• Document customer goals, stakeholders, use cases, commitments and success conditions for a clean handoff; return market, competitor and buyer insight to improve the go-to-market motion. What you bring to the role
• Day one: a genuine new-business orientation, targeted prospecting discipline and ability to create qualified demand—not simply work inbound leads.
• Day one: consultative discovery that uncovers business problems, urgency, stakeholders, decision criteria and measurable outcomes before positioning product.
• Day one: executive and multi-threaded selling that earns trust with business, technical, financial, security and procurement stakeholders.
• Day one: commercial acumen to build ROI narratives, manage deal economics, negotiate thoughtfully and qualify out when the fit is not credible.
• Day one: CRM, forecast and operating discipline; the ability to inspect facts, surface risk early and maintain mutual accountability.
• Developable: deeper Zendesk platform, AI and service-operations fluency; more advanced industry narratives, partner-led selling and complex deal strategy.
• Differentiating: the ability to shape the customer's problem, create demand where none exists and mobilize a buying committee without overselling.
• Scarce: repeated success closing large, complex net-new deals with executive access, competitive strategy and strong business-case construction. Experience and

• Experience range: Typically 8–12 years of related experience (Job Architecture baseline).
• Relevant background: demonstrated capability in complex B2B SaaS new-business selling, value-based discovery and commercial deal ownership.
• Customer impact: demonstrated ownership of outcomes, not only activity; evidence should show decision quality, follow-through and measurable customer or commercial impact.
• Commercial proof: evidence of prospecting discipline, quota attainment or equivalent growth results, executive engagement and complex deal judgment.
• AI and platform fluency: ability to discuss AI, automation, service operations and platform value credibly and know when specialist depth is required.
• Education: no specific credential is required where equivalent demonstrated experience, capability and track record are present. AI-era expectations
• Discuss AI, automation, CX and platform value credibly at the business level; bring specialists when deeper technical validation is required.
• Frame AI opportunities in terms of measurable customer outcomes, operating-model change, adoption risk, security, governance and implementation readiness.
• Use approved AI tools to improve account research, preparation, follow-through and signal synthesis while protecting customer confidentiality and data.
• Distinguish uniquely human work—trust, judgment, negotiation and executive alignment—from work that can be augmented or automated.