Strategic Account Executive

We strongly encourage people of color, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and non-binary people, veterans, parents, and individuals with disabilities to apply. As an equal opportunity employer Walker Sands is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion  and welcomes everyone to our team.

In your application, please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example – she/her/hers, he/him/his, they/them/theirs, etc).

If you need reasonable accommodation at any point in the application or interview process, please let us know.

Walker Sands is looking for a collaborative and results-oriented Strategic Account Executive to join us in our Chicago office.

As an organization whose mission is to accelerate growth for B2B companies, Walker Sands strives to go above and beyond in developing innovative and strategic programs for our clients. Our client portfolio showcases an impressive variety of Fortune 500 corporations, fast-growing high-tech startups and major professional services firms.

As a Strategic Account Executive, you will have a strategic role on the agency’s Growth Team to scale the agency’s client base, optimize sales processes, and ensure sustained revenue growth. You will manage a team of sellers, be responsible for facilitating enterprise deals and continually look for opportunities to improve the Walker Sands prospect experience. This role will be pivotal in driving performance but also building a culture of trust, growth, and continuous improvement within the sales team.

Walker Sands promotes a culture of constant learning and continuous improvement, and we actively encourage our employees to advance their careers through valuable networking and professional development opportunities.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Planning: Partnering with the Head of Growth and service leaders to develop and implement sales strategies that align with the firm's overall goals.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Work with marketing and service delivery teams on initiatives that positively influence sales pipeline, improve sales proposals and the prospect experience.
• Funnel management: Driving mid-market and enterprise new business prospects through the funnel from lead to close, managing the process from end-to-end between internal and external teams. This includes but is not limited to: conducting introductory and discovery calls, organizing internal pitch teams, running internal prep meetings, coordinating external pitch meetings, and tracking progress of all activity in Salesforce.
• Proposal creation support: Supporting internal service teams on the creation of strategic business partnership proposals across all lines of business.
• Contract process management: Support the contract process from initial creation through signing, making sure the correct language and review processes are adhered to.
• Reporting + Analysis: Tracking individual new business leads, as well as the collective sales team’s pipeline through platforms like Salesforce, Pardot and Slack. Providing reporting on lead and opportunity status on a weekly basis and trend analysis on metrics including deal velocity, forecasting and win rate to improve performance.
• Sales enablement support: Identifying gaps in our sales enablement materials and working with the marketing team to create new assets. 

Requirements

• A minimum of eight (8) years of marketing communications sales experience, preferably with a focus on either technology and/or B2B accounts, including three to five (3-5) years of management experience of sales representatives; agency experience is a plus
• Strong presentation and communication skills, over both phone and email, with a keen attention to detail
• Ability to think strategically and understand clients' business and marketing goals
• Ability to learn our full-range of marketing services and articulate the benefits and outcomes of each thoughtfully to prospective clients
• Ability to work cross-functionally across teams and build relationships with different stakeholder groups
• Familiarity with sales and marketing technology tools and their capabilities; experience with Salesforce is a plus
• History of strong performance in a fast-paced, goal-driven environment

Compensation & Benefits:

• We strive for salary range transparency in our hiring process. This is a major step towards not only complying with regulations where required, but also to make sure pay equity and DEI are top of mind during the hiring process. Base salary is only a part of the total rewards package - this role will also be eligible for a bonus based on company performance, commission bonus, as well as benefits. Below is the starting salary for this role:
  Starting Salary: $85,000 - $95,000 a year
• Placement on the salary scale will be determined by various factors, such as, but not limited to, relevant qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, education, business or organizational requirements and internal equity.
• Starting salaries are not inclusive of a full range of compensation for this role and are instead meant to reflect the expected beginning salary for a new hire. Merit-based increases can be earned after time in role.
• Total Rewards Package:
• 🩺 Health Coverage: Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, plus mental health resources, pet insurance, fertility benefits, and more.
• 💰 Retirement Savings: Employer-matched 401(k) and access to financial planning services.
• 🌴 Flexible PTO: Take time as needed for vacations, mental health, or personal days. Includes 8 paid holidays, half-day summer Fridays, and a week off between Christmas and New Year.
• 🏡 Hybrid Work: Mix of in-office and remote work, with tools to stay connected across teams.
• 🎉 Milestone Sabbatical: Celebrate five years with a two-week sabbatical and a $2,000 gift.
• 👶 Family Support: Generous paid leave for new parents and caregivers, plus policies for pregnancy loss, adoption challenges, and more.
• 📚 Growth Opportunities: Clear career paths, mentorship programs, and learning events to help you grow professionally.
• 🌟 Culture: Our agency values our supportive, collaborative culture where we work hard to achieve the best outcomes for clients. Read more on our website here!

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