An account executive job description should tell candidates what they will sell, to whom, how they will be measured, and what tools they will use. Many templates stop at a generic list of duties. This one gives you a copy-and-paste account executive job description, then explains each section so you can adapt it to your team.
Use the template below as a starting point, then read on for the responsibilities, skills, quota metrics, and role variations that make a posting specific enough to attract strong B2B account executives.
What Does an Account Executive Do?
An account executive (AE) is a quota-carrying salesperson who owns the sales cycle from qualified opportunity to closed deal. The AE runs discovery, builds the business case, manages the buying group, negotiates terms, and signs the contract. After the deal closes, the relationship usually passes to an account manager or customer success team.
That focus on new business is what separates the role from account management. An account executive wins the customer. An account manager keeps and grows the customer. For a full side-by-side, see our guide to account manager vs account executive. If you are hiring for the post-sale role instead, use our account manager job description.
Account executive levels and segments
The title covers several different jobs, so say which one you are hiring for:
- SMB account executive: high volume, short cycles, small deal sizes
- Mid-market account executive: moderate cycles with two to four stakeholders
- Commercial account executive: a common label for companies between SMB and enterprise
- Enterprise account executive: long cycles, large buying groups, and complex security and legal reviews
Account Executive Job Description Template (Copy and Paste)
Copy the sections below into your applicant tracking system and edit the bracketed fields.
Job summary
[Company] is hiring an Account Executive to own the full sales cycle for [segment] customers. You will generate and qualify pipeline with our sales development team, run discovery and demos, build multi-threaded relationships across buying groups, and close new business. You will report to the [Director or VP of Sales].
Responsibilities and duties
- Own a quota of [amount] in new annual recurring revenue
- Qualify opportunities using [MEDDIC, BANT, or your framework]
- Run discovery calls and product demonstrations tailored to each buyer
- Build relationships with the economic buyer, champion, and other stakeholders
- Create proposals, business cases, and mutual action plans
- Negotiate pricing and contract terms within approved guidelines
- Keep your pipeline and forecast accurate in [Salesforce or your CRM]
- Hand off closed accounts to customer success or account management
Requirements and qualifications
- [3 or more] years of B2B quota-carrying sales experience
- Proven record of meeting or exceeding quota
- Experience selling to [your buyer, such as VP-level or C-suite]
- Working knowledge of [Salesforce or your CRM]
- Strong written and verbal communication, including executive presentations
Nice to have
- Experience selling [your product category]
- Familiarity with a structured qualification framework
- Experience closing deals with five or more stakeholders
How success is measured
You will be measured on quota attainment, pipeline coverage, win rate, average deal size, and sales cycle length, along with leading indicators such as qualified meetings held and stakeholders engaged per deal.
Compensation
Base salary of [range] with on-target earnings of [range]. Variable compensation is tied to quota attainment, with accelerators above 100%.
Account Executive Duties and Responsibilities Explained
A strong account executive job description lists duties in concrete, measurable language. Replace filler like "build client relationships" with specifics: the quota, the segment, the sales motion, and the tools. Use these account executive job duties and account executive responsibilities as your checklist. Here is what each core account executive duty involves.
Prospecting and pipeline generation
Even with a sales development team, the best AEs source part of their own pipeline. State the expected split between inbound, outbound from the SDR team, and self-sourced pipeline. See our guide to sales prospecting for the methods you can reference.
Discovery and qualification
Discovery is where deals are won or lost. The AE uncovers the problem, quantifies its cost, and decides whether the opportunity is worth pursuing. Name your qualification framework in the posting, such as MEDDIC, so candidates know what to expect. Our sales discovery call guide covers the questions strong AEs ask.
Demos, proposals, and mutual action plans
The AE turns discovery into a clear business case, then keeps the buyer on a shared timeline with a mutual action plan. Deals with a written plan are easier to forecast and less likely to stall.
Negotiation and closing
AEs negotiate price, term, and legal language, and bring in the right internal approvers. Name the approval limits in the posting so candidates know how much authority the role carries.
Forecasting and CRM hygiene
Include forecast accuracy and CRM upkeep as explicit duties. An AE who updates the opportunity record, close date, and next step after every call gives sales leadership a forecast it can trust. Our guide to sales forecasting explains why.
Account Executive Skills and Job Requirements
List both hard skills and behavioral competencies, and separate must haves from nice to haves. Padding the requirements with 20 items no one person has narrows your pool and lengthens time to hire.
Hard skills
- CRM proficiency and pipeline management
- Structured qualification and discovery
- Commercial negotiation and pricing
- Forecasting and deal inspection
- Presenting to executives
Behavioral skills
- Resilience and consistency through a long, uneven pipeline
- Active listening and curiosity
- Coachability
- Ownership of results
Multi-threading across the buying group
The skill that most separates top AEs from average ones is working the whole buying group, not a single contact. A Gartner survey of 632 B2B buyers found buying groups range from five to 16 people, and that groups reaching consensus are 2.5 times more likely to rate the deal high quality. Ask for this skill by name. Our guide to the buying committee shows what strong coverage looks like.
Account Executive Quota, KPIs, and Compensation
Metrics to include in the posting
Without clear metrics, AEs cannot prioritize and managers cannot coach. Reference the numbers the role will be measured on, even if exact targets are set in the offer.
- Quota attainment: closed new ARR divided by quota. See sales quota attainment.
- Pipeline coverage: open pipeline divided by remaining quota
- Win rate: closed-won deals divided by qualified opportunities
- Average deal size and sales cycle length: the inputs to forecast accuracy
Ramp time and quota
State the ramp period and how quota is prorated during it. New AEs typically do not carry a full quota in their first months, and candidates will ask. Our guide to sales quota explains how to set one.
Compensation structure
AE pay is variable-heavy compared with account management, because the job is to win new revenue. The split between base and variable, the commission rate, and the accelerators should all be in the offer. For plan design, see sales compensation plans and SaaS sales compensation plans.
Adapting the Account Executive Job Description to Your Team
SMB, mid-market, and enterprise
Match the posting to the motion. SMB roles emphasize speed and activity volume. Mid-market roles emphasize discovery and multi-stakeholder selling. Enterprise account executive roles emphasize executive access, long cycles, and complex procurement. Say plainly which one this is, along with the typical deal size and cycle length.
Account executive vs. account manager
If your company splits new business and expansion, define the handoff. Say who owns the customer after signature and who owns renewal and expansion. For the post-sale role, see the key account manager guide and our account manager salary benchmarks. Candidates also care about territory and account assignment, so cover how accounts are allocated.
Writing a posting that attracts talent
Lead with the impact of the role, not a list of requirements. State the quota, the segment, the average deal size, the comp structure, and the tools. Add the growth path from account executive to senior or enterprise AE to sales leadership.
Account Executive Job Description FAQ
What are the main duties of an account executive?
The main duties are generating and qualifying pipeline, running discovery and demos, building the business case, negotiating terms, closing new business, and keeping the CRM and forecast accurate.
What qualifications does an account executive need?
Most B2B roles ask for three or more years of quota-carrying sales experience, a track record of meeting quota, CRM proficiency, and strong communication and negotiation skills. A degree is often preferred but rarely required.
What is the difference between an account executive and a sales representative?
An account executive usually owns the full sales cycle for larger or more complex deals, while a sales representative may focus on a narrower part of the process or on smaller transactions. Titles vary by company.
What is the difference between an account executive and an account manager?
An account executive wins new customers and is measured on new bookings. An account manager keeps and grows existing customers and is measured on retention and expansion.
What does an enterprise account executive do?
An enterprise account executive sells complex, high-value deals to large organizations. The role involves long sales cycles, large buying groups, executive engagement, and security and procurement reviews.
How is account executive compensation structured?
Typically base salary plus variable pay tied to quota attainment, with accelerators above target. The mix is more variable-heavy than an account manager plan.
What KPIs should an account executive be measured on?
Quota attainment, pipeline coverage, win rate, average deal size, and sales cycle length, supported by leading indicators such as qualified meetings and stakeholders engaged per deal.
A precise account executive job description is the foundation, but it only pays off if your sellers have a plan for every account. When stakeholder maps, white space, and account plans live inside Salesforce where your revenue data already sits, account executives can multi-thread deals and hand off cleanly to account management. Prolifiq CRUSH is a Salesforce native account planning platform built for exactly that. If you want to see it with your own accounts, we can walk you through it.
