Founding Account Executive

Job description

## Founding Account Executive ## **Why Zania** Every enterprise spends millions of dollars on Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC). It's one of the most critical, yet universally painful, parts of running a business. For decades, this industry has been dominated by legacy systems with notoriously low NPS scores, making it totally ripe for disruption. Zania is building **agentic AI for Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC)** to solve this massive problem. We are on a **rocketship trajectory**, creating intelligent agents that automate and augment the most complex risk and compliance workflows. We have found exceptional product-market fit and are scaling our team very quickly. Some reasons to join Zania are: - Dream Customers: Our customers are the most notable enterprises in the world, including FAANG, Big 4 firms and a portfolio of top customers. - Tier 1 Backing: Funded by a leading Tier 1 venture capital fund, giving us the resources to build a generational company. - World-Class Team: Zania is hiring the best. Our team includes AI and Security leaders from Airbnb, Microsoft, Bain & Company, Deloitte, PwC, Brex, and Instacart. - Pioneering Technology: Our engineers and GRC experts work at the absolute forefront of applied AI, building the next generation of agentic systems that will define the future of compliance. - Hyper-Growth: We have seen 10x ARR growth in the last year and are rapidly expanding. - Competitive Compensation & Equity. **Role Overview** As our **Founding Account Executive**, you will be the driving force behind our early revenue engine. You will work directly with the founders to transition from founder-led sales to a scalable Go-To-Market motion. This is a true 0-to-1 role: you won't be handed a neatly packaged pipeline. You will be responsible for full-cycle sales—from hunting and generating your own leads to navigating complex enterprise procurement processes and closing six-figure deals. If you are a builder who thrives on the thrill of the hunt and wants to shape the sales playbook of an AI rocketship, this is for you. **What You'll Do** - Drive Full-Cycle Sales: Own the entire sales process from outbound prospecting and lead generation to discovery, demo, negotiation, and closing. - Generate Your Own Pipeline: Act as your own SDR by researching target accounts, executing outbound campaigns, and building a robust pipeline of enterprise prospects. - Define the Playbook: Partner with the founders to refine our ICP (Ideal Customer Profile), test different messaging, and build the foundational sales playbook for future hires. - Navigate Complex Deals: Manage multi-stakeholder enterprise deals involving GRC leaders, CISOs, and IT procurement teams. - Voice of the Customer: Act as a critical feedback loop to our Product and Engineering teams, translating customer pain points into actionable product insights. **What You Have** - Experience: 5+ years of B2B SaaS sales experience, with a proven track record of closing complex, six-figure enterprise deals. - Hunter Mentality: Demonstrated success in generating your own leads and building pipeline from scratch without relying heavily on inbound marketing. - Domain Knowledge: Previous experience selling into Security, Compliance, Risk, or AI domains is a massive plus. - Startup DNA: Comfortable operating in a highly ambiguous, fast-paced Series A environment where you must build the parachute on the way down. - Location: Based in (or willing to relocate to) Palo Alto, working in-person with the team five days a week. **Minimum Qualifications** - Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience - 5+ years of B2B SaaS sales experience, with a demonstrated track record of closing six-figure enterprise deals end-to-end - Proven ability to independently generate pipeline through outbound prospecting — not solely reliant on inbound leads - Exceptional written and verbal communication skills — you will navigate multi-stakeholder enterprise deals with GRC leaders, CISOs, and IT procurement teams and must articulate complex AI concepts with credibility **Compensation And Benefits** - Flexible PTO policy. - Medical, dental, and vision insurance - Meals and snacks in the office - Relocation and immigration support Zania is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, national origin, disability, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, pregnancy or related condition, or any other basis protected by law.