At a Glance
- Tasks: Drive revenue by building strong relationships with enterprise customers and hunting for new opportunities.
- Company: Join Smartcat, a forward-thinking company focused on AI and enterprise solutions.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, direct access to leadership, and hands-on coaching.
- Other info: Dynamic role with opportunities for personal and professional growth.
- Why this job: Be a key player in transforming enterprise relationships and driving significant growth.
- Qualifications: Proven sales experience, strong communication skills, and a hunter mentality.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 £ per year.
Role Overview
The Key Account Executive at Smartcat is a senior, revenue-owning role responsible for building multi-million ARR relationships across our highest-potential enterprise customers — and selectively, new enterprise logos with long-term expansion potential. This is not a passive account management role. It is a hunter–expander role that requires urgency, executive presence, commercial rigor, AI business fluency, and strong character.
You will:
- Expand existing enterprise customers into multi-department, multi-workflow, global relationships
- Own a select set of high-quality new logos and hunt them aggressively
- Lead executive-level conversations around AI value, governance, ROI, and outcomes
- Operate as a strategic revenue owner in close partnership with Forward Deployed Engineers (FDE), Customer AI Engineers, Product, Marketing, and RevOps
This role directly drives NRR, expansion ARR, and Smartcat’s path to $100M+ ARR.
Core Responsibilities
- Expansion Revenue Ownership & Selective New Logo Hunting
- Own Expansion ARR and NRR across a defined portfolio of enterprise accounts
- Proactively identify and pursue:
- Upsell and cross-sell opportunities
- Package expansion and agent capability expansion
- New workflows, departments, business units, and geographies
- Own a select number of new enterprise logos where Smartcat sees long-term, durable ARR potential
- Build and execute a clear plan and path to multi-million ARR per account cluster
- Treat accounts as businesses, not books of business
This role requires urgency. We do not wait years for deals to happen.
True Enterprise Hunter Mentality
You must be comfortable:
- Getting out of coaches and low-level users
- Navigating complex enterprise organizations to reach real decision-makers
- Building multi-threaded relationships across:
- Business leaders
- Technical stakeholders
- Finance and procurement
- VP, SVP, and C-level executives
- Creating momentum where none exists
This is not a caretaker role. It is a hunter role inside enterprise whitespace.
Executive-Level Commercial & Financial Acumen
You are expected to:
- Read and understand:
- Balance sheets
- Budget ownership and buying power
- Enterprise buying centers
- Build custom commercial proposals tied to:
- Business impact
- ROI and value realization
- Productivity, cost reduction, and risk mitigation
- Lead executive negotiations and stakeholder alignment
- Confidently run high-stakes conversations with senior executives across global organizations
You sell outcomes and impact, not SKUs.
Procurement & Enterprise Deal Mastery
You must be highly comfortable:
- Leading deals through:
- Procurement
- Legal
- Security
- AI, data, and governance reviews
- Navigating centralized and regional buying committees
- Managing pricing, discounting, and contract negotiations
- Holding the line on value rather than defaulting to discounting
- Controlling the deal process — not being controlled by it
Multi-Method Enterprise Selling Fluency
AI, Governance & Business Outcomes Fluency
This is a hard requirement. You must be comfortable leading executive conversations about:
- The business value of AI
- AI impact on:
- Productivity
- Speed-to-market
- Cost efficiency
- Risk mitigation
- AI governance, trust, and responsible use
- Human-in-the-loop models and quality assurance
- Translating Smartcat’s agentic platform and Multi-Agent Systems into measurable ROI
You are not required to be technical-first, but you must be business-first and outcomes-driven.
Strategic + Urgent Execution Balance
We expect someone who:
- Is strategic and fast-moving
- Avoids analysis paralysis
- Maintains quarter-by-quarter execution discipline
- Does not hide behind long-term strategy to avoid closing deals
If you are “too strategic to close,” you will not succeed here.
Cross-Functional Leadership & Delivery Partnership
You will work closely with:
- Forward Deployed Engineers (FDE)
- Customer AI Engineers
- Product and Solutions teams
- Marketing and Revenue Operations
You must be comfortable:
- Collaborating deeply on scoped expansions
- Ensuring complexity is sold correctly
- Co-owning outcomes through delivery
- Escalating early and intelligently
There is no throwing work over the fence.
Character, Humility & Operating Standards (Non-Negotiable)
This role requires elite performance with elite character. We explicitly hire for the principles of an Ideal Team Player, with special emphasis on humility as a force multiplier.
Humility Is a Requirement
At Smartcat, humility is not weakness. Humility is power under control. We expect people who are:
- Confident without ego
- Secure enough to invite challenge
- Willing to be wrong, learn fast, and adapt
- Quick to share credit and slow to assign blame
- Focused on outcomes over personal recognition
High-ego, lone-wolf behavior will not succeed here — regardless of past revenue.
Hungry, Smart, and Humble — In Balance
Being hungry without humility creates chaos. Being smart without humility creates friction. This role requires all three.
- Hungry: Relentless about results, ownership, and momentum
- Smart: High emotional intelligence and organizational judgment
- Humble: Coachable, collaborative, and grounded
Being hungry without humility creates chaos. Being smart without humility creates friction. This role requires all three.
Comfort Delivering Uncomfortable Truth
This role requires adult, high-integrity communication. You must be comfortable:
- Delivering uncomfortable truth internally and externally
- Challenging customers when value is at risk
- Calling deal risk early
- Disqualifying weak opportunities
- Pushing back on misaligned scope or expectations
- Speaking up with data and conviction
We value truth over harmony and accuracy over optimism.
Forecast Rigor & Revenue Ownership
Forecasting is not reporting — it is ownership. In this role:
- You own your forecast
- You call it straight
- You surface risk early
- You do not sandbag
- You do not hero-forecast
We operate as one team: You bring rigor, judgment, and clarity; Leadership brings coaching, support, and execution alignment; Together, we drive outcomes. Forecast integrity is table stakes.
Proof, References & Hiring Bar
This is a Tier-1, board-level role. Quotas and performance history will be validated. References are required and will be checked. We evaluate patterns over time, not one-off wins. We look for sustained performance, learning from losses, and ownership across roles.
Leadership & The Business Bet
Smartcat is making a real business bet on this role. In return, we provide:
- Direct access to leadership
- Hands-on coaching from a CRO who previously scaled a company to $150M+ ARR and a successful exit
- Deep cross-functional support across Product, FDE, CX, Marketing, and RevOps
- Clear executive sponsorship and alignment
Leadership leads from the front. Coaching is real.
Key Account Executive employer: Smartcat
At Smartcat, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a dynamic and collaborative work culture. As a Key Account Executive, you will benefit from direct access to leadership and hands-on coaching from experienced professionals, ensuring your growth and success in driving significant revenue. Our commitment to humility, integrity, and high performance creates an environment where you can thrive while making a meaningful impact in the AI industry.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Key Account Executive
✨Tip Number 1
Get to know the company inside out! Research Smartcat's values, products, and recent news. This will help you tailor your conversations and show that you're genuinely interested in being part of the team.
✨Tip Number 2
Network like a pro! Connect with current employees on LinkedIn or attend industry events. Building relationships can give you insider info and might even lead to a referral, which is always a bonus!
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for those tough questions! Think about how you can demonstrate your hunter mentality and ability to drive revenue. Use specific examples from your past experiences to showcase your skills and achievements.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to follow up! After your interviews, send a thank-you email expressing your appreciation for the opportunity. It’s a great way to reinforce your interest and keep you top of mind for the hiring team.
We think you need these skills to ace Key Account Executive
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Hunter Mentality:In your application, make sure to highlight your proactive approach and ability to hunt for new opportunities. We want to see examples of how you've built relationships and driven revenue in previous roles.
Demonstrate Executive-Level Acumen:When writing your application, showcase your understanding of financial metrics and your experience in leading high-stakes conversations. We’re looking for candidates who can confidently discuss ROI and business impact.
Be Clear and Concise:Keep your application straightforward and to the point. We appreciate clarity over fluff, so make sure you communicate your achievements and skills effectively without unnecessary jargon.
Apply Through Our Website:Don’t forget to submit your application through our website! It’s the best way for us to receive your details and ensures you’re considered for this exciting role at Smartcat.
How to prepare for a job interview at Smartcat
✨Know Your Numbers
Before the interview, brush up on your understanding of balance sheets and budget ownership. Be ready to discuss how you can drive expansion ARR and NRR, and have specific examples of past successes in managing financials and delivering ROI.
✨Show Your Hunter Mentality
Prepare to demonstrate your proactive approach to hunting new enterprise logos. Share stories that highlight your ability to navigate complex organisations and build relationships with decision-makers. Make it clear that you're not just a caretaker but a strategic hunter.
✨Master the Art of Negotiation
Be ready to talk about your experience leading high-stakes negotiations. Discuss how you've managed pricing, discounting, and contract negotiations in the past. Show that you can hold the line on value and control the deal process.
✨Emphasise Humility and Character
During the interview, convey your humility and willingness to learn. Share examples of how you've collaborated with teams and accepted feedback. Highlight your focus on outcomes over personal recognition, as this aligns with the values Smartcat holds dear.
