How to hire a strategic account executive

How to hire a strategic account executive, step by step

Here's a step-by-step strategic account executive hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a strategic account executive job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new strategic account executive
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a strategic account executive do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The strategic account executive hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   You should also consider the ideal background you'd like them a strategic account executive to have before you start to hire. For example, what industry or field would you like them to have experience in, what level of seniority or education does the job require, and how much it'll cost to hire a strategic account executive that fits the bill.

   The following list breaks down different types of strategic account executives and their corresponding salaries.

   Type of Strategic Account Executive	Description	Hourly rate
   Strategic Account Executive		$37-86
   Business Developer	A business developer specializes in conducting in-depth business analysis and crafting various strategies that would not just help a business grow, but also strengthen client base and brand awareness. One of their primary responsibilities revolves around identifying areas in need of improvement... Show more	$31-75
   New Business Development	New business development focuses on new business opportunities and new product innovation, including product design, business model design, and marketing. This includes a wide scope of responsibilities that includes marketing planning, strategic partnerships, and increased profitability... Show more	$27-58

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Digital Transformation
   • Cloud
   • Salesforce
   • Account Management
   • Sales Process
   • CRM
   • Digital Marketing
   • Customer Service
   • Business Development
   • Enterprise Sales
   • Customer Relationships
   • Sales Cycle
   • Saas
   • Project Management

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Manage complex accounts and relationships- proven track record with CIO's and other key executives.
   • Develop and manage new and existing restaurant, hotel, healthcare and retirement community chains.
   • Manage services include remote monitoring services, cloud capabilities, as well as hardware and software solutions.
   • Create and execute both PowerPoint and oral presentations to expand existing business and prospect new sales leads.
   • Manage day-to-day activity of client relate projects including IP voice, MPLS infrastructures and CPE implementations in a deadline-orient high-pressure environment.
   • Update company CRM systems, produce presentations and quotations on PowerPoint, respond to client queries and general communication between team.

   More strategic account executive duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your strategic account executive job description helps attract top candidates to the position. A strategic account executive salary can be affected by several factors, such as geography, experience, seniority, certifications, and the prestige of the hiring company.

   For example, the average salary for a strategic account executive in Missouri may be lower than in California, and an entry-level strategic account executive usually earns less than a senior-level strategic account executive. Additionally, a strategic account executive with certifications may command a higher salary, and working for a well-known company or start-up may also impact an employee's pay.

   Average strategic account executive salary

   $119,268yearly

   $57.34 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level strategic account executive salary

   $79,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average strategic account executive salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$155,537	$75
   2	Connecticut	$140,780	$68
   3	Maryland	$137,657	$66
   4	Ohio	$133,146	$64
   5	Nevada	$129,851	$62
   6	Washington	$127,841	$61
   7	New York	$126,532	$61
   8	District of Columbia	$125,600	$60
   9	New Hampshire	$125,199	$60
   10	Oregon	$125,029	$60
   11	Michigan	$121,357	$58
   12	New Jersey	$121,015	$58
   13	Delaware	$120,967	$58
   14	Arizona	$119,349	$57
   15	Illinois	$119,011	$57
   16	Virginia	$118,689	$57
   17	Massachusetts	$116,686	$56
   18	North Carolina	$116,338	$56
   19	Florida	$116,110	$56
   20	Texas	$115,187	$55

   Average strategic account executive salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Mayo Clinic	$196,925	$94.68	14
   2	Dotdash	$171,350	$82.38
   3	Citi	$168,125	$80.83	5
   4	Sprinklr	$166,782	$80.18
   5	Okta	$166,465	$80.03	50
   6	Databricks	$165,547	$79.59	25
   7	Hearst	$162,066	$77.92	64
   8	Thrive Global	$157,362	$75.65
   9	Palo Alto Networks	$155,855	$74.93	82
   10	Creative Artists Agency	$152,432	$73.28	15
   11	Dropbox	$152,389	$73.26	1
   12	FMC	$149,100	$71.68
   13	Procore Technologies	$148,264	$71.28	5
   14	Philips	$146,732	$70.54	27
   15	LinkedIn	$144,612	$69.53	32
   16	Asana	$143,763	$69.12	8
   17	Pluralsight	$142,431	$68.48	2
   18	Amazon	$142,110	$68.32	438
   19	Nuance Communications	$140,428	$67.51
   20	DoorDash	$140,162	$67.39	183

4. Writing a strategic account executive job description

   A job description for a strategic account executive role includes a summary of the job's main responsibilities, required skills, and preferred background experience. Including a salary range can also go a long way in attracting more candidates to apply, and showing the first name of the hiring manager can also make applicants more comfortable. As an example, here's a strategic account executive job description:

   Strategic account executive job description example

   Every day, Global Payments makes it possible for millions of people to move money between buyers and sellers using our payments solutions for credit, debit, prepaid and merchant services. Our worldwide team helps over 3 million companies, more than 1,300 financial institutions and over 600 million cardholders grow with confidence and achieve amazing results. We are driven by our passion for success and we are proud to deliver best-in-class payment technology and software solutions. Join our dynamic team and make your mark on the payments technology landscape of tomorrow.
   Summary of This Role
   The Outside Sales Account Executive is responsible for driving new business within an assigned territory for our largest new business prospects. This position requires sales expertise with large complex organizations and experience working with executive management at the highest level.
   
   Responsibilities:
   Entrepreneurial mentality with focus on sourcing new business through relationships, cold calling and strategic business development campaigns Promote and sell enterprise software applications Act as a primary contact and advisor for prospects throughout the sales cycle Design customer presentations, proposals, and web demonstrations in order to meet the direct needs of the prospective client Manage the complete sales cycle with strategic urgency Strong consultative face-to-face relationship building with new clients to develop positive, long-term relationships Understand current and prospective customers' business issues and buying motives by conducting a “needs analysis” for clients Be an industry expert and provide insightful, strategic technical recommendations to clients Deliver the right solution for clients' evolving business requirements Leverage partner networks to build market knowledge Meet and exceed assigned target quotas and activity targets (i.e. Cold Calls, Calls, Emails, Meetings, Demos, Presentations).Work with cross functional groups in developing formal proposal responses Follow and aid in the evolution of cross functional processes
   
   Qualifications:
   Bachelor's degree required10-15+ years of experience in a B2B sales role or related role At least 20% field work with customers in a sales capacity required Proven track record of success as an individual contributor Experience working with government and nonprofit organizations and purchasing processes preferred Previous experience selling Software-as-a-Service solutions Utilizes consultative solution selling methodologies Ability to deliver on growth, selecting and qualifying opportunities, and achieving sales objectives with new business prospects Strong entrepreneurial spirit and a willingness to do what it takes to get the job done Exceptional interpersonal skills, customer-focused, strong communication and organizational skills, goal oriented, and self-motivated team player Ability to learn, use, and understand technology applications
   
   Additional nice to have skills:
   Skills / Knowledge - Developing professional expertise, applies company policies and procedures to resolve a variety of issues.Industry Knowledge - Expert knowledge as it pertains to government entities and/or non profit organizations.Communication - Effective listener and communicator who is able to establish long lasting customer relationship
   
   Global Payments Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.
   Global Payments provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis protected by law. Those applicants requiring reasonable accommodation to the application and/or interview process should notify a representative of the Human Resources Department.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   There are various strategies that you can use to find the right strategic account executive for your business:

   • Consider promoting from within or recruiting from your existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals from friends, family members, and current employees.
   • Attend job fairs at local colleges to find candidates who meet your education requirements.
   • Use social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your strategic account executive job on Zippia to find and recruit strategic account executive candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting strategic account executives requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new strategic account executive

   Once you have selected a candidate for the strategic account executive position, it is time to create an offer letter. In addition to salary, the offer letter should include details about benefits and perks that are available to the employee. Ensuring your offer is competitive is vital, as qualified candidates may be considering other job opportunities. The candidate may wish to negotiate the terms of the offer, and it is important to be open to discussion and reach a mutually beneficial agreement. After the offer has been accepted, it is a good idea to formalize the agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new strategic account executive. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a strategic account executive?