Account Executive- EMEA

<p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">About Us:</span> At Kobalt.io, our mission is to solve cybersecurity for SMBs at scale. We believe small businesses are the engine behind innovation and growth. Understanding the challenges that our customers have enables us to design and refine scalable cybersecurity services that support a secure path to growth. This is reflected in everything we do from the programs we build, to the partnerships we have developed with companies such as Vanta, Prescient and Sumo Logic. </span></p> <p><br></p> <p><br><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Role Overview: </span> Kobalt.io is an equal opportunity employer looking for team members who have a real passion for security. We are seeking an Account Executive (EMEA)  who will be responsible for driving excellent results in new client acquisition.   The ideal candidate will have a proven track record of managing a large volume of monthly leads from a variety of sources, guiding those opportunities through closure in an efficient timeframe, and consistently achieving sales quotas. In a typical month, we expect our Account Executive to manage over 100 active opportunities and close 30 or more deals, spanning long-term security programs to shorter-term professional services engagements. You will use your collaboration and communication skills to convert introductions to calls, transition marketing qualified leads into sales qualified leads, author comprehensive proposals, and close a high volume of deals.  This role is fully remote and can be hired anywhere within the UK, Ireland or the Nordics.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><br><span style="font-weight: bold">Responsibilities:</span></span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Sales Execution:</span> Connect with introductions to book calls, conduct thorough discovery, design collaborative solutions, generate proposals, and close business efficiently with a high win rate.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Pipeline Management:</span> Maintain accurate, up-to-date account and opportunity statuses at all times within the HubSpot CRM. Manage the full sales cycle from prospecting to closing and handle post-sales follow-ups to support client satisfaction and retention.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Targets & Growth:</span> Achieve or exceed monthly sales targets across both MRR and professional services engagements. Identify prospect needs and align them with service engagements, prioritising standard/packaged services over custom work where appropriate.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Client Experience</span>: Present and position our solutions effectively to win over prospects, while managing expectations to deliver an exceptional, welcoming client experience. Build sustainable, long-term relationships with partners and clients to develop mutually beneficial referral pipelines and referenceable logos.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Reporting & Collaboration:</span> Provide regular sales reports and forecasts to the management team, highlighting key performance metrics and identifying areas for growth. Collaborate cross-functionally across the organisation to improve services, sales collateral, and contribute to building an industry-leading security and privacy services team.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Market Awareness:</span> Stay informed on industry trends, market conditions, and competitor activities to uncover new growth opportunities.  </span></li> </ul> <p><br></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold">Qualifications:</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">2+ years of relevant sales experience as an Account Executive selling cybersecurity or compliance services/products into the SMB market segment (experience selling to high-tech startups is a plus).</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Demonstrated capability to rapidly learn a new services portfolio, contribute to sales closings within 30 days, and ramp up to manage a high volume of deals across a diversified portfolio within 3 months.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Strong negotiation and communication skills, with a demonstrated ability to drive $1.5M ARR or more annually within an SMB sales environment.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">A completed or in-progress bachelor's degree in business (or a related field of study), or equivalent professional work experience.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Exceptional verbal, written, and presentation skills, with the ability to work effectively both independently and as part of a collaborative team.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and balance multiple priorities simultaneously using a variety of cloud software applications.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Competency using CRM software (HubSpot), proposal generation tools, office suites, email, Slack, and other cloud-based collaboration tools (e.g., Google Workspace, Confluence, Monday.com).</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">A strong willingness to learn, apply analytical and problem-solving skills, and share thoughtful insights to help strengthen the business.</span></li> </ul> <p><br><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold">Nice to Have</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">A proactive, growth-oriented mindset with the resilience and determination to navigate a fast-paced environment.</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">A deep passion for your work, strong self-motivation, and the ability to balance company goals harmoniously with personal goals.</span></li> </ul> <p><br><br></p> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: bold">Benefits:</span></p> <ul> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Competitive base salary with uncapped OTE commission options.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Equity</span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Fully remote working environment with flexible work arrangements tailored to balance your personal needs. </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">Professional development and continuous learning opportunities.  </span></li> <li><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt">A fun, inclusive, and welcoming company culture that celebrates differences in background and identity.  </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"> </span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><br></span><br></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">How We Use AI in Our Hiring Process</span>:  At Kobalt.io, we value transparency and want you to know exactly how we evaluate candidates:  <br><span style="font-weight: bold">AI Notetaking:</span> We use an AI-powered meeting assistant in all interviews. This tool records, transcribes, and generates summaries of our conversation. This allows our interviewers to be fully present and engaged with you, rather than being distracted by taking manual notes.  <br><span style="font-weight: bold">Information Sharing:</span> These summaries help us accurately share your qualifications and highlights with hiring managers and key stakeholders who may not be on the call.  <br><span style="font-weight: bold">Human-Led Decisions:</span> While our AI tools may provide data points or candidate rankings, humans remain at the helm of our decision-making. We may use these insights as just one piece of information in our evaluation. Your potential is assessed by real people, and the final decision on who moves forward is always made by the hiring team.  </span></p>

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Common Interview Questions And Answers

1. HOW DO YOU PLAN YOUR DAY?

This is what this question poses: When do you focus and start working seriously? What are the hours you work optimally? Are you a night owl? A morning bird? Remote teams can be made up of people working on different shifts and around the world, so you won't necessarily be stuck in the 9-5 schedule if it's not for you...

2. HOW DO YOU USE THE DIFFERENT COMMUNICATION TOOLS IN DIFFERENT SITUATIONS?

When you're working on a remote team, there's no way to chat in the hallway between meetings or catch up on the latest project during an office carpool. Therefore, virtual communication will be absolutely essential to get your work done...

3. WHAT IS "WORKING REMOTE" REALLY FOR YOU?

Many people want to work remotely because of the flexibility it allows. You can work anywhere and at any time of the day...

4. WHAT DO YOU NEED IN YOUR PHYSICAL WORKSPACE TO SUCCEED IN YOUR WORK?

With this question, companies are looking to see what equipment they may need to provide you with and to verify how aware you are of what remote working could mean for you physically and logistically...

5. HOW DO YOU PROCESS INFORMATION?

Several years ago, I was working in a team to plan a big event. My supervisor made us all work as a team before the big day. One of our activities has been to find out how each of us processes information...

6. HOW DO YOU MANAGE THE CALENDAR AND THE PROGRAM? WHICH APPLICATIONS / SYSTEM DO YOU USE?

Or you may receive even more specific questions, such as: What's on your calendar? Do you plan blocks of time to do certain types of work? Do you have an open calendar that everyone can see?...

7. HOW DO YOU ORGANIZE FILES, LINKS, AND TABS ON YOUR COMPUTER?

Just like your schedule, how you track files and other information is very important. After all, everything is digital!...

8. HOW TO PRIORITIZE WORK?

The day I watched Marie Forleo's film separating the important from the urgent, my life changed. Not all remote jobs start fast, but most of them are...

9. HOW DO YOU PREPARE FOR A MEETING AND PREPARE A MEETING? WHAT DO YOU SEE HAPPENING DURING THE MEETING?

Just as communication is essential when working remotely, so is organization. Because you won't have those opportunities in the elevator or a casual conversation in the lunchroom, you should take advantage of the little time you have in a video or phone conference...

10. HOW DO YOU USE TECHNOLOGY ON A DAILY BASIS, IN YOUR WORK AND FOR YOUR PLEASURE?

This is a great question because it shows your comfort level with technology, which is very important for a remote worker because you will be working with technology over time...