Senior Account Executive - Chicago

Senior Account Executive - Chicago

Join an ed-tech startup that's reshaping education. This is your chance to be at the forefront of change, where innovation meets impact. We're not just selling a product – we're transforming the way schools operate, filling classrooms with the staff needed for kids to thrive and saving the education system millions of dollars along the way.

We're hiring a Senior Account Executive to accelerate Zen Educate's U.S. expansion. This is a quota-carrying sales role focused on building deep relationships with senior district leadership such as superintendents, cabinet members, and school boards, and driving new partnerships with K-12 districts nationwide. You'll own the full sales cycle from prospecting through board approval and contract execution. With direct access to our leadership team, you'll help shape go-to-market strategy and play a critical role in scaling Zen's presence across the country.

What You'll Be Doing:

• Drive new business revenue by managing the full sales cycle: prospecting, consultative discovery, proposals, presentations, and contract negotiation.
• Develop and execute territory plans to prioritize accounts and grow market share.
• Build relationships with senior education leaders (superintendents, cabinet members, board members) and serve as a trusted advisor.
• Navigate complex, multi-stakeholder decision-making processes within K-12 districts.
• Present at cabinet meetings and school board sessions to secure buy-in and approvals.
• Collaborate with marketing on regional campaigns, conferences, and events to generate leads.
• Accurately manage pipeline, forecasts, and CRM hygiene to ensure predictable results.
• Partner with the Zen Account Management team to onboard new clients smoothly and set them up for long-term success.
• Travel several times per quarter to districts, state associations, and key industry conferences.

Who We Are Looking For:

• Proven seller: 2+ years in quota-carrying sales, in K-12 EdTech or school staffing services.
• K-12 expertise: Experience selling to superintendents, cabinet-level leaders, or boards of education strongly preferred.
• Hunter mindset: Skilled at prospecting, lead generation, and turning opportunities into signed contracts.
• Consultative approach: Ability to understand district challenges and position Zen as a strategic solution.
• Execution focus: Organized, goal-oriented, and able to manage complex sales cycles with multiple stakeholders.
• Collaborative teammate: Comfortable working cross-functionally and sharing knowledge to elevate the whole Zen Educate sales organization.

What's In It For You:

• Competitive base salary of $90k–$110k USD + commission.
• The chance to make a direct, measurable impact on Zen's U.S. growth.
• Fast career growth opportunities in a high-growth startup environment.
• Mission-driven work, where your success helps ensure students have qualified teachers in classrooms every day.
• Comprehensive benefits package (health, dental, vision, 401k match, paid parental leave, generous PTO).
• A supportive, collaborative culture that values innovation, learning, and impact.

Diversity and Inclusion

At Zen, we strive to build a culture of equity and inclusion, where everyone is respected, valued and appreciated for their unique traits, experiences and perspectives. We are committed to creating a safe, inclusive and equitable environment where our team can thrive, regardless of age, ethnicity, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, disability, religion or beliefs. We value our differences and believe that practices of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion help us create a fairer, more compassionate environment for all.

We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds and different experiences and perspectives — just like the staff who teach through Zen and the children at the schools we work with. We believe in hiring the best people from the widest pool and creating an inclusive culture where people's voices are heard and all our team can look forward to coming to work.

We are committed to building a team that reflects the diversity of our community and promoting an equitable and inclusive environment for all. We seek out diverse opinions, beliefs, and experiences because they collectively make us stronger; we've had former teachers, pilots, fundraisers, engineers, lawyers, marketers, social media experts and more join our team.