Enterprise Account Executive, Italy
Job description
About the role
The Enterprise Account Executive in Italy is responsible for owning and growing a portfolio of global enterprise accounts within the Italian market. This position requires a candidate who brings an open source mindset and an entrepreneurial background from early-stage enterprise products to enterprise sales. The role focuses on selling into large, strategic customers where the value of the platform must be clearly articulated and demonstrated. You will act as the primary point of contact, managing the entire sales cycle from initial discovery through to executive-level closure. Success in this role is driven by a consultative approach that listens deeply to customer pain points and aligns Kong solutions to business outcomes. The candidate will be expected to operate with the discipline of a quota-carrying professional while maintaining the agility of a startup. Ultimately, you will own the revenue and expansion within your book of business in Italy, ensuring that customer investments in Kong deliver measurable value.
Key facts
Location: Italy
Engagement: Full-time
Customer site travel occurs as required, with an expected range of 30% to 50%.
What you'll do
Identify and penetrate new enterprise accounts within Italy, aligning Kong's API platform capabilities with complex organizational needs.
Conduct discovery calls and executive-level briefings to uncover business problems and quantify the financial impact of solving them.
Run targeted product demonstrations that showcase Kong's API gateway and platform security solutions in real-world scenarios.
Leverage established sales methodologies to qualify opportunities and navigate multi-threaded decision-making units.
Collaborate with internal solutions engineering and technical teams to build compelling, data-driven business cases.
Negotiate contract terms and commercial structures to ensure mutually beneficial agreements for both the customer and Kong.
Maintain precise forecasting and pipeline management using CRM tools to ensure accurate revenue predictions.
Develop and execute strategic account plans that outline growth initiatives, adoption milestones, and expansion opportunities.
Build trusted relationships with C-level and technical stakeholders to influence long-term platform strategy.
Utilize open source feedback and customer insights to inform product positioning and messaging for future sales cycles.
Drive the creation of compelling sales collateral and proof-of-concept proposals that accelerate the buying process.
Analyze competitive landscapes to differentiate Kong's value proposition and protect market share.
Report on key performance indicators and sales activities to leadership to support continuous improvement.
Contribute to the development of playbooks and training materials for the broader sales organization in Italy.
Ensure all customer interactions reflect the brand promise of reliability, performance, and innovation.
Requirements
A Bachelor's degree is required for this position.
Desire to see customers benefit from their investment in Kong is demonstrated by you.
Enterprise software selling experience is required, with open source, APIs, or infrastructure software as a strong advantage.
Established relationships and proven sales techniques are leveraged for success.
Communication is effective, and interpersonal skills are strong.
Negotiation, presentation, and closing skills are excellent.
You are motivated, driven, and results oriented.
You are comfortable working in a fast-paced, quota-driven environment where adaptability is essential.
You understand the importance of compliance and professional standards in enterprise sales.
You are willing to travel between 30% and 50% to meet customers and build relationships on site.
If you do not meet all criteria but are still interested, you may apply, as nobody checks every box.
Practical notes
The role is based in Milan.
Uncapped commission and earnings potential are provided.
Typical interview steps include a role play, a discovery call simulation, and a presentation. Candidates may be asked to pitch a product to a panel or handle a tough objection. Behavioral questions focus on past quota attainment and deal history. Energy and preparation matter. Interviewers often simulate the job in the interview itself, so be ready to run a short discovery call or demo. Practicing your own sales pitch out loud helps.
Questions to ask
Worth asking in any interview: how the team measures success, who the role works with daily, what the onboarding looks like, and what the company is trying to achieve this year. Asking what past hires did well is a strong final question. Keep the list short and pick the questions that matter most to you.
Career growth
Sales careers can move from SDR or associate to account executive, senior AE, manager, and director roles. Some sellers move into partnerships, account management, or revenue operations. Compensation typically mixes a base with commission tied to results. High performers in sales typically move into larger accounts, team leadership, or sales operations. Quota history and references carry the most weight in promotion.
About the company
- Have worked with our Account Executive team on your first opportunity - Have shadowed a ton of calls and practiced several role plays - Started delivering your ramp quota By the end of month 3, you will: - Know our sales funnel inside and out, and feel confident to add value to our sales org - Show clear delivery of our sales methodologies - Provide insights to both our Account Development and marketing organizations to help us to continue to iterate and improve - Delivered against your ramp quota