Senior Account Executive (SLED)
Equinix, El Segundo, CA, United States
Equinix Sales Executive
Equinix is the world's digital infrastructure company, shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet. A career at Equinix means being at the center of shaping what comes next and amplifying customer value through innovation and impact. You'll work across teams, influence key decisions, and help shape the path forward. You'll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes youbecause when you feel valued, you're empowered to do your best work. Job Summary
The primary responsibility of this role is the acquisition of new State, Local Government, and Education (SLED) customers within the assigned Southern California territory and additional states (Nevada, Arizona). This position is primarily a hunter-focused, new logo sales role with a strong emphasis on outbound prospecting, relationship creation, and pipeline generation. While the role includes responsibility for existing accounts, success is measured by the ability to identify, pursue, and close new SLED customer opportunities across State, Local, and Education organizations. Time Allocation 90% New Acquisition / 10% Account Management Responsibilities
New Business Acquisition & Territory Ownership Own and execute existing customer acquisition strategy across SLED territory, including current customers, Los Angeles Unified School District, San Bernadino County and Riverside County to name a few. This also includes all local government and education entities across the region Target net new agencies, institutions, and buying centers within assigned and whitespace accounts Drive new collocation and digital infrastructure sales within the assigned territory Play an integral role in defining account strategies and identifying priority target accounts Focus on opportunities that originate through outbound prospecting and hunting activities, which then convert into owned territory accounts High Activity Strategic Sales Execution Maintain a high level of channel-partner focused growth initiatives and activity, proactive engagement with C-suite including CIO, CFO, procurement and attending industry conferences, trade shows, and regional SLED events Pursue highest propensity prospects and consistently fill the sales funnel Pitch primarily to C-level and senior government stakeholders. Leverage industry relationships, channel partners, and ecosystem connections to create new opportunities Pipeline Development & Opportunity Management Coordinate with Opportunity Development teams to strategize lead qualification and opportunity advancement Actively monitor and maintain opportunity status in Salesforce, following best practice forecasting principles Identify at risk opportunities, expiring contracts, and churn risks Provide accurate sales forecasts using Salesforce and Clari Tool Utilization Outlook Salesforce (SFDC) Clari LinkedIn Navigator eRepublic / GovTech Navigator AI driven tools (e.g., Perplexity) for research, messaging, and productivity Build Prospect & Customer Relationships Plan, build, and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across SLED organizations Lead and participate in Executive Briefings Facilitate customer relationships to ensure timely resolution of issues Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to uncover expansion and upsell opportunities Leverage Internal & External Partners Lead a coordinated sales approach across internal teams (Sales Engineers, Solutions Architects, Customer Care, Commercial Solutions, Sales Operations) Work closely with resellers, strategic alliance partners, and channel partners to penetrate accounts and scale opportunity creation Account & Territory Planning Research and document a detailed understanding of customer business environments, organizational structures, and buying dynamics Develop and execute strategic territory and account plans focused on acquisition and expansion Prioritize accounts and prospects for short and long term pursuit May focus on specific sub verticals within the SLED sector Solution Selling Identify customer business needs, challenges, and technical requirements Map customer needs to Equinix solutions in partnership with Sales Engineers and Solution Architects Lead customer presentations and solution pitches, adapting messaging to customer personas Demonstrate proficiency across the Equinix portfolio, including global platform and interconnection solutions Leverage external partners for solution development within new prospects and use cases Contract Renewals & Commercial Negotiations Proactively address high churn risk customers using internal and external resources Facilitate contract renewals and negotiations to protect revenue Lead commercial discussions, understanding pricing, deal structures, and contractual levers Partner with sales leadership for regional deal reviews Leadership & Mentorship Mentor Account Executives and other sales professionals as needed Lead special projects and provide guidance on new products, processes, and best practices Qualifications
7+ years of experience selling into Public Sector / SLED (State, Local Government, Higher Education) Proven hunter background with experience driving net new logo acquisition Track record of success selling colocation and/or digital infrastructure solutions Experience with technologies such as Colocation, SD-WAN, Virtualization, Cloud Service Providers, and Cloud Platforms Strong experience leveraging channel partners in complex enterprise sales Proven ability to develop and execute territory and acquisition strategies Bachelor's Degree required
Equinix is the world's digital infrastructure company, shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet. A career at Equinix means being at the center of shaping what comes next and amplifying customer value through innovation and impact. You'll work across teams, influence key decisions, and help shape the path forward. You'll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes youbecause when you feel valued, you're empowered to do your best work. Job Summary
The primary responsibility of this role is the acquisition of new State, Local Government, and Education (SLED) customers within the assigned Southern California territory and additional states (Nevada, Arizona). This position is primarily a hunter-focused, new logo sales role with a strong emphasis on outbound prospecting, relationship creation, and pipeline generation. While the role includes responsibility for existing accounts, success is measured by the ability to identify, pursue, and close new SLED customer opportunities across State, Local, and Education organizations. Time Allocation 90% New Acquisition / 10% Account Management Responsibilities
New Business Acquisition & Territory Ownership Own and execute existing customer acquisition strategy across SLED territory, including current customers, Los Angeles Unified School District, San Bernadino County and Riverside County to name a few. This also includes all local government and education entities across the region Target net new agencies, institutions, and buying centers within assigned and whitespace accounts Drive new collocation and digital infrastructure sales within the assigned territory Play an integral role in defining account strategies and identifying priority target accounts Focus on opportunities that originate through outbound prospecting and hunting activities, which then convert into owned territory accounts High Activity Strategic Sales Execution Maintain a high level of channel-partner focused growth initiatives and activity, proactive engagement with C-suite including CIO, CFO, procurement and attending industry conferences, trade shows, and regional SLED events Pursue highest propensity prospects and consistently fill the sales funnel Pitch primarily to C-level and senior government stakeholders. Leverage industry relationships, channel partners, and ecosystem connections to create new opportunities Pipeline Development & Opportunity Management Coordinate with Opportunity Development teams to strategize lead qualification and opportunity advancement Actively monitor and maintain opportunity status in Salesforce, following best practice forecasting principles Identify at risk opportunities, expiring contracts, and churn risks Provide accurate sales forecasts using Salesforce and Clari Tool Utilization Outlook Salesforce (SFDC) Clari LinkedIn Navigator eRepublic / GovTech Navigator AI driven tools (e.g., Perplexity) for research, messaging, and productivity Build Prospect & Customer Relationships Plan, build, and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across SLED organizations Lead and participate in Executive Briefings Facilitate customer relationships to ensure timely resolution of issues Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to uncover expansion and upsell opportunities Leverage Internal & External Partners Lead a coordinated sales approach across internal teams (Sales Engineers, Solutions Architects, Customer Care, Commercial Solutions, Sales Operations) Work closely with resellers, strategic alliance partners, and channel partners to penetrate accounts and scale opportunity creation Account & Territory Planning Research and document a detailed understanding of customer business environments, organizational structures, and buying dynamics Develop and execute strategic territory and account plans focused on acquisition and expansion Prioritize accounts and prospects for short and long term pursuit May focus on specific sub verticals within the SLED sector Solution Selling Identify customer business needs, challenges, and technical requirements Map customer needs to Equinix solutions in partnership with Sales Engineers and Solution Architects Lead customer presentations and solution pitches, adapting messaging to customer personas Demonstrate proficiency across the Equinix portfolio, including global platform and interconnection solutions Leverage external partners for solution development within new prospects and use cases Contract Renewals & Commercial Negotiations Proactively address high churn risk customers using internal and external resources Facilitate contract renewals and negotiations to protect revenue Lead commercial discussions, understanding pricing, deal structures, and contractual levers Partner with sales leadership for regional deal reviews Leadership & Mentorship Mentor Account Executives and other sales professionals as needed Lead special projects and provide guidance on new products, processes, and best practices Qualifications
7+ years of experience selling into Public Sector / SLED (State, Local Government, Higher Education) Proven hunter background with experience driving net new logo acquisition Track record of success selling colocation and/or digital infrastructure solutions Experience with technologies such as Colocation, SD-WAN, Virtualization, Cloud Service Providers, and Cloud Platforms Strong experience leveraging channel partners in complex enterprise sales Proven ability to develop and execute territory and acquisition strategies Bachelor's Degree required