Founding Account Executive
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Job Location:
Austin, TX - USA
Monthly Salary:
$ 80 - 110
Posted on:
Yesterday
Vacancies:
1 Vacancy
Job Summary
Austin TX (3 days/week in office required)
Full-time US work authorization required
About Warden AI
Warden AI helps HR Tech vendors prove and improve the fairness accuracy and compliance of their AI hiring a fast-changing regulatory environment vendors need a trusted partner to validate their AI - and Warden is quickly becoming the default solution.
In 2025 Warden has grown from 4 to 40 customers (as of mid-November) and were aiming to grow to >120 by the end of 2026.
This growth is being driven not just by market demand but by something rarer - a really powerful network effect: Customers genuinely want to promote working with Warden because it helps them win their own deals.
Were now ready to hire our first dedicated salesperson - someone who can turn this momentum into a predictable scalable motion while the CEO focuses on opening new segments.
Read why Playfair Capital invested in Warden AI.
Why This Role Is Different
Most founding AE roles are early ambiguous and dependent on heavy outbound.
This isnt that.
Here youll step into:
- A market with clear PMF strong references and warm intros
- A 50% inbound pipeline and high-intent prospects who often land in Wardens funnel through referrals
- A category where regulation increases demand not friction
- A segment ready for systematic scaling (40 100 vendors in 2026)
- A proven founder-led motion youll inherit and help operationalize
- A product that is simple to demo fast to onboard and has minimal procurement barriers
Youll own a critical vertical and help define Wardens GTM engine at the moment where the company begins to scale for real.
What Youll Own (Role Overview Responsibilities)
As Wardens Founding Account Executive youll take point on expanding the HR Tech vendor segment while working closely with the CEO on high-impact Tier 1 opportunities. This is a full-cycle AE role with strong inbound support meaningful autonomy and a mandate to help shape the future of our sales motion.
You will:
- Run the full sales cycle: discovery demo value articulation follow-up and closing
- Take over Tier 2 and Tier 3 vendor deals quickly with the CEO partnering with you on major Tier 1 opportunities
- Convert inbound leads (50%) event-driven leads (20%) and build additional pipeline through outbound and re-engagement of closed-lost accounts
- Manage a pipeline of 2535 deals at varying stages with accuracy and discipline
- Conduct product demos showcasing Wardens audit reports and onboarding workflow (with SE/CTO support for deeper technical questions)
- Maintain rigorous pipeline hygiene and forecasting accuracy in Attio
- Suggest improvements to messaging processes and sales tools as you learn what works
- Partner with product engineering and marketing to bring customer insights into how Warden evolves
- Travel to US-based conferences quarterly and to London occasionally for team collaboration
- Over time support renewals/expansions or grow into Enterprise AE or Head of Sales pathways
This is a role for someone who wants ownership visibility and the chance to build foundational GTM muscles at a fast-growing AI company.
Youll Be a Great Fit for the Role If
- You have 38 years of full-cycle SaaS sales experience
- Youve consistently hit quota and can comfortably manage 2030 deals at once
- Youre highly organized detail-oriented and run a clean pipeline
- You thrive in fast-paced early-stage environments and love building or improving processes
- You enjoy working cross-functionally and contributing ideas to product onboarding and marketing
- You are proactive curious and hungry to grow into bigger roles as the company scales
- Youre comfortable speaking with both business leaders and technical stakeholders
- Youre based in (or willing to relocate to) Austin and can work in the US
- HR Tech experience is great to have but not required
This Role Isnt for You If
- You want a fully defined playbook and rigid structure
- You prefer selling only large enterprise deals with long cycles
- You dont enjoy juggling many mid-market opportunities at once
- Youre uncomfortable contributing beyond your lane
- You dont enjoy fast-moving environments or constructive ambiguity
- You prefer fully remote roles or arent open to being in-person in Austin
- You want inbound-only or outbound-only - this role involves both
What Success Looks Like in Your First 90 Days
- Running Tier 2 and Tier 3 vendor deals independently
- Closing your first deals with CEO support
- Building your self-sourced and reactivated pipeline
- Delivering confident effective product demos
- Maintaining clean forecasting and deal hygiene
- Sharing meaningful insights with product engineering and marketing
Compensation & Benefits
Compensation will be competitive with Austin early-stage SaaS benchmarks for founding AEs:
- $80-110k Base with a 50:50 split
- Uncapped commission
- Accelerators above 100% attainment
- Meaningful equity in a rapidly growing business (4 year vest 1 year cliff)
There will also be the following perks:
- Healthcare coverage
- 33 days paid time off ( public holidays plus sick leave)
- Flexible / hybrid working environment
- Clear career progression with paths to:
- Enterprise Account Executive or
- Sales Manager including opportunities in new market expansion
Hiring Process
We move quickly and aim to make this a thoughtful structured experience - its as much about you assessing us as it is the other way around. Heres what to expect:
- Founder Screen (20 min) - Intro chat with our CEO to align on your background and the role.
- Sales Deep Dive (45 min) - Discussion focused on your full-cycle experience deal management and operating style.
- Practical Demo (45 min) - A short demo in using materials we provide. Our CTO will join so you can meet a key partner.
- Culture & Values Fit (45 min ideally in person) - Conversation with our CEO about how you operate in early-stage environments.
- Reference Checks & Offer - We move quickly from references to a clear offer and 90-day success plan.
If you have any specific questions or want to talk through reasonable adjustments ahead of or during the application please contact us at any point at .
Required Experience:
IC
Key Skills
- Business Development
- Customer Service
- Revenue Growth
- ABC Analysis
- Account Management
- Communication
- CRM
- Excel
- Salesforce
- PMP
- Customer Relationships
- Business Relationships
- Sales Goals
- Sales Process
- CPA
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