Account Executive - Defence

appian; Canberra; Hybrid; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan

Paid parental leave

Medical, dental, vision plans

Wellness program

Job summary

Appian is seeking an Enterprise Account Executive to own a strategic Defence territory. You’ll drive end-to-end deals, engage C-suite audiences, and land net-new logos for Appian’s orchestration software. Canberra is preferred; hybrid work with Sydney or Melbourne is also available.

You’ll build pipelines, deliver ROI-rich presentations, and coordinate cross-functional teams to accelerate deals. A Bachelor’s degree and 5+ years in software sales (2+ in AE roles) are required; security clearance

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Computer Science, or a related field.
• 5+ years of direct software selling experience, with at least 2 years as an Enterprise Account Executive in Defence.
• Proven quota achievement and a history of winning net-new logos.
• Experience managing complex enterprise sales cycles and long-tenure career trajectory.
• Excellent client discovery and ability to build financial business cases.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex, end-to-end enterprise sales cycles across Defence, guiding discovery to close.
• Build a robust pipeline through strategic prospecting and territory mapping.
• Deliver value-based presentations to senior IT and business leaders, ROI-focused.
• Orchestrate cross-functional teams to maximize deal velocity and size.
• Position Appian as a trusted advisor to senior executives in the Defence sector.

Skills

Discovery skills

Communication

Presentation skills

Strategic sales

Education

Bachelor's degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Computer Science, or related field

Tools

Salesforce

ServiceNow

Job description

Account Executive - Defence

Here at Appian, our values of Intensity and Excellence define who we are. We set high standards and live up to them, ensuring that everything we do is done with care and quality. We approach every challenge with ambition and commitment, holding ourselves and each other accountable to achieve the best results. When you join Appian, you'll be part of a passionate team dedicated to accomplishing hard things, together.

Location: Canberra (preferred); Sydney or Melbourne | Work Model: Hybrid

About the Team

The Appian Public Sector Sales team is a high-performing group dedicated to helping Fortune 500 companies and leading financial institutions revolutionize their business operations. Our mission is to expand Appian's footprint across the United States by demonstrating how our platform delivers AI-Powered Process Automation to solve the industry's most complex operational challenges. We operate as a collaborative ecosystem, working side-by-side with internal engineering, customer success, and partner networks to dominate the automation market.

The Opportunity

Are you inspired by the chance to solve your customers' biggest challenges? At Appian, you can make that kind of difference. As an Enterprise Account Executive, you will take full ownership of a strategic, high-growth geographic territory. This is an elite opportunity to sell market-leading Enterprise-Grade Orchestration software to decision-makers who are actively looking to modernize legacy infrastructure. You won't just manage relationships; you will act as a visionary advisor, leveraging use cases from industry pioneers to land net-new logos and accelerate your career trajectory.

What You'll Do

• Command Complex Sales Cycles: Lead complex, end-to-end enterprise sales cycles across the Commercial and Insurance sectors, navigating from initial client discovery to a successful close.
• Build Top-of-Funnel Pipeline: Build a robust, sustainable pipeline through strategic prospecting, territory mapping, and proactive market engagement.
• Deliver Value-Based Presentations: Deliver high-impact, value-based virtual and in-person presentations to Line of Business (LOB) and IT leadership, clearly communicating ROI and business value.
• Orchestrate Cross-Functional Teams: Align internal cross-functional resources-including Customer Success, Solutions Consultants, and partner ecosystems-to maximize deal velocity and size.
• Establish Trusted Advisor Status: Analyze industry and competitive trends to position Appian effectively against market alternatives, establishing yourself as a strategic advisor to senior executives.

Required Qualifications

• Degree: Bachelor's Degree in Marketing, Business, Communications, Computer Science, or a related field.
• Experience: 5+ years of direct software selling experience, featuring a minimum of 2 years as an Enterprise Account Executive ideally specialising in Defence
• Quota Achievement: Proven track record of consistent quota achievement and a history of winning net-new customer logos.
• Deal Mastery: Demonstrated mastery managing complex enterprise sales cycles with a history of long, stable job tenure and a positive career trajectory.
• Discovery Skills: Superb communication and presentation skills, with a demonstrated ability to execute deep client discovery and build comprehensive financial business cases.

Preferred Qualifications

• Security Clearance preferred
• Prior experience selling complex, multi-stakeholder software solutions directly to Public Sector (Defence) customers.
• Mastery of strategic sales methodologies, such as MEDDPICC or Value-Based Selling.
• We value experience with enterprise platforms such as Salesforce or ServiceNow , as these skills translate well into our Enterprise-Grade Orchestration environment.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation will be dependent on a number of factors including, but not limited to, the candidate's relevant work experience, qualifications, internal peer equity, and market and business conditions that exist when extending an offer. Sales roles may be eligible to participate in a commission plan subject to the terms of the applicable plans and policies.

In addition, Appian provides generous benefits offerings that include a 401(k) plan with company match, flexible time off, paid parental leave, medical, dental, and vision plans, life insurance, disability insurance, wellness programs, flexible spending accounts, health savings account contributions, an employee referral bonus program, and learning and development resources. Certain positions may be eligible for equity awards.

Tools and Resources

Training and Development: During onboarding, we focus on equipping new hires with the sk

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