Enterprise Account Executive

International Business Machines Corporation; Sydney; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Confluent, now part of IBM, is seeking an Enterprise Account Executive in Sydney to turn data streaming strategies into business outcomes.

You will engage senior leaders, manage end-to-end complex sales cycles, and partner with engineering and services to deliver real-time data solutions across hybrid environments. Travel within the region is expected as needed.

Qualifications

• Proven success in quota-carrying enterprise software sales.
• Experience owning complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles from prospecting to close.
• Consultative, value-based selling connecting technical solutions to business outcomes.
• Strong account planning, qualification, pipeline management, and forecasting skills.
• Experience selling SaaS, cloud, data infrastructure, integration, analytics, or open-source tech.
• Familiarity with Apache Kafka, data streaming, or distributed systems.
• Able to collaborate with technical teams, customer success, services, marketing, and partners.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Develop and execute territory and account plans to build pipeline and meet sales targets.
• Lead complex, consultative sales cycles from discovery to close.
• Win new enterprise customers and expand adoption within existing accounts.
• Build relationships across executive, business, architecture, engineering, and developer stakeholders.
• Partner with solutions engineering, customer success, professional services, marketing, and channel partners to shape solutions.
• Coordinate with cloud providers, system integrators, and ecosystem partners to extend reach.
• Maintain disciplined opportunity management, deal strategy, CRM hygiene, and forecasting.
• Stay current on data streaming, Kafka, cloud, and enterprise needs; represent Confluent credibly in engagements.

Skills

Quota-carrying sales

Complex sales cycles

Consultative selling

Account planning

SaaS/cloud sales

Data streaming / Kafka familiarity

Cross-functional collaboration

Communication & negotiation

Travel willingness

Education

Bachelor's Degree

Job description

Introduction

Now part of IBM, Confluent brings its data streaming platform—built on Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, Apache Iceburg—into IBM’s broader data and AI strategy. Confluent help enterprises connect, process, and govern trusted, real-time data across hybrid environments, providing the live context AI models, agents, and applications need to operate at scale.

As an Enterprise Account Executive in Sydney, you’ll help customers turn that strategy into business outcomes. You’ll engage senior business and technology leaders to uncover data and AI priorities, build opportunities around real-time data streaming, and coordinate across IBM and Confluent teams and partners to help move AI initiatives from experimentation into production.

Your Role And Responsibilities

• Develop and execute territory and account plans that create a healthy pipeline and deliver against quarterly and annual sales objectives.
• Lead complex, consultative sales cycles from prospecting and discovery through solution alignment, business case development, negotiation, and close.
• Win new enterprise customers while identifying opportunities to expand adoption and consumption within existing accounts.
• Build relationships and alignment across executive, business, architecture, engineering, and developer stakeholders; connect technical capabilities to measurable business outcomes.
• Partner with Solutions Engineering, Customer Success, Professional Services, Marketing, and channel partners to shape compelling solutions and deliver a strong customer experience.
• Coordinate with cloud providers, systems integrators, and other ecosystem partners to extend reach and accelerate customer outcomes.
• Maintain disciplined opportunity management, deal strategy, CRM hygiene, and forecasting, using an established sales methodology to assess and progress opportunities.
• Bring market and customer insight back to Confluent, staying current on data streaming, Kafka, cloud, and the evolving needs of enterprise customers.
• Represent Confluent with credibility in customer and partner engagements, including travel within the region as business needs require.

Preferred Education

Bachelor's Degree

Required Technical And Professional Expertise

• Proven success in quota-carrying enterprise software sales, including a track record of meeting or exceeding sales targets.
• Experience owning complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles—from prospecting and pipeline generation through negotiation and close.
• A consultative, value-based selling approach, with the ability to connect technical solutions to business outcomes and engage both senior executives and technical audiences.
• Strong account planning, opportunity qualification, pipeline management, and forecasting skills; familiarity with MEDDPICC or another structured sales methodology.
• Experience selling SaaS, cloud, data infrastructure, integration, analytics, or open-source technologies.
• Familiarity with Apache Kafka, data streaming, stream processing, event-driven architectures, or distributed systems.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with technical teams, customer success, services, marketing, and channel or cloud partners.
• Strong communication, negotiation, stakeholder management, and customer relationship skills.
• Willingness to travel for customer and partner engagements as needed.

Preferred Technical And Professional Experience

• Integration Agreement Knowledge: Deep understanding of integration agreements and their associated incentive plans, including terms and conditions, to inform management and oversight of the unique incentive plan.
• Stakeholder Collaboration: Experience working with various stakeholders to ensure compliance and effective execution of incentive plans, driving seamless execution and communication.
• Incentive Plan Optimization: Deep expertise in optimizing incentive plans to achieve business objectives, ensuring alignment with organizational goals and strategic priorities.