Account Executive

Benchling; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 75,000 - 105,000; Full time

Job summary

Benchling, Inc. in San Francisco, CA, is seeking an SMB Account Executive to drive new business within a biotech and life sciences territory. You will own the full sales cycle, from prospecting to closing, engaging bench scientists and business stakeholders to articulate Benchling’s value.

The role requires 1–3 years of sales experience and a life science background, with a track record in product demos and pipeline building. This is a full-time, hybrid position with in-office collaboration.

Qualifications

• 1–3 years as a Sales Development Representative or 1–2 years in full-cycle sales (SaaS/tech preferred).
• Life science background required: degree or direct pharma/biotech selling exp.
• Experience running product demos is a plus.
• Proven ability to prospect, build pipeline, and manage a sale from open to close.
• Ability to build a business case and influence purchasing decisions.

Responsibilities

• Own full sales cycle from prospecting to closing.
• Develop and maintain a healthy pipeline across territory.
• Forecast sales accurately and drive predictable outcomes.

Skills

Sales experience

Life science background

Product demos

Pipeline building

Solution selling

Education

Bachelor's in life science

Tools

Salesforce

Job description

SMB Account Executive

Department: Sales

Location: San Francisco, CA

Compensation: $75K - $105.3K Offers Equity Offers Commission This role is eligible to participate in Benchling's commission plan, it is common for employees in this role to receive total on-target earnings of $150,000 to $210,600.

Employment Type: FullTime

We are rebuilding biotech for the AI era.
When a breakthrough is delayed, the world waits. Getting a molecule from discovery to patients, or a crop from lab to field, involves thousands of slow, manual, disconnected steps. AI has the potential to change this, compressing decades of R&D work into years. But that only happens when clean, structured scientific data and AI are built into how science gets done.
Benchling is the AI platform for biotech R&D. Scientists use Benchling to design experiments, capture structured data, and run AI agents and models directly in their workflows. Over 200,000 scientists around the world trust Benchling to power their most important work, from academic labs to Sanofi, Moderna, and more than half of the world's top 50 biopharma.
We're building an AI scientist for our customers. We can't do that if we haven't built the muscle ourselves. AI fluency is the foundation we build on; it's core to how we work, and we're committed to helping every new hire integrate it into their day-to-day. As part of our interview process, you'll complete a brief AI-focused exercise or discussion so we can understand how you think about and use AI to drive impact in your role. Feel free to reference any tools, platforms, or workflows you use today.

ROLE OVERVIEW

As an SMB Account Executive, you'll be responsible for driving new business within your territory - engaging small biotech and life sciences companies at the speed their science demands. You'll own the full sales cycle, from identifying and prospecting new accounts to closing deals. This is an ideal role for an early-career seller who's hungry to develop their craft, build pipeline from the ground up, and grow into a world-class enterprise seller.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Pipeline Generation: Own your pipeline from day one. Proactively identify and engage new business opportunities across your territory, connecting with multiple personas - from bench scientists to business stakeholders - using outbound outreach, events, and creative prospecting strategies.

• Sales Forecasting: Develop and maintain accurate sales forecasts (+/- 10% of goal), using data to inform your decision-making and drive consistent, predictable outcomes.

• Solution Selling: Learn and apply Benchling's value framework to tailor presentations and proposals to each prospect's unique scientific and business needs.

• Full-Cycle Selling: Run discovery, build a compelling business case, engage multiple stakeholders, navigate the buying process, and close new business agreements.

• Account Management: Work across scientific, technical, and business personas within each account to align Benchling's solutions with their R&D goals.

• Collaboration: Partner with Marketing, Product, and Customer Success to ensure a seamless prospect experience and drive long-term customer satisfaction.

• Continuous Learning: Stay curious about industry trends, the competitive landscape, and the science our customers are doing. We'll invest in your development - you bring the drive.

• Process Excellence: Apply structured sales methodology (MEDDICC, Command of the Message, 3 Why's, Champion Building) to manage your pipeline with rigor. Keep Salesforce accurate and up to date.

QUALIFICATIONS

You are drawn to our mission and you want to help Benchling win new business. You're coachable, competitive, and ready to build real sales skills in a market that matters. You take ownership, stay curious, and show up as a teammate.

• 1-3 years of experience as a Sales Development Representative, or 1-2 years of full-cycle sales experience - ideally in a SaaS or technology environment

• Life science background required - either a bachelor's degree in a life science discipline (e.g., molecular biology, biotechnology, biomedical engineering, biochemistry) or direct experience selling into pharma, biotech, or life science organizations

• Experience running product demos is a plus

• Demonstrated ability to prospect, build pipeline, and manage a sales cycle from open to close

• Ability to build a business case and influence purchasing decisions across scientific and business personas

• Strong communication, interpersonal, and organizational skills

• Self-motivated with a competitive drive to meet and exceed targets

• Comfortable working independently and as part of a collaborative team

• Familiarity with MEDDICC or similar sales methodology is a plus

HOW WE WORK

We offer a flexible hybrid work arrangement that prioritizes in-office collaboration. Employees are expected to be on-site 3 days per week (Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday).

#LI-Hybrid

#BI-Hybrid

Benchling welcomes everyone.

We believe diversity enriches our team so we hire people with a wide range of identities, backgrounds, and experiences.
We're an equal opportunity employer. That means we don't discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including but not limited to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance.