Account Executive

Petual; San Francisco, Salt Lake City, New York (CA, UT, NY); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Petual is hiring Account Executives to sell its AI-powered control testing platform to internal audit, risk, and compliance teams at public companies and regulated enterprises. You will own the full sales cycle from prospecting to close, building credibility with audit and IT leadership.

The role emphasizes SOX-focused governance, partnership with Solutions Engineers, and developing a repeatable go-to-market motion as the team scales.

Qualifications

• Track record closing complex, technical software into regulated industries.
• Background in audit, risk, or compliance practices (Big 4, internal audit, SOX) preferred.
• Experience selling GRC, audit, security, or fintech software.

Responsibilities

• Own the full sales cycle end-to-end: prospecting, discovery, evaluation, proof of concept, negotiation, and close.
• Sell consultatively into internal audit, finance, IT, and security leadership at public companies and regulated enterprises.
• Partner with Solutions Engineers to pair commercial ownership with audit and technical credibility.
• Build and manage your pipeline, forecast accurately, and keep numbers honest.

Skills

Complex software deals

Audit, risk, or compliance domain

Startup experience

AI-native product selling

Executive briefing

Job description

Petual is the AI-powered control tester for the modern enterprise. We automate the most labor-intensive work in internal audit and governance: testing whether a company's financial, operational, and technology controls actually work.

Public companies and regulated businesses trust us with the evidence behind their audit and risk decisions. We turn it into reviewable results and auditor-ready workpapers in minutes instead of days, which only works if security is the foundation, not an afterthought.

The Opportunity

We're hiring Account Executives to sell Petual into internal audit, risk, and compliance functions at public companies and highly regulated enterprises. SOX compliance is our wedge, and our customers already span the full range of the market, from companies in their first year post-IPO to some of the largest public companies in the world.

This is an early seat on a team that is being built right now. You will report to our Head of Sales, who spent twenty years in audit, risk, and compliance and was an early employee at AuditBoard, and you will work alongside Solutions Engineers who bring deep audit domain credibility into your accounts.e Solutions Engineers who bring deep audit domain credibility into your accounts.

What You’ll Do

• Own the full sales cycle end-to-end: prospecting, discovery, evaluation, proof of concept, negotiation, and close

• Sell consultatively into internal audit, finance, IT, and security leadership at public companies and regulated enterprises

• Partner with Solutions Engineers to pair commercial ownership with deep audit and technical credibility in every account

• Build and manage your own pipeline, and forecast it honestly; we would rather have an accurate number than an optimistic one

• Navigate complex, multi-stakeholder buying processes spanning audit, IT, security, procurement, legal, and external auditors

• Run rigorous proof-of-concept cycles where the product is evaluated on real controls and real evidence, and where results speak for themselves

• Bring the field back to the company: what buyers object to, what competitors claim, and what the product needs in order to win more often

• Help build the go-to-market playbook: qualification criteria, messaging, objection handling, and process that the next ten Account Executives will inherit

What We’re Looking For

• A track record closing complex, technical software into regulated industries: financial services, healthcare, or similar

• A background as an audit, risk, or compliance practitioner (Big 4, internal audit, SOX program work). Practitioners consistently outperform generalist sellers in front of this buyer

• Experience selling GRC, audit, security, or fintech software, or another category where the buyer is personally accountable for the outcome

• Experience as an early Account Executive at a startup, where you built the motion rather than inherited it

• Comfort selling an AI-native product to detail-oriented, appropriately skeptical buyers, and the judgment to know what not to promise

• The ability to brief an executive audience on a technical subject and hold up under rapid-fire questions

• If you do not have the audit background, you'll need a demonstrated ability to go deep on an unfamiliar domain quickly. We will test for this

Ideal Candidate Backgrounds

This role is especially well-suited for candidates who have worked in:

• Big 4 Risk Advisory or Audit practices

• Internal Audit or SOX functions within enterprise organizations

• Compliance transformation or controls modernization initiatives

• Technology-enabled audit or GRC implementation projects