Growth Account Executive

Pontera; New York (NY); Hybrid; USD 125,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity participation

Healthcare benefits

401(k) with employer match

Parental leave

Learning & development

Job summary

Pontera is hiring a Growth Account Executive to drive the critical 0 to 5 activation phase for advisors, guiding them through platform adoption to reach five clients with managed assets.

The role centers on proactive outreach, structured meetings, and strategic negotiations, with a strong emphasis on closing deals and accelerating value realization for SMB to enterprise advisor teams. This is a hybrid-capable, high-growth sales position in the United States.

Qualifications

• 3+ years of relevant experience in consultative or solutions selling, business development, or external relationship building.
• Proven track record as an individual contributor; familiarity with Challenger or SPIN selling is highly preferred.
• Superlative verbal and written skills, with the ability to lead challenging conversations and influence decision-makers.
• Basic understanding of the financial services industry and RIA/BD, retirement and 401k landscape.
• High energy, proactive, and infectious attitude for delivering elite service while driving commercial outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Onboarding Excellence: Lead high-value onboarding sessions to move advisors from interest to action.
• Planned Meetings & Calls: Conduct structured, goal-oriented meetings and asynchronous calls.
• Urgency Creation: Use Challenger and SPIN models to create constructive tension for rapid adoption.
• Named Pipeline Ownership: Own a designated pipeline of advisors and teams across segments.
• Milestone Progression: Track advisor progression and drive activation milestones (five clients).
• Outbound Activity: Dedicate ~25% of time to outbound meetings and calls.
• Commercial Negotiations: Identify, negotiate and close upsell opportunities from existing pipeline.

Skills

3+ years sales experience

Sales acumen

Communication skills

Financial services knowledge

Proactive attitude

Job description

Pontera is a fintech company on a mission to help people retire better. Our software platform enables retirement savers to get the help they need managing their 401(k) and other retirement plan accounts as part of a personalized strategy by their trusted financial advisor.

Pontera is used by financial advisors across the nation– from SMB to Fortune 500 RIA firms, independent broker-dealers, plan custodians, and plan advisors.

Backed by leading venture capital firms including ICONIQ Growth and Lightspeed Venture Partners, Pontera is built by talented individuals who share a dedication to helping people retire with greater security.

Our team is fast-growing and driven to become one of the largest fintech companies in the world. Our culture is built on a people-first principle: in a complex and numbers-driven industry, we never lose sight of the people we serve and work alongside. That’s where you come in.

DESCRIPTION

Pontera is seeking an exceptional Growth Account Executiveto join our growing team. This is a high-impact, pure sales role focused on the critical "0 to 5" activation phase of the advisor lifecycle. You will be responsible for guiding new advisors through the initial phase of platform adoption, driving them to reach the foundational milestone of five clients with managed assets.

This role is built for a proactive professional who thrives on "closing focus" and creating urgency. You will manage a named pipeline of individual advisors and advisor teams across all segments and a diversity of firms, utilizing advanced sales methodologies to ensure advisors realize the full economic value of the Pontera platform.

Role Purpose

The primary mission of the role is to accelerate the "0 to 5" client journey. Data shows that an advisor’s likelihood of long-term success and retention (reaching 98%) is highly correlated with the speed at which they reach their first five clients. This role exists to move the curve by turning registered advisors into active, ramped users within their first 90-120 days.

RESPONSIBILITIES

High-Value Advisor Engagement & ‘Closing’

• Onboarding Excellence: Lead high-value onboarding sessions designed to move advisors from general interest to action.
• Planned Meetings & Calls: Conduct structured, goal-oriented scheduled meetings and asynchronous calls to drive immediate advisor activity.
• Urgency Creation: Use the Challenger and SPIN models to create "constructive tension," helping advisors understand the cost of inaction and the benefits of rapid adoption.
• Named Pipeline Ownership: Assume full accountability for a designated pipeline of advisors and teams across various segments.
• Milestone Progression: Track and drive the speed of advisor progression through activation milestones, with a primary KPI of achieving five clients on the platform.
• Outbound Activity: Dedicate approximately 25% of your time to outbound engagement efforts to fill your calendar with high-value meetings and calls.
• Commercial Negotiations: Identifying, negotiating and closing committed asset ‘upsell’ opportunities from your assigned existing customer pipeline in our SMB segment

REQUIREMENTS

• Experience: 3+ years of relevant experience in consultative or solutions selling, business development, or external relationship building.
• Sales Acumen: Proven track record of success as an individual contributor; familiarity with Challenger or SPIN selling is highly preferred.
• Communication: Superlative verbal and written skills, with the ability to lead challenging conversations and influence decision-makers.
• Industry Knowledge: Basic understanding of the financial services industry and RIA/BD, retirement and 401k landscape.
• Mindset: High energy, proactive, and infectious attitude for delivering elite service while driving commercial outcomes.

WHAT WE OFFER

• Compensation: $125,000-$175,000 OTE. This range reflects multiple levels of experience for the role. Individual OTE will be determined based on relevant experience, skills, and the level at which the candidate is hired.
• Team Culture: A collegial, collaborative, fun work environment with frequent team events.
• Equity: All new hires are eligible for equity grant participation.
• Healthcare: Comprehensive & affordable insurance benefits with a variety of plan options.
• Retirement: 401(k) with employer match & employer-sponsored access to a retirement advisor.
• Family Benefits: Paid parental leave & reimbursement program for family planning services (such as fertility treatments, adoption, or surrogacy).
• Professional Development: Sponsored learning & development program (to cover classes, certifications, and more!).
• Food Perks: Fully stocked kitchen & lunch reimbursement program.
• Work Flexibility: Hybrid In-Office Tues/Weds/Thurs and WFH Mon/Fri with 5 Work From Anywhere weeks per year

Pontera is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Voluntary Self-Identification

For government reporting purposes, we ask candidates to respond to the below self-identification survey.Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. Whatever your decision, it will not be considered in the hiringprocess or thereafter. Any information that you do provide will be recorded and maintained in aconfidential file.

As set forth in Pontera’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

If you believe you belong to any of the categories of protected veterans listed below, please indicate by making the appropriate selection.As a government contractor subject to the Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Assistance Act (VEVRAA), we request this information in order to measurethe effectiveness of the outreach and positive recruitment efforts we undertake pursuant to VEVRAA. Classification of protected categoriesis as follows:

A "disabled veteran" is one of the following: a veteran of the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service who is entitled to compensation (or who but for the receipt of military retired pay would be entitled to compensation) under laws administered by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs; or a person who was discharged or released from active duty because of a service-connected disability.

A "recently separated veteran" means any veteran during the three-year period beginning on the date of such veteran's discharge or release from active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval, or air service.

An "active duty wartime or campaign badge veteran" means a veteran who served on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service during a war, or in a campaign or expedition for which a campaign badge has been authorized under the laws administered by the Department of Defense.

An "Armed forces service medal veteran" means a veteran who, while serving on active duty in the U.S. military, ground, naval or air service, participated in a United States military operation for which an Armed Forces service medal was awarded pursuant to Executive Order 12985.