Key Account Executive- SLED

Staples Advantage Canada; Little Rock (AR); On-site; USD 100,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible PTO

Company 401(k) match

Wellness programs

Job summary

Staples is a leader in business-to-business solutions, seeking a Key Account Executive, SLED to grow our State, Local Government, and Education portfolio. You will manage a high-spend book, expand partnerships, and secure new contractual commitments.

The role focuses on driving growth, delivering value, and collaborating with internal specialists to optimize customer outcomes while achieving ambitious revenue targets.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of successful sales experience supporting Government and/or Education clients.
• Proven experience managing programs, strategic accounts, or business development initiatives.
• Experience presenting to and influencing senior-level customer decision makers.
• Demonstrated consultative selling, solution selling, negotiation, and account management experience.
• Experience developing and executing strategic account growth plans.

Responsibilities

• Drive growth and profitability across a book of large SLED accounts with revenue responsibility of approximately $20M.
• Secure incremental and renewal contractual commitments with executive and technical buying stakeholders.
• Develop and execute strategic account growth plans across the full customer hierarchy.
• Identify, pursue, and close programmatic and expansion opportunities to grow customer spend.
• Partner with Outside Development teams to drive program compliance and site-level engagement.
• Lead cross-functional account teams including category experts and customer success partners.

Skills

Executive presence

Sales strategy

Negotiation

Presentation skills

Consultative selling

Cross-functional

CRM experience

Analytical skills

Independent worker

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

SFDC

Microsoft Office

Job description

Staples is business to business. You're what binds us together.

At Staples, our sales team helps organizations work smarter by delivering innovative solutions, trusted expertise, and exceptional customer experiences. As a Key Account Executive, SLED, you will play a critical role in driving growth within large State, Local Government, and Education accounts, managing a portfolio of customers with significant annual spend. This strategic sales role is responsible for expanding existing partnerships, securing new contractual commitments, and identifying opportunities across the full range of Staples products and solutions. You'll collaborate with internal specialists, category experts, and customer success partners to create value for customers while delivering revenue growth and profitability. If you are a driven sales professional who thrives on building executive relationships, influencing complex buying decisions, and achieving ambitious goals, we'd love to hear from you.

Work Location: This is a remote position with a regional focus. This position supports customers in Louisiana and Arkansas. While the role primarily supports working from home, the individual performing this role would live within or adjacent to this region.

What You’ll Be Doing:

• Drive growth and profitability across a book of large SLED accounts with revenue responsibility of approximately $20M
• Secure incremental and renewal contractual commitments with executive and technical buying stakeholders
• Develop and execute strategic account growth plans across the full customer hierarchy
• Identify, pursue, and close programmatic and expansion opportunities to grow customer spend
• Partner closely with Outside Development teams to drive program compliance and site-level engagement
• Lead cross-functional account teams including category experts, customer success managers, sales engineers, and support partners
• Collaborate with Revenue Management partners to support pricing strategies, contract negotiations, and growth opportunities
• Build and maintain relationships with senior-level decision makers within customer organizations.
• Leverage customer insights, industry trends, and competitive intelligence to develop customized solutions
• Utilize CRM and sales tools, including SFDC and other prescribed systems, to prioritize activities and document customer engagement

What You Bring to the Table:

• Strong drive to win and a passion for exceeding sales goals
• Resilience and the ability to turn rejection into learning opportunities and future success
• Demonstrated success managing strategic programs, business development efforts, or large customer relationships
• Executive presence with the ability to engage and influence senior customer stakeholders
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills in both virtual and face-to-face environments
• Consultative, solution-based selling and advanced negotiation capabilities
• Experience building and executing strategic customer growth plans
• Strong business, financial, operational, and technology acumen
• Analytical skills with the ability to use customer and market insights to create tailored solutions
• Ability to work independently while effectively collaborating across multiple teams and stakeholders

What’s Needed- Basic Qualifications:

• 4+ years of successful sales experience supporting Government and/or Education clients
• Proven experience managing programs, strategic accounts, or business development initiatives
• Experience presenting to and influencing senior-level customer decision makers
• Demonstrated consultative selling, solution selling, negotiation, and account management experience
• Experience developing and executing strategic account growth plans
• Strong understanding of business operations and financial concepts
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and standard business software applications
• Experience analyzing customer data and market trends to support business decisions
• Ability to independently manage priorities and deliver results with minimal supervision
• Experience coordinating cross-functional teams to achieve customer and business objectives

What’s Needed - Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• Experience working with Government and Education purchasing cooperatives
• Experience working cross-functionally within a large, complex organization
• Prior account management and prospecting experience with Fortune 1000 organizations
• Proven track record of managing a sales budget and exceeding performance targets
• Experience leading complex deal negotiations from opportunity identification through close
• Business-to-business sales experience
• Experience retaining, expanding, and growing strategic customer accounts
• Experience within Education, State, or Local Government markets

We Offer:

• Inclusive culture with associate-led Business Resource Groups
• Flexible PTO (22 days) and Holiday Schedule (7 observed paid holidays)
• Online and Retail Discounts, Company Match 401(k), Physical and Mental Health Wellness programs, and more!

The salary range represents the expected compensation for this role at the time of posting. The specific base pay may be influenced by a variety of factors to include the candidate's experience, skill set, education, geography, business considerations, and internal equity. In addition to base pay, this role may be eligible for bonuses, or other forms of variable compensation.