SMB Account Executive

Benchling; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 75,000 - 105,300; Full time

Job summary

A leading biotechnology company in San Francisco is seeking an SMB Account Executive to drive new business within the life sciences sector. This role requires strong sales development skills and a life science background, as you will manage the full sales cycle from prospecting to closing deals. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, with excellent communication skills and the ability to engage diverse stakeholders. A flexible hybrid work arrangement is offered, prioritizing in-office collaboration, and compensation ranges from $75K to $105.3K.

Qualifications

• 1-3 years of experience as a Sales Development Representative or 1-2 years of full-cycle sales experience in a SaaS or technology environment.
• Life science background required, with relevant degree or direct experience in pharma, biotech, or life sciences.
• Demonstrated ability to prospect, build pipeline, and manage sales cycle.

Responsibilities

• Own your pipeline, identify new business opportunities across your territory.
• Develop accurate sales forecasts using data for decision-making.
• Run discovery, build business cases, and close new business agreements.

Skills

Sales Development Experience

Life Science Background

Communication Skills

Interpersonal Skills

Self-Motivated

Education

Bachelor's degree in life science

Tools

Salesforce

MEDDICC sales methodology

Job description

Biotechnology is rewriting life as we know it, from the medicines we take, to the crops we grow, the materials we wear, and the household goods that we rely on every day. But moving at the new speed of science requires better technology.

Benchling’s mission is to unlock the power of biotechnology. The world’s most innovative biotech companies use Benchling’s R&D Cloud to power the development of breakthrough products and accelerate time to milestone and market.

Come help us bring modern software to modern science.

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 Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday.

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 are 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.

Compensation Range: $75K - $105.3K