Strategic Account Executive

Prolific Academic Ltd; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Prolific Academic Ltd is seeking a Strategic Account Executive, AI, to drive net-new and expansion sales within frontier AI labs and AI research teams. You’ll own multi-threaded deals with senior stakeholders, articulating the value of Prolific’s human data platform for model training and evaluation.

Based in San Francisco, you’ll collaborate with cross-functional teams to shape proposals, pilots, and post-sale success plans, and travel to customer campuses as needed.

Qualifications

• Deep AI industry expertise with credibility among frontier AI researchers and executives.
• Proven track record selling into frontier AI labs.
• Experience managing multi-threaded deals with product, research ops, legal/procurement.
• 10+ years in full-cycle strategic B2B technology sales.
• Strong understanding of how large organizations buy within AI research and product functions.
• Curiosity and fluency around AI/ML trends and human-centered design.
• Ability to earn trust with pioneering AI researchers.

Responsibilities

• Work cross-functionally with Science, Services, Success, Marketing, Product and Leadership to drive growth.
• Own and drive net-new and expansion sales cycles within frontier AI labs and AI teams.
• Understand customer workflows and position Prolific as the source of high-integrity human data for model training and evaluation.
• Map and multi-thread enterprise buying groups to build trust across stakeholders.
• Partner with Services, Success, Solutions Engineering, Product Marketing and Leadership to shape proposals and pilots.
• Report pipeline metrics, deal health, and forecasting to sales leadership with rigor.
• Act as the voice of the enterprise customer to refine messaging, pricing, and roadmap.
• Collaborate in person in our San Francisco office and on customer campuses across the West Coast.

Skills

AI industry expertise

Frontier AI sales

Strategic selling

Executive stakeholder management

Complex deal orchestration

Long-cycle sales

Enterprise software sales

Job description

Strategic Account Executive, AI

Team: Strategic Accounts

Prolific is not just another player in the AI space—we are the architects of the human data infrastructure that is reshaping the landscape of AI development. In a world where foundational AI technologies are increasingly commoditized, it’s the quality and diversity of human-generated data that truly differentiates products and models. Our Sales and Success team works with many of the world’s leading AI innovators on one of their highest-priority initiatives.

Please note: we are only considering candidates who are recognized AI industry experts with a proven track record selling into frontier AI labs.

What you’ll bring to the role

• Deep AI industry expertise, with established credibility among frontier AI research, product, and executive stakeholders.
• Proven track record selling into frontier AI labs.
• Consistent track record of managing highly complex technical sales cycles with 7-figure and 8-figure outcomes.
• 10+ years of experience in full-cycle strategic B2B technology sales.
• A strong understanding of how large organizations buy—especially within AI Research, Product, and Technical Program Management functions.
• Curiosity and fluency around AI/ML trends, including RLHF, user-in-the-loop evaluation, and human-centered product design.
• Experience running multi-threaded deals with complex stakeholder groups (e.g., product leaders, research ops, legal/procurement, and technical buyers).
• Strong discovery, qualification, and collaboration skills—grounded in value-based selling while earning the credibility and trust of pioneers of AI research.
• High empathy, accountability, and cross-functional teamwork with Customer Success, Services, Marketing, Leadership, etc.

What you’ll be doing in the role

• Working cross-functionally with Prolific’s Science, Services, Success, Marketing, Product, and Executive teams to drive meaningful growth.
• Own and drive net-new and expansion sales cycles within named frontier AI labs, targeting AI research, product, and executive teams actively building AI capabilities.
• Understand customer workflows and pain points—positioning Prolific as the source of high-integrity human data for model training, evaluation, and experience design.
• Map and multi-thread enterprise buying groups to build trust, identify champions, and mitigate risk across stakeholders.
• Partner closely with Services, Success, Solutions Engineering, Product Marketing, and Leadership to shape proposals, pilots, and post‑sale success plans.
• Report pipeline metrics, deal health, and forecasting to sales leadership with rigor and clarity.
• Act as the voice of the enterprise customer—bringing feedback to marketing and product to refine our messaging, pricing, and roadmap.
• Collaborating in person in our San Francisco office and on customer campuses across the West Coast (as well as occasional events, conferences, and trips to other Prolific offices).
• Experience selling to frontier AI labs and/or working with AI Researchers.

Why Prolific is a great place to work

We’ve built a unique platform that connects researchers and companies with a global pool of participants, enabling the collection of high-quality, ethically sourced human behavioral data and feedback. This data is the cornerstone of developing more accurate, nuanced, and aligned AI systems.

We believe that the next leap in AI capabilities won’t come solely from scaling existing models but from integrating diverse human perspectives and behaviors into AI development. By providing this crucial human data infrastructure, Prolific is positioning itself at the forefront of the next wave of AI innovation - one that reflects the breadth and the best of humanity.

Working for us will place you at the forefront of AI innovation, providing access to our unique human data platform and opportunities for groundbreaking research. Join us to enjoy a competitive salary, benefits, and remote working within our impactful, mission-driven culture.

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