Account Executive

iO Sphere; Wes-Kaap; Hybrid; ZAR 335,000 - 446,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Commission with no cap

20 days paid leave + SA holidays

Job summary

iO-Sphere, a UK data and AI training provider, is seeking a sales professional based near Cape Town to handle inbound leads and guide them through a B2B2C process. You’ll conduct initial calls, assess fit, and help them prepare to present to their manager for funding and sign‑off.

You’ll work UK business hours from Cape Town, with some office days in Riverlands. A commission‑driven role with no cap is offered, and you’ll be trained on our programmes and funding models.

Qualifications

• Must have worked in a sales role with a target.
• Able to manage a busy CRM pipeline and follow up promptly.
• Experience selling where a manager approval is needed (B2B, education, finance, etc.).

Responsibilities

• Make fast calls to new leads while memory is fresh.
• Conduct initial calls to assess fit with programmes.
• Help prospects build a case for their manager and join calls with managers when needed.
• Move paperwork with employers to start on time.
• Maintain CRM accuracy and update deal status.
• Receive coaching on recorded calls.

Skills

Target-driven sales

Phone/Video sales

CRM pipeline management

Job description

What you'd do

We're a UK training provider in data and AI. Most of our sales are UK apprenticeships, which are government-backed training for people already in a job. All of our leads are inbound. Someone sees one of our ads, applies and books a call, so you aren't cold calling.

Your first conversation is with one person, about what they want to do with their career and whether this is right for them. That part feels like B2C. But their employer has to sign. Their manager needs to agree to it, HR and sometimes L&D get involved, there's a contract with the company, and there's a funding conversation about who pays what. So you start with one person and end up running a small B2B deal, helping them make the case at work and joining the call with their manager when that helps. We call it B2C2B. You don't need to have done it before, and we'd train you on the programmes and the funding. Selling commercial training direct to companies is a separate job here, and this role doesn't cover it.

Your week

• Calling new leads quickly, while they still remember why they applied.
• Having the first proper call with each applicant, to find out what they want and whether the programme fits them and the job they're in.
• Working out with them how to approach their manager, and giving them what they need to make the case.
• Joining calls with managers, HR and L&D teams, and following up until there's a yes or a no.
• Getting the paperwork through with the employer so they start on time.
• Keeping the CRM up to date, so nobody on the team has to guess where a deal is.
• Getting coaching on your recorded calls from your manager.

We're a startup, so there'll be other things to pick up as we grow, and we'd expect you to help where it's needed.

Why you'd want it

The leads come to you and the commission has no cap. The further past target you go, the more each deal pays.

You'd also learn to turn one person's interest into a contract their company signs, and not many salespeople get to do that. And what you're selling is good for people. Someone gets to change what they do for a living, on the job, and their employer gets someone who can use data and AI properly.

We're a startup at an inflection point, and 2027 is when we scale. If you can see a better way to do something, we'll actually do it.

Who you are

You've worked in a sales role with a target, on the phone or on video, and you can tell us what you hit. You're comfortable working a busy pipeline in a CRM, and you follow up without being chased. You've sold something where the person needed time to think, or where someone else had to approve it. That might be B2B, or it might be education, finance or something similar. It helps if you've sold into the UK.

You listen on a call, and you'd tell someone if this wasn't right for them. We're a regulated training provider, so what you say about funding has to be right, and you need to care about that.

You'll need excellent spoken English, because you're talking to UK professionals and their managers all day. The office is in Riverlands and you'd be in it some days, so you need to be in or near Cape Town. If that's you, we want to hear from you.

The details

Full-time, UK business hours (daytime in Cape Town), on a contractor agreement, with 20 days' paid leave plus South African public holidays. R30,000 to R40,000 a month cost to company, depending on experience, plus commission with no cap. About R47,000 to R57,000 a month on target. Mainly remote, with office days in Riverlands, so you need to live in or near Cape Town. Start as soon as you can. The right to work in South Africa (we can't offer visa sponsorship).

About iO-Sphere

Over 1,000 people have trained with us, and companies including PwC, BAE Systems, Dunelm, Motorway and CBRE send their teams to us. We're one of the UK's fastest-growing data and AI training companies, and a startup at an inflection point. 2027 is when we scale.

Safeguarding: iO-Sphere is committed to safeguarding and operates within regulated Further Education environments. This role requires a SAPS police clearance certificate, which we arrange and pay for, and safeguarding and Prevent training. All applicants must complete their application honestly and in full, and consent to the pre-employment checks required for the role. Failure to disclose relevant information, or providing false information, will result in the application being withdrawn or employment being terminated.

iO-Sphere is an equal-opportunities employer. We hire on merit and welcome applications from every background. If you need any adjustment to the process, just tell us.