What are the responsibilities and job description for the Account Executive - Chicago position at Black Kite?
About Black Kite
Black Kite is the global leader in third-party cyber risk intelligence, trusted by more than 3,000 organizations worldwide. We give security and business leaders a continuous, outside-in view of their entire vendor ecosystem — translating complex cyber, financial, and compliance signals into clear, actionable risk intelligence.
We go beyond open standards-based cyber ratings. Black Kite helps organizations make smarter risk decisions, strengthen business resilience, and scale their third-party cyber risk management programs in an increasingly complex digital environment. Our work has earned consistent recognition from customers and industry analysts alike.
WHY BLACK KITE
We're a fast-moving, high-impact team solving one of the most critical challenges in cybersecurity today. If you're looking to do meaningful work alongside sharp, collaborative people — and grow your career in a space that matters — you're in the right place.
THE OPPORTUNITY
As a Commercial Account Executive covering Chicago and the Midwest, you own the full sales cycle for small and mid-sized businesses in your territory — from first outreach to closed deal. You'll bring Black Kite's third-party cyber risk management platform to security and risk leaders who need a smarter way to manage vendor exposure, and you'll do it with the backing of a product that genuinely differentiates. This is the right role if you're a hunter who thrives in a high-velocity, consultative sales environment and wants to grow with a category leader.
Black Kite is the global leader in third-party cyber risk intelligence, trusted by more than 3,000 organizations worldwide. We give security and business leaders a continuous, outside-in view of their entire vendor ecosystem — translating complex cyber, financial, and compliance signals into clear, actionable risk intelligence.
We go beyond open standards-based cyber ratings. Black Kite helps organizations make smarter risk decisions, strengthen business resilience, and scale their third-party cyber risk management programs in an increasingly complex digital environment. Our work has earned consistent recognition from customers and industry analysts alike.
WHY BLACK KITE
We're a fast-moving, high-impact team solving one of the most critical challenges in cybersecurity today. If you're looking to do meaningful work alongside sharp, collaborative people — and grow your career in a space that matters — you're in the right place.
THE OPPORTUNITY
As a Commercial Account Executive covering Chicago and the Midwest, you own the full sales cycle for small and mid-sized businesses in your territory — from first outreach to closed deal. You'll bring Black Kite's third-party cyber risk management platform to security and risk leaders who need a smarter way to manage vendor exposure, and you'll do it with the backing of a product that genuinely differentiates. This is the right role if you're a hunter who thrives in a high-velocity, consultative sales environment and wants to grow with a category leader.
- A defined territory with real whitespace — the Midwest commercial segment is an active growth priority for Black Kite
- A product that solves a real, board-level problem — third-party cyber risk is not a nice-to-have; it's a regulatory and business imperative
- Full sales support: SDR coverage, marketing pipeline contribution, and a Sales Engineering team that knows the product cold
- A leadership team that is accessible, data-driven, and invested in your development
- Competitive base uncapped commission with accelerators above quota
- Full sales cycle ownership: prospect, qualify, advance, and close net-new business across the Chicago/Midwest territory
- Pipeline development: build and maintain a healthy, active pipeline of qualified SMB opportunities through outbound prospecting, channel partnerships, and marketing-sourced leads
- Executive engagement: navigate and sell into security and risk leadership (CISO, CIO, Head of TPRM) as well as operational buyers
- Channel collaboration: partner with regional channel partners to co-sell and expand market coverage across the territory
- Forecast accuracy: maintain clean, current opportunity documentation in Salesforce and deliver reliable forecast reporting to leadership
- Cross-functional partnership: work closely with Sales Engineering, Marketing, and Customer Success to move deals forward and set customers up for long-term success
- Feedback loop: bring field intelligence back to Marketing and Product — your conversations with prospects shape how Black Kite goes to market
- 3 years of full-cycle sales experience in SaaS, cybersecurity, data, or analytics — with a track record of hitting or exceeding quota
- Experience selling to security or risk leadership (CISO, CIO, CRO, Head of TPRM/TPCRM) at the SMB or commercial level
- Consultative selling approach: you lead with the customer's problem, not the product pitch
- Strong regional network in Chicago and the broader Midwest — existing relationships with end-users or channel partners is a plus
- Comfortable managing a high-velocity pipeline across multiple simultaneous opportunities
- Skilled at navigating multi-stakeholder deals and building relationships across levels of an organization
- Clean Salesforce hygiene and strong organizational discipline
- Clear, confident communication — written, verbal, and in front of an executive audience
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience
- Prior experience in the cybersecurity or third-party risk management space
- Familiarity with TPCRM, vendor risk, or compliance-driven sales cycles
- Established relationships with MSSPs, VARs, or regional channel partners in the Midwest
- Experience using sales engagement tools (Outreach, Salesloft, or equivalent) alongside Salesforce
Salary : $180,000 - $210,000