Account Executive - Higher Education

This is an incredible opportunity to be part of a company that has been at the forefront of AI and high-performance data storage innovation for over two decades. DataDirect Networks (DDN) is a global market leader renowned for powering many of the world's most demanding AI data centers, in industries ranging from life sciences and healthcare to financial services, autonomous cars, Government, academia, research and manufacturing.

"DDN's A3I solutions are transforming the landscape of AI infrastructure." - IDC

"The real differentiator is DDN. I never hesitate to recommend DDN. DDN is the de facto name for AI Storage in high performance environments" - Marc Hamilton, VP, Solutions Architecture & Engineering | NVIDIA

DDN is the global leader in AI and multi-cloud data management at scale. Our cutting-edge data intelligence platform is designed to accelerate AI workloads, enabling organizations to extract maximum value from their data. With a proven track record of performance, reliability, and scalability, DDN empowers businesses to tackle the most challenging AI and data-intensive workloads with confidence.

Our success is driven by our unwavering commitment to innovation, customer-centricity, and a team of passionate professionals who bring their expertise and dedication to every project. This is a chance to make a significant impact at a company that is shaping the future of AI and data management.

Our commitment to innovation, customer success, and market leadership makes this an exciting and rewarding role for a driven professional looking to make a lasting impact in the world of AI and data storage.

DataDirect Networks is a global leader in AI and high-performance storage solutions; DDN empowers data-intensive, complex environments. We are seeking a strategic Account Executive to accelerate growth within our Higher Education vertical in the West Region.

In this role, you will cultivate strategic partnerships and hunt for new business to bring DDN's industry-leading AI and storage platforms to the Higher Education sector. This position is highly active, requiring 70% travel to engage directly with customers and drive regional growth.

Key Responsibilities

Own and drive revenue growth within assigned Higher Education accounts and territory
• Develop and execute strategic account plans targeting Higher Education customers
• Identify, qualify, and close new business opportunities aligned with DDN's AI and data platform solutions
• Build strong relationships with key stakeholders including CIOs, CTOs, data leaders, and engineering teams
• Partner with pre-sales engineers and solution architects to deliver tailored solutions that address customer challenges
• Lead complex sales cycles from prospecting through negotiation and close
• Collaborate cross-functionally with marketing, product, and customer success teams to ensure successful customer outcomes
• Maintain accurate pipeline management and forecasting within CRM systems

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience
• 10 years of enterprise technology sales experience, preferably within storage, infrastructure, or data solutions
• Experience selling into Higher Education verticals
• Proven track record of meeting or exceeding quota in complex, solution-based sales environments
• Strong understanding of enterprise IT, data infrastructure, or AI/ML ecosystems
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and executive presentation skills
• Ability to manage long sales cycles and multiple stakeholders

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with high-performance computing (HPC), AI infrastructure, or large-scale data environments
• Existing relationships within US Higher Education accounts

Base Salary Range: $160,000 -$200,000
In addition to base salary, this role is eligible for variable compensation (commission).

DDN has a very strong orientation towards these 4 characteristics and any successful employee will demonstrate these capabilities:

Self-Starter - Takes independent action to identify and solve problems. Seeks out relevant information needed to make decisions. Gets involved with new initiatives.

Success/Achievement Orientation - Delivers quality results consistently. Targets, achieves (or exceeds) measurable results. Sets challenging goals, focuses on critical priorities, and is accountable.

Problem Solving - Recognizes problems and responds with a systematic assessment that identifies and addresses cause of issue. Practical, realistic, and resourceful.

Innovative - Builds and improves key business processes that enhance the effectiveness of DDN. Generates new ideas, challenges the status quo, and solves problems creatively.

DataDirect Networks, Inc. is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender, sex stereotyping, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, protected Veteran Status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

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