Account Executive

Reporting to: Sales Director

Location: Chicago, IL

Type of employment: Permanent, Full Time | Office-Based, 5 Days Per Week

Experience: Mid-level, 3 years in a B2B sales role; language solutions or adjacent industry preferred

Global Lingo – Our Values

Global Lingo is a fast-growing, award-winning Language Service Provider with a global footprint spanning the UK (HQ), Romania, Singapore, Australia, Guatemala, and the USA. We deliver high-quality language solutions; translation, interpreting, transcription, and technology-enabled localization; to a broad range of enterprise and mid-market clients worldwide.

We are an ambitious business with a winning culture. We move fast, hold ourselves to high standards, and put service quality at the absolute forefront of everything we do. Our people are passionate, collaborative, and committed to continuous improvement. If you want to be part of a business that is genuinely growing; and to grow with it; read on.

Role Competences & Values

We are looking for a commercially sharp, self-motivated Account Executive to join our sales team in Chicago. This is a dual-focus role: managing and growing a defined portfolio of strategic accounts and driving new business development through a structured Account-Based Marketing (ABM) approach.

This is not a passive account management role. We want someone who reads their accounts deeply, identifies whitespace, challenges the status quo, and brings ideas to the table; both for clients and internally. You will have real autonomy, real targets, and real upside.

The role is fully office-based, five days per week. We believe in the energy and collaboration that comes from being in the room together, and we expect the successful candidate to embrace this.

Education & Experience

Essential

• 3 years of B2B sales experience with a demonstrable track record of hitting or exceeding revenue targets
• Experience with Account-Based Marketing (ABM) or structured account-based selling approaches
• Experience managing a growth-focused account portfolio alongside new business development
• Strong commercial acumen; you understand margin, deal structure, and long-term client value
• Confident communicator and relationship builder at senior/C-suite level
• Highly organised with strong pipeline management discipline
• A self-starter who does not wait to be told what to do; you identify the opportunity and go after it
• Proficiency in CRM platforms (HubSpot or equivalent)
• Comfortable and committed to working from the office five days per week

Preferred

• Experience in the language solutions, localization, or professional services sector
• Familiarity with enterprise localization technology (TMS, CMS connectors, MT/NMT, LLM post-editing)
• Experience selling into global, multi-stakeholder enterprise accounts
• Experience in using LinkedIn Sales Navigator

Success Criteria

In year one, you will be assessed on:

• Revenue growth from your assigned account portfolio
• New business won from ABM-targeted prospects and legacy relationships
• Pipeline health and forecast accuracy and CRM management
• Quality of account plans and depth of relationships within strategic accounts
• Contribution to team knowledge, strategy, and culture

Role Responsibilities

Account Growth

• Own and grow a defined portfolio of strategic accounts, with a clear plan for each
• Identify and pursue cross-sell and upsell opportunities across departments, geographies, and service lines
• Build multi-threaded relationships within accounts; not just a single contact
• Re-engage dormant accounts where approved, developing a targeted re-entry strategy
• Partner with the CEO (Chicago) and the Global Sales Director (London) on account planning and escalated opportunity strategies

New Business Development (ABM-Led)

• Execute a structured ABM program targeting high-fit prospect accounts that match our Ideal Client Profiles
• Research, map, and engage target accounts with a personalised, insight-led outreach approach
• Develop pipeline from legacy relationships and your own network where relevant
• Respond to inbound opportunities, qualifying rigorously before committing resource
• Work with marketing to align outreach campaigns and ABM content to target account priorities

Pipeline & Commercial Management

• Maintain a healthy, qualified pipeline with accurate forecasting in the CRM at all times
• Ensure all calls, meetings, and touchpoints are logged promptly and accurately
• Meet or exceed pipeline KPIs aligned to the sales funnel stages
• Bring commercial rigour to deal structuring; margin awareness, scope definition, and risk identification

Client Relationship & Experience

• Prepare thoroughly for every client meeting; clear agenda, defined objectives, and tailored insight
• Act as the primary point of contact for your accounts; take ownership of issues and see them through to resolution
• Attend industry conferences and trade shows to deepen market knowledge and maintain client relationships
• Represent Global Lingo professionally and consistently, reflecting our values in every interaction

Internal Contribution

• Attend and contribute meaningfully to weekly sales meetings; share market intelligence, flag risks, and celebrate wins
• Bring ideas to leadership: what are you seeing in the market? What should we be doing differently?
• Collaborate across functions; operations, technology, finance; to deliver a seamless client experience

Why Global Lingo

• Competitive base salary with uncapped commission structure
• A genuine opportunity to shape and grow with a business that is scaling
• Personal development plan with real investment in your growth
• Collaborative, high-performance team culture; ambitious but supportive

Are you ready for a new challenge? Apply today!