Account Executive

blackforestlabs, the innovative company behind foundational generative AI technologies like Latent Diffusion, Stable Diffusion, and FLUX, is seeking a motivated Account Executive. These powerful tools have revolutionised image and video creation, with millions of creators, developers, and businesses globally already leveraging their capabilities. As demand surges from a diverse clientele, ranging from nimble startups and AI-native enterprises to established global brands venturing into generative AI, blackforestlabs needs a sales professional to capitalise on this momentum and drive revenue growth.

About the Role

This position offers a unique opportunity to be at the forefront of a rapidly evolving industry. As an Account Executive, you will be instrumental in translating the significant market interest in blackforestlabs' cutting-edge generative models into tangible business success. You will engage with a broad spectrum of clients, from emerging technology firms to industry titans, guiding them through the entire sales process. The role requires a proactive approach to not only secure new business but also to nurture existing client relationships, ensuring their continued success and expansion with the company's solutions.

The core of your responsibilities will revolve around managing the complete sales cycle for a diverse portfolio of clients. This includes:

• **Full Cycle Sales Management:** Taking ownership of deals from initial qualification through to successful closure. This applies to a range of customer segments, including small to medium-sized businesses (SMBs), startups, AI-focused companies, and large enterprise clients.
• **Account Management & Expansion:** Overseeing a substantial book of 30-50+ existing accounts. Your focus will be on driving customer retention, encouraging deeper adoption of the technology, and identifying opportunities for expansion. This means helping clients move beyond initial use cases to integrate the technology across various teams, products, and business units.
• **Pipeline Generation:** Actively pursuing new business through both inbound lead qualification and strategic outbound prospecting within identified target market segments.
• **Collaborative Sales Execution:** Working closely with sales leadership to plan and execute targeted sales campaigns.
• **Technical Deal Management:** Handling sales processes that may involve API access and licensing for model weights, requiring an understanding of technical intricacies.
• **Customer Insight Translation:** Gathering and relaying customer needs and usage patterns back to the internal teams, which can inform product development and identify further expansion opportunities.
• **Cross-Functional Collaboration:** Partnering with solutions engineering and product teams to address technical queries and provide comprehensive solutions to clients.

What They're Looking For

blackforestlabs is searching for a results-oriented individual with a proven track record in sales, particularly within technical or high-growth environments. Ideal candidates will possess:

• **Sales Experience:** A minimum of two to four years of experience in a closing sales role. Prior experience progressing from a Business Development Representative (BDR) to an Account Executive (AE) role is highly valued.
• **Technical Sales Acumen:** Demonstrated experience selling complex technical products. This could include APIs, developer tools, cloud infrastructure, or AI/ML products. You should be comfortable discussing model capabilities, API integration strategies, and deployment considerations with technically savvy buyers.
• **High-Volume Account Management:** A history of successfully managing a large number of accounts and deals concurrently without compromising quality or client satisfaction.
• **Proactive Prospecting:** Strong outbound sales instincts and the ability to independently build and nurture a sales pipeline, rather than solely relying on inbound leads.
• **Adaptability & Drive:** Experience working in a startup, scale-up, or other high-growth settings where processes may have been nascent or evolving. This suggests an ability to thrive in dynamic environments.
• **Organisation & Self-Discipline:** Exceptional organisational skills, a disciplined work ethic, and the capacity to work independently and take initiative.

**Bonus Points:** While not essential, candidates with a background or keen interest in generative AI, image and video generation technologies, or open-source business models will find themselves particularly well-suited for this role.

In South Africa, the role of an Account Executive in the tech sector, especially in high-demand areas like AI, can be quite lucrative. Depending on experience and the specific company's compensation structure, base salaries can range significantly, often supplemented by attractive commission or bonus structures. Common employers for such roles include established software companies, cloud service providers, and increasingly, innovative local and international tech startups operating within the South African market. Career progression typically involves moving into senior account management, sales leadership, or specialised roles within the AI and technology sales landscape.

• 2-4 years in a closing sales role, ideally with a BDR-to-AE progression
• Experience selling technical products — APIs, developer tools, cloud infrastructure, or AI/ML products
• Comfortable discussing model capabilities, API integration, and deployment with technical buyers
• Track record of managing a high volume of accounts and deals in parallel without dropping balls
• Strong outbound instincts — can build pipeline, not just work inbound
• Experience in a startup, scale-up, or high-growth environment where process didn't exist yet
• Organized, disciplined, and self-directed
• Bonus: background in generative AI, image/video generation, or open-source business models