Account Executive, Early Stage - UK&I

Vanta
London, United Kingdom
HybridCareer-pivot friendly

Who this role is best for

A natural match if you have experience in B2B SaaS sales focused on SMBs or early-stage startups and thrive in high-velocity, transactional environments.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with a proven track record in high-volume B2B SaaS sales to early-stage companies
    — “experience in B2B SaaS, ideally focused on SMB or early-stage startups”
  • Individuals who excel in fast-paced, repeatable sales processes with a 30-day deal cycle focus
    — “close deals within a 30-day timeframe”
  • Candidates who can balance high daily activity with empathy and long-term customer retention
    — “highly empathetic to customers, with a proven track record of long-term customer retention”

Things to consider

  • Requires three days per week in-office presence in London despite hybrid flexibility
    — “office-centric hybrid schedule. The standard in-office days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.”
  • Role is transactional and may not suit those seeking deep, consultative sales relationships
    — “highly transactional, new business role where success comes from running a tight, repeatable process”

How to stand out

  • Highlight your ability to manage a large pipeline and close deals quickly on your resume
    — “manage a broad pipeline of opportunities simultaneously”
  • Emphasize your technical understanding of security and compliance software in interviews
    — “technical competency to understand Vanta’s software and build great relationships with highly technical prospects”
  • Showcase your experience tailoring sales materials to early-stage startup buyers
    — “tailoring sales materials and demos to resonate with early-stage startup buyers”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • sales targets
  • customer retention
  • product adoption
Typical background
sales experienceB2B SaaS

Skills & requirements

Required

SalesB2B SaasSales Cycle ManagementCustomer Relationship ManagementProduct Positioning

Preferred

Early-stage Startup SalesSecurity And Compliance

Stack & domain

SalesB2B SaasSMBEarly-stage StartupsSecurity And ComplianceSales Cycle ManagementSales Workflow OptimizationCommunicationProblem-solvingEmpathyTeamworkCustomer FocusHigh EnergySecurityCompliance

About the role

Original posting from Vanta via Ashby

At Vanta, our mission is to help businesses earn and prove trust. We believe that security should be monitored and verified continuously, and we empower companies to practice better security and prove it with ease. Vanta has a kind and talented team, and while some have prior security experience, many have been successful at Vanta without it. 

Vanta is growing fast, consistently exceeding our growth targets, and maintaining exceptionally strong NPS scores along the way. Our momentum is driven by a clear mission: to secure the internet and help startups scale with trust. As the category leader in compliance and security automation, we’re capturing market share rapidly, and our Sales team is at the forefront of that charge.

To support this continued growth, we’re expanding our Early Stage Sales team. We’re looking for high-energy, customer-focused Account Executives who thrive in high-volume, fast-paced environments and are motivated by the challenge of turning velocity into results. In this role, you’ll take full ownership of the sales cycle, from first touch to close, and play a critical role in positioning Vanta as the go-to solution for early-stage companies navigating security and compliance for the first time.

This is a highly transactional, new business role where success comes from running a tight, repeatable process and maintaining a high daily output.

If you love the energy of working with startups, are driven to outperform targets, and want to make a tangible impact in a rapidly scaling business, we’d love to hear from you.

This role will be based in our London office with an office-centric hybrid schedule. The standard in-office days are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

What you’ll do as an Account Executive, Startups - EMEA at Vanta:

  • Identify high-potential business verticals to develop and execute outbound strategies to engage them with Vanta.
  • Manage the entire sales cycle, from initial contact to contract negotiation and closing, with a focus on speed and efficiency, aiming to close deals within a 30-day timeframe.
  • Turn our inbound demand into closed-won business quickly and consistently, working across a large number of prospects
  • Operate in a fast-paced, transactional sales environment, running a high number of discovery calls and managing a broad pipeline of opportunities simultaneously.
  • Continuously optimize your sales workflow to maintain high activity levels, improve conversion, and deliver repeatable results.
  • Define and communicate the value of Vanta to prospects, including tailoring sales materials and demos to resonate with early-stage startup buyers
  • Surface product feedback and trends from prospects to inform go-to-market and product development strategies.

How to be successful in this role:

  • Have 12+ months in a closing and quota-carrying role, while consistently exceeding monthly and quarterly sales targets
  • Experience in B2B SaaS, ideally focused on SMB or early-stage startups, where short deal cycles and high activity are the norm
  • Thrive in high-velocity sales environments and are energized by repetition, fast decision-making, and a transactional approach to deal flow
  • Be highly empathetic to customers, with a proven track record of long-term customer retention.
  • Possess the technical competency to understand Vanta’s software and build great relationships with highly technical prospects.
  • Have stellar problem-solving chops, and an enthusiasm for making a large impact early on at a start-up.
  • You’re intrinsically motivated, proactive, and resourceful—comfortable taking initiative without needing direction
  • Open to using AI to amplify their skills and strengthen their work - demonstrating curiosity, a willingness to learn, and sound judgment in applying AI responsibly to improve efficiency and impact

What you can expect as a Vanta'n:

  • Industry-competitive salary and equity
  • 100% covered medical, dental, and vision benefits with dependents coverage
  • 16 weeks paid Parental Leave for all new parents Health & wellness stipend
  • Remote workspace, internet, and mobile phone stipend
  • Commuter benefits for team members who attend the office
  • Pension matching
  • 25 days of Annual Leave per year and unlimited sick time
  • 8 company-paid holidays
  • Virtual team building activities, lunch and learns, and other company-wide events!
  • Offices in SF, NYC, London, Dublin, Tel Aviv, and Sydney

#LI-hybrid

At Vanta, we are committed to hiring diverse talent of different backgrounds and as such, it is important to us to provide an inclusive work environment for all. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, gender identity, age, religion, sexual orientation, veteran or disability status, or any other protected class. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage and welcome people of all backgrounds to apply.

About Vanta

We started in 2018, in the wake of several high-profile data breaches. Online security was only becoming more important, but we knew firsthand how hard it could be for fast-growing companies to invest the time and manpower it takes to build a solid security foundation. Vanta was inspired by a vision to restore trust in internet businesses by enabling companies to improve and prove their security. From our early days automating security monitoring for compliance standards like SOC 2, HIPAA and ISO 27001 to creating the world's leading Trust Management Platform, our vision remains unchanged. 

Now more than ever, making security continuous—not just a point-in-time check— is essential. Thousands of companies rely on Vanta to build, maintain and demonstrate their trust— all in a way that's real-time and transparent.

Referral Instructions

If you are being referred for the role, please contact that person to apply on your behalf.

Source: Vanta careers (Ashby)

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