Telecom Account Executive

About Canonical

Canonical is a global software company specializing in open source solutions, with Ubuntu as its leading Linux distribution. The company delivers enterprise software from the data center to cloud and edge environments. Canonical operates with over 1,000 colleagues across more than 70 countries, maintaining a distributed work model and a focus on accelerating the adoption and quality of open source globally.

The Role of Telecom Account Executive

Canonical is seeking a Telecom Account Executive to join its sales organization. This full-time position is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, with a focus on the Middle East, DACH region, Nordics, Eastern Europe, and USA. The role involves building and managing commercial relationships with enterprises, focusing on open source solutions for infrastructure and applications, including software-defined storage, private cloud, container runtimes, databases, and machine learning capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Represent Canonical's solutions and software within the assigned territory.
• Develop and execute a territory plan to prioritize outreach and prospecting efforts.
• Generate new pipeline through outreach, prospecting, local marketing, and industry events.
• Close contracts to achieve and exceed quarterly and annual bookings targets.
• Manage customer relationships and interactions throughout the sales cycle.
• Collaborate with field engineers to propose solutions addressing customer business problems.
• Work with customer success teams to identify growth opportunities.
• Maintain accurate pipeline data and forecasts using Salesforce.
• Establish professional relationships with key influencers and decision-makers.
• Prospect accounts for new business and maintain existing relationships.
• Work with colleagues and partners on account strategy.
• Sell enterprise software, open source, cloud, virtualization, and container technologies to senior enterprise levels.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Bachelor's degree, preferably in engineering or computer science.
• Experience with open source technology and solutions.
• Detail-oriented with effective follow-up practices.
• Experience in enterprise software or technology sales planning and execution.
• Demonstrated track record of achieving sales targets and securing new accounts.
• Self-discipline and motivation to succeed in a distributed team environment.
• Professional written and spoken English, along with any language appropriate for the target market.
• Ability to travel regionally for client engagements, industry conferences, and internationally for company events twice a year.
• Understanding of customer needs, industry-specific challenges, and a desire to help solve business problems.
• Ability to learn complex subjects quickly and communicate clearly.
• Interest in technology and its advancements.
• Willingness to collaborate with diverse teams and balance personal and team objectives.
• Drive to motivate oneself and others to achieve results.

Additional Skills of Interest

• Specific vertical experience in finance, telco, health, energy, public sector, or technology.
• Experience speaking at conferences or industry events.

Application Process

The selection process at Canonical is thorough and may take three to six months for successful applicants. Candidates should be prepared for a comprehensive evaluation that assesses both ability and character, aligning with the company's standards for performance and teamwork.