Account Executive - Higher Education

Department: Department

Location: Remote - California

Compensation: $350K – $400K

Employment Type: FullTime

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