Account Executive, Public Sector
Automattic
Hirezar Summary for South African Applicants
This fully remote full time position at Automattic is open worldwide, so South Africans can apply. As a remote position, you can work from anywhere in South Africa — whether you're based in Johannesburg, Cape Town, Durban, or a smaller town.
Job Description
<p><a href="https://wpvip.com/?utm_source=adwords&utm_medium=cpc&keyword=wordpress%20vip&creative=655740592947&campaignid=20013986353&adgroupid=151284858474&matchtype=e&device=c&network=g&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw8NilBhDOARIsAHzpbLC6M_9KA-bYOPjv0w_QGTZ9bcU4BkhbYXcjgOCfds_-9IpDP2bGLmUaArDYEALw_wcB">WordPress VIP</a> is the world’s leading enterprise content management platform. We help the world's largest companies (including Meta, Salesforce, and Disney) create innovative digital experiences with WordPress. As one of the fastest-growing areas of Automattic, with recent FedRAMP certification, WordPress VIP (WPVIP) is expanding its reach into the public sector.</p>
<h4>About the role:</h4>
<p>Your style is to listen and learn from prospects, positioning WordPress VIP as the best Content Management System for public sector organizations. You don’t sit and wait for leads to come to you. Instead, you research the market, identify opportunities within specific government agencies and public sector verticals, and design a sales strategy that is both high-touch and creative, thereby helping to create the best possible positioning to develop new business for WordPress VIP.</p>
<p>You view government agencies and public sector organizations as critical parts of society, and you can see how WordPress VIP and Automattic can help them along their journeys. You pride yourself in establishing long-term relationships and doing what’s best for the customer. You enjoy telling stories, doing demos, giving “the pitch,” and are comfortable talking to CIOs, CTOs, and other high-level government officials.</p>
<p>Our Public Sector team is small and agile, requiring team members to be highly hands-on and versatile. You’ll work closely with SDRs and have full leverage of our Marketing teams to create compelling outreach and content, but you’ll also be generating your own leads alongside that. You should be ready to dive deep into the details, including writing and understanding complex paperwork and RFPs.</p>
<h4><strong>Responsibilities: </strong></h4>
<ul>
<li>Drive significant revenue growth by securing new public sector clients and expanding existing government accounts.</li>
<li>Establish and nurture strategic relationships with high-level government officials that position our company as a critical technology partner.</li>
<li>Successfully manage both transactional deals and large multimillion-dollar opportunities within the constraints of government procurement processes.</li>
<li>Develop strategies to increase visibility and create opportunities within the public sector market.</li>
<li>Maintain accurate sales forecasts and pipeline information, and drive strategic improvement of forecasting processes in the public sector market.</li>
<li>Develop and execute innovative, public sector-specific sales strategies that accelerate market penetration in government agencies.</li>
<li>Actively engage in pipeline generation activities, including regular outbound prospecting to government organizations.</li>
<li>Enhance the product offering by providing valuable customer insights to inform our solution roadmap.</li>
<li>Elevate WordPress VIP’s brand and reputation in the government enterprise SaaS space through high-impact engagements.</li>
<li>Contribute to a high-performing sales culture by sharing best practices and mentoring team members.</li>
<li>Prepare and review complex government paperwork, including RFPs, ensuring compliance and competitiveness.</li>
</ul>
<h4>Requirements: </h4>
<ul>
<li>7+ years of enterprise software sales experience, preferably in SaaS or CMS-related technologies.</li>
<li>5+ years of SaaS sales experience selling to State and Local Government agencies.</li>
<li>Demonstrated ability to consistently meet or exceed sales quotas.</li>
<li>Strong understanding of SaaS and enterprise software and IT landscapes. Content management systems experience is a plus.</li>
<li>Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills.</li>
<li>Proven experience in solutions-based selling and closing enterprise-level deals with government agencies.</li>
<li>Ability to establish and maintain long-term customer relationships.</li>
<li>Experience in managing and growing business within named accounts and verticals.</li>
<li>Comfortable working with executive-level government prospects, negotiating terms, and reviewing contracts within public sector constraints.</li>
<li>Extensive knowledge of government procurement processes, contract vehicles, and compliance requirements.</li>
<li>Proven ability to identify and leverage appropriate procurement vehicles to create substantial market opportunities.</li>
<li>Proficiency in writing, understanding, and responding to complex government paperwork and RFPs.</li>
<li>Strong attention to detail and ability to manage complex, lengthy sales cycles typical in government procurement.</li>
<li>Self-motivated with a drive to achieve revenu
Tips for South African Applicants
Timezone Advantage
South Africa (SAST, UTC+2) overlaps well with European business hours and has a few hours of overlap with US East Coast. Mention your timezone flexibility in your application.
Salary in Context
Even without a listed salary, international remote roles typically pay 2-3x more than equivalent local positions in South Africa due to the exchange rate advantage.
Application Tips
Tailor your CV to international standards — use a clean format, highlight remote work experience, and include your English proficiency. Many SA applicants succeed by emphasising their strong work ethic and cultural adaptability.
Load Shedding Preparedness
If you're applying for a remote role, having a backup power solution (UPS, inverter, or generator) and mobile data as a backup internet connection shows employers you're prepared for South Africa's infrastructure challenges.
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About Automattic
Automattic is a company in the Account Executive industry that hires remote workers from South Africa. They currently have 16 open positions on Hirezar. View all Automattic jobs →