Senior Account Executive; SLED

Who are we?

Equinix is the world's digital infrastructure company, shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet.

A place where bold ideas are welcomed, human connection is valued, and everyone has the opportunity to shape their future. A career at Equinix means being at the center of shaping what comes next and amplifying customer value through innovation and impact. You'll work across teams, influence key decisions, and help shape the path forward. You'll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes you-because when you feel valued, you're empowered to do your best work.

The primary responsibility of this role is the acquisition of new State, Local Government, and Education (SLED) customers within the assigned Northwestern territory of the United States (Northern California, Oregon, Washington). This position is primarily a hunter-focused, new logo sales role with a strong emphasis on outbound prospecting, relationship creation, and pipeline generation.

While the role includes responsibility for approximately 32 existing accounts, success is measured by the ability to identify, pursue, and close new opportunities across State, Local, and Education organizations.

• 70% New Acquisition / 30% Account Management

• Own and execute a new customer acquisition strategy across SLED territory, including State of CA's I.T. Organization, California Department of Technology (CDT), all sub-agencies within State of CA, State of Washington and State of Oregon. This also includes all local government and education entities across the region
• Target netnew agencies, institutions, and buying centers within assigned and whitespace accounts
• Drive new collocation and digital infrastructure sales within the assigned Equinix territory
• Play an integral role in defining account strategies and identifying priority target accounts
• Focus on opportunities that originate through outbound prospecting and hunting activities, which then convert into owned territory accounts

• Maintain a high level of channel-partner focused growth initiatives and activity, proactive engagement with C-suite including CIO, CFO, procurement and attending industry conferences, trade shows, and regional SLED events.
• Pursue highest propensity prospects and consistently fill the sales funnel
• Pitch primarily to C-level and senior government stakeholders. Leverage industry relationships, channel partners, and ecosystem connections to create new opportunities

• Coordinate with Opportunity Development teams to strategize lead qualification and opportunity advancement
• Actively monitor and maintain opportunity status in Salesforce, following best practice forecasting principles
• Identify at risk opportunities, expiring contracts, and churn risks
• Provide accurate sales forecasts using Salesforce and Clari

Utilize modern sales tools to drive prospecting, pipeline management, and territory execution, including:

• Outlook
• Salesforce (SFDC)
• Clari
• Linked In Navigator
• eRepublic / Gov Tech Navigator
• AI-driven tools (e.g., Perplexity) for research, messaging, and productivity

• Plan, build, and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders across SLED organizations
• Lead and participate in Executive Briefings
• Facilitate customer relationships to ensure timely resolution of issues
• Conduct Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs) to uncover expansion and upsell opportunities

• Lead a coordinated sales approach across internal teams (Sales Engineers, Solutions Architects, Customer Care, Commercial Solutions, Sales Operations)
• Work closely with resellers, strategic alliance partners, and channel partners to penetrate accounts and scale opportunity creation

• Research and document a detailed understanding of customer business environments, organizational structures, and buying dynamics
• Develop and execute strategic territory and account plans focused on acquisition and expansion
• Prioritize accounts and prospects for short and longterm pursuit
• May focus on specific subverticals within the SLED sector

• Identify customer business needs, challenges, and technical requirements
• Map customer needs to Equinix solutions in partnership with Sales Engineers and Solution Architects
• Lead customer presentations and solution pitches, adapting messaging to customer personas
• Demonstrate proficiency across the Equinix portfolio, including global platform and interconnection solutions
• Leverage external partners for solution development within new prospects and use cases

• Proactively address high churn risk customers using internal and external resources
• Facilitate contract renewals and negotiations to protect revenue
• Lead commercial discussions,…