Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
In the EdTech sector, the Enterprise Account Executive is a senior commercial role with a focus on closing complex, high‑value deals and driving strategic growth. While SDRs open doors and BDMs build pipeline momentum, Enterprise AEs carry the responsibility for managing long, multi‑stakeholder sales processes and securing large contracts with institutions, governments, international buyers and enterprise customers. In a market where procurement cycles are extended, buying groups are layered and trust is essential, Enterprise AEs act as deal‑makers, strategic consultants and trusted advisors to both buyers and internal leadership.
In the UK, and particularly in London, Enterprise AEs play a key role in scaling EdTech businesses locally and globally. Many organisations offer flexible working models including remote, hybrid and office‑based roles. Remote positions suit experienced sellers who can manage complex virtual engagements across time zones. Hybrid roles balance deep team collaboration and strategy sessions in person with remote customer engagement. Office‑based roles remain valuable for intense onboarding, cross‑functional alignment and mentorship, especially in fast‑growing companies or early‑stage teams building repeatable enterprise GTM motions.
Enterprise AEs are responsible for managing opportunities handed up from business development teams and converting them into signed agreements. They lead detailed stakeholder discovery, align solutions to institutional priorities, tailor high‑stakes product demonstrations and navigate procurement challenges involving legal, finance and compliance stakeholders. Building trust with senior education leaders, ministers of education and technical decision‑makers is central to success. Enterprise AEs also build robust business cases and pricing strategies that reflect value while accommodating slower buying cycles common in education systems.
In internal collaboration, Enterprise AEs work closely with SDRs and BDMs, sales leadership including Heads of Sales or VPs of Sales, product and customer success teams, and often senior executives. In early‑stage companies, they may also partner directly with founders to shape strategic GTM changes based on market insights. Cross‑functional collaboration is essential both to close deals and to refine messaging that resonates with strategic buyers at the enterprise level.
Externally, Enterprise AEs engage with a wide ecosystem including heads of departments, senior leadership teams in schools and universities, procurement officers, IT and data protection leads, as well as district and multi‑academy trust executives. International roles extend this engagement to ministries of education, regional networks and global partners. Navigating these ecosystems requires cultural intelligence, deep knowledge of educational structures and comfort managing extended sales processes with multiple decision points.
Compensation for Enterprise AE roles reflects their seniority and impact. In the United States, base salaries often range from $110,000 to $140,000, with on‑target earnings (OTE) commonly between $180,000 and $250,000 or more, depending on company size and commission structure. In the United Kingdom, London‑based Enterprise AEs typically see package ranges from £70,000 to £100,000 base with OTE from £110,000 to £180,000. In Europe, base pay often sits between €80,000 and €110,000 with OTE between €120,000 and €180,000. Candidates with deep EdTech experience or strong public sector understanding tend to earn at the higher end of these bands due to reduced ramp times and quicker trust establishment.
A typical day for an Enterprise AE involves strategic account planning and pipeline reviews in the morning, followed by high‑impact calls with senior stakeholders or key decision‑makers. Midday often includes internal alignment with product, compliance or executive teams and continued negotiation work. Afternoons are frequently spent preparing detailed proposals, forecasting updates and managing key administrative tasks to ensure the pipeline remains accurate and transparent. Senior AEs prioritise their time carefully to balance current deals while nurturing future strategic opportunities.
Enterprise AE roles vary between inbound and outbound oriented work. In inbound scenarios, Enterprise AEs focus on converting high‑intent leads passed from SDR and marketing teams, accelerating qualification and closing. Outbound Enterprise AEs work with BDMs and leadership to target new enterprise accounts proactively, especially in less mature markets or new regions. Both approaches are common in hybrid models that align effort to company strategy.
Domestic roles in the UK benefit from familiarity with local curricula, procurement frameworks and education budgets, leading to faster integration into territory planning. International roles demand broader adaptability — negotiating across national educational frameworks, regional buying groups and cultural expectations. Sellers in international positions also manage relationships across multiple time zones, pricing structures and compliance landscapes. This breadth is particularly important for companies with global ambitions, and recruiters value candidates who are culturally aware and commercially fluent.
Enterprise AE roles attract candidates from a variety of backgrounds. Many come from senior commercial paths such as BDMs, Account Managers or Customer Success leaders. Others transition from related sectors including enterprise SaaS, public sector sales or educational leadership roles. Hiring managers look for evidence of relationship building, strategic negotiation, ability to manage multiple stakeholders and a strong grasp of sales operations. Equally important are personal attributes like resilience, clear communication and strategic thinking.
Career progression from an Enterprise AE often leads to leadership positions such as Regional Sales Lead, Head of Sales or VP of Sales. Other avenues include strategic partnerships, revenue operations leadership, GTM strategy roles, or enterprise success roles. The skills developed in enterprise selling — complex stakeholder navigation, forecasting excellence and commercial strategy — are transferable to broader leadership functions.
Measuring success in enterprise sales involves a blend of quantitative and qualitative indicators including closed revenue, deal velocity and win ratio, forecast accuracy, stakeholder engagement breadth and strategic account expansion. EdTech specific metrics might also focus on multi‑stakeholder engagement, depth of procurement navigation and long‑term adoption or renewal outcomes.
Enterprise AEs face common challenges unique to education markets. Procurement cycles frequently span three to twelve months, slowing momentum. Academic calendars, term breaks and exam periods add variability to engagement windows. Multi‑stakeholder approval processes and organisational change management also prolong cycles. For international deals, the timelines may extend further due to language, regulatory or budgetary complexities.
Given these realities, Enterprise AEs should align expectations with hiring managers early on. Results are often visible in early indicators rather than closed revenue alone. In inbound focused roles, initial impact may be seen within one to three months in terms of pipeline quality, stakeholder engagement and discovery outcomes. In outbound or enterprise targeted roles, meaningful revenue outcomes often require three to six months or more. Managing expectations can be aided by reporting on leading metrics such as qualified opportunities, number of senior conversations and pilots secured, rather than purely revenue figures.
For hiring managers looking to build high‑performing sales teams, RecruitHer recommends prioritising candidates with education sector fluency rather than pure commercial pedigree alone. Value stakeholder sensitivity alongside commercial drive, and include realistic sales scenarios in interviews to surface strategic thinking and resilience. Gender diversity is also an important consideration. Bringing more women into senior sales roles strengthens trust‑based engagement and better reflects the predominantly female education audience.
Candidates looking to stand out for Enterprise AE positions should demonstrate a visible professional presence, articulate education stakeholder mapping effectively, provide quantified evidence of sales impact and speak to their understanding of procurement and multi‑stakeholder environments. RecruitHer supports both candidates and employers in navigating this market with insight and strategy.
