Founding Account Executive

About the Role

ROI-AI One builds custom AI agents for wholesale distributors — the kind of companies doing $50M to $500M in revenue that are leaving millions on the table every year in unrecovered chargebacks, tariff refunds, and AR leakage. Our agents plug into existing workflows and recover that money automatically. We have paying customers, real case studies, and a product that works.

This is the first sales hire. You will own everything from first outreach to signed contract — no SDR handing you warm leads, no sales ops building your sequences, no VP telling you which accounts to work. You will figure out what works, close deals, and build the playbook that the next hires will follow.

The buyers are CFOs, COOs, and AR managers who are already aware of the problem. Chargebacks alone can represent 1–3% of gross revenue. Your job is not to convince them the problem exists — it is to show them that ROI-AI One is the right solution and that the ROI is undeniable.

What You'll Do

• •Own the full sales cycle: Run every deal from first cold touch to signed contract — outbound prospecting, discovery, demo, proposal, negotiation, and close. No hand-offs.
• •Build the outbound motion: Identify target accounts, write sequences, book your own meetings. Test channels and messaging until you reliably book calls with CFOs and AR directors at distributors.
• •Run discovery and demos: Lead consultative conversations that uncover the scale of revenue leakage in each account. Tailor demos to show exactly how the agent would work in their environment.
• •Define the playbook: Document what works — talk tracks, objection handling, pricing structures, deal timelines. This becomes the foundation for future AE hires.
• •Collaborate directly with the founder: Work alongside the CEO on deals, strategic accounts, and product feedback. Your field intelligence directly shapes the roadmap.
• •Retain and expand: Work closely with the team post-close to ensure customers see results. Your success is measured by deals closed and customers retained — not just signatures.

Must-Haves

• •3+ years of full-cycle B2B SaaS sales experience, including cold outbound — you have booked your own meetings and closed your own deals without relying on an SDR team
• •Experience selling to finance or operations buyers (CFO, COO, VP Finance, Controller) at companies with $50M–$500M in annual revenue
• •Demonstrated ability to close 5-figure and low 6-figure ACV deals with multi-stakeholder buying processes
• •Self-directed and comfortable with ambiguity — you do not need a defined territory or a manager checking your pipeline weekly
• •Strong written communication — your cold emails and LinkedIn messages get replies because they are specific, credible, and direct

Nice to Have

• •Prior experience selling into wholesale distribution, logistics, CPG, or manufacturing
• •Experience at a company with fewer than 50 employees where you built process, not just followed it
• •Familiarity with AI or automation tools in a sales context — you can have a credible technical conversation without an SE on the call
• •Existing relationships with CFOs or AR leaders at mid-market distributors or retailers

Compensation

• •Base salary: $120,000/year — enough to cover your costs while you build pipeline
• •Commission: Percentage of every deal you close — paid on new bookings
• •Equity: Early-stage equity package commensurate with being the first sales hire — details discussed in first conversation
• •OTE: $250,000–$350,000 in year one at plan, uncapped above that

Why This Works

• •The product is already proven: You are not selling a pitch deck. Customers are live, getting results, and referring peers. The ROI conversation is grounded in real numbers from real accounts.
• •The market is underserved: Mid-market wholesale distributors are not swimming in AI vendors targeting them. Your competition is mostly spreadsheets and manual labor.
• •You earn on everything you close, forever: Most AE comp structures pay you once at close. Here, your incentives stay aligned with customer outcomes for as long as that customer pays.
• •Direct line to the product: If buyers are consistently losing deals over a specific gap, that conversation happens the same week — not six months later in a roadmap meeting.