Senior Account Executive (SMB)

🧡 Coverflex

Work changed. Pay didn't.

Coverflex exists to make compensation work for everyone. Pay is still rigid, fragmented, and hard to feel. We turn compensation into choice — one platform, one card, one app — for benefits, meal allowance, insurance and more.

Our platform is simple for HR and meaningful for employees. We provide choice, smarter compensation tools and empowerment.

⚙️ TL;DR (The Essentials)

Role: Account Executive (SMB)
Seniority Level: Senior
Type: Individual Contributor
Languages: English (main) / Italian (C2/native)
Main Tools: HubSpot, LinkedIn Sales Navigator, Notion, Slack
Location: Remote (Italy)

Compensation:

• Base Salary: 40–50K

• Bonus / Commissions: 15–20K

• Equity: Yes – Stock Options under our Equity Incentive Plan

• Welfare: €2.800 - €3.500

• Meal Allowance: €10/day

• Benefits: All Coverflex benefits apply

• Contract Type: Permanent

💥 Your Impact

Your role will play a major role in our success because the Account Executive team is the engine of Coverflex Italy's growth. You'll accelerate new business acquisition in the SMB segment, support our market expansion, and help more companies discover a modern approach to compensation and benefits. This role is critical to sustaining our commercial momentum and scaling our presence in Italy.

You'll know you're successful when, after 90 days, you've:

• Built a consistent pipeline of qualified SMB opportunities

• Closed your first deals and contributed net-new revenue

• Led discovery calls, demos, and commercial conversations independently

• Developed strong CRM discipline (activity tracking, notes, next steps)

• Shown early forecasting reliability and deal ownership

How we'll measure success:

• Main KPI 1: New ARR generated (closed-won deals)

• Main KPI 2: Pipeline coverage and progression

• Main KPI 3: Sales activity and conversion rates

• Secondary KPI 1: Forecast accuracy

• Secondary KPI 2: CRM hygiene

⚡ Reality Check - What Makes This Role Hard

Let's be real — here's what makes this role challenging:

• SMB sales is high-volume and execution-driven — calls, emails, demos, and follow-ups every single day, while maintaining quality and energy in every interaction. No coasting.

• Rejection is part of the job. Not every lead converts, and you need the resilience to keep going, adapt, and improve — not wear down.

• You'll juggle multiple opportunities at different funnel stages simultaneously and be expected to own your pipeline and results from day one.

• Success here comes from discipline and consistency over time. The pace is high, expectations are ambitious, and occasional big wins don't compensate for a lack of daily execution.

👤 You

Must-haves (evidence, not years)

• You've run outbound — you can show how you built pipeline from scratch, not just followed up on inbound leads

• You've closed deals (B2B or B2C, full cycle) and can walk through a specific example from first contact to signature

• Strong work method to organize and prioritise a full pipeline

• CRM and sales metrics are your friends, especially HubSpot

• Exceptional communication skills

• Fluent in English and Italian

Nice-to-have

• You've worked in a startup or fast-paced scaleup — you know what "figure it out" mode looks like

• You've had exposure to both BDR and AE functions and understand the full pipeline from both sides

• You've sold HR tech, benefits, insurance, or fintech — you know the category and the buyer

• Degree (a plus, not a filter)

🧬 Your DNA

• Hunter mindset: you create opportunities, you don't wait for them

• Hungry and ambitious: you want to grow fast, be challenged, and develop quickly — not settle into a comfortable groove

• Strong commercial foundations: you understand pipeline, conversion, and what it takes to close

• Owner: you track, you adjust, and you don't blame the market when things are slow

You'll probably find this frustrating if…

• You prefer a steady inbound flow and feel uncomfortable when you have to generate pipeline from scratch

• You're used to deals coming to you, or expecting things to close themselves with minimal push

👥 Manager & Team

Meet Your Manager

Hiring Manager: Massimiliano Ferrero - Sales Director

Location: Italy

LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/massimiliano-ferrero-880867a2/

Profile Snapshot:

• Energy: Fast-paced, proactive, execution-focused — strong bias for action and continuous improvement

• Communication: Direct, transparent, solution-oriented. No BS.

• Feedback Style: Constructive and growth-focused — high expectations paired with real coaching

How to work with me - in the Manager's own words:

"Working with me is fast-paced, collaborative, and fun. I set high standards for myself and the team, and I value ownership, accountability, and positivity. I like to create an environment where people feel empowered to take initiative, grow, and challenge the status quo. I'm looking for partners, not just task-doers."

Your Team

You'll work day-to-day with:

• Andrea Belletti, Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrea-belletti/

• Ylenia Carola, Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/ylenia-carola/

• Francesco Cigoli, Senior Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/francesco-cigoli/

• Simone Finazzi, Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/simonefinazzi/

• Paolo Minach, Senior Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/paolotommasom/

• Alessandra Spartera, Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/alessandra-spartera-b90b95105/

• Michele Francesco Tassone, Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/michele-tassone-43472746/?skipRedirect=true

• Beatrice Tognocchi, Account Executive, https://www.linkedin.com/in/beatrice-tognocchi-54834b14a/?locale=en

Key Stakeholders:

• CSM Team

• BDR Team

Team Rituals:

• 1:1s with Manager

• Weekly Team Meeting

• Weekly Training

💜 Access & Belonging (Equal Opportunity)

We hire for impact and potential, not pedigree. We welcome applications from people with non-linear careers, career breaks, caregiving gaps, and those changing fields.

No discrimination on the basis of age, disability, gender identity/expression, marital or family status, pregnancy, neurodivergence, race/ethnicity, religion/belief, gender, sexual orientation, or any other protected ground.

Assessment fairness: We anchor on evidence of outcomes (what you shipped, moved, or influenced). We actively de-bias by using structured rubrics, multiple assessors, and blind screening most of the time (we won't know your name, gender, or personal info until the interview stage).

📬 Application Clarity

No cover letter required. Apply with your LinkedIn or upload your CV. You may be asked a few short, relevant questions.

Total candidate time investment: ~3–5 hours end-to-end.

🧩 Hiring Stages (What to Expect, Why & How Long)

1. CV / LinkedIn Screen — Signal check vs must-haves
   • Done by People + Hiring Manager.
   • You’ll hear from us within 7 business days.

2. Role-Fit Questionnaire (async)
   Purpose: capture signals your CV can’t (languages, tools, scenario judgement) and calibrate seniority.
   Format: video.
   Accessibility: prefer a call? Tell us - we’ll swap for a short chat.

3. People Interview - Mutual fit & context • 45 min.
   With People. Stress-free virtual coffee, focused on getting to know you as a person. We talk about culture, beliefs, and purpose, but also role scope, salary, location, and timeline.

4. Hiring Manager Interview - Deep dive into your work + roleplay • 60 min.
   Structured around your outcomes, decisions, and approach. You'll pitch Coverflex to a fictional prospect — we want to see how you think on your feet.

5. 6. Final Conversation (General Manager) — Values, strategy, and your growth • 30 min.

🤖 AI & Hiring Tools Transparency

We use a few tools to reduce bias and improve documentation, not to make hiring decisions.

• Teamtailor anonymisation: profiles are reviewed without relying on names/personal identifiers.

• Meeting recorder (e.g., Talka.ai): may be used to capture interviews so we can focus on the conversation.

• ChatGPT: may be used to turn interview notes/transcripts into clear, structured summaries.

Important: every application is reviewed by a human, and no decision or rejection is made by AI. If recording is used, we'll be transparent and (where required) ask for consent.

⏱️ Speed & Communication

• Decision: within 4 weeks of your application.

• Updates: weekly if the process runs longer.

• Scheduling: interviews between 10:00–16:00 CET (flexible across Europe).

• Feedback: from the Hiring Manager Interview stage onwards, you'll always receive written or verbal feedback — what went well, and what to strengthen next time.