Director Account Executives

About KnowBe4

Join the cybersecurity company that puts security first; literally and without compromise. At KnowBe4, our AI-driven Human Risk Management platform empowers over 70,000 organizations worldwide to strengthen their security culture and transform their workforce from their biggest vulnerability into their strongest security asset. As the undisputed industry standard with unusually high customer retention rates and recognition as a Leader by G2 and TrustRadius, we're not just providing security awareness training - we're redefining what it means to be a trusted security partner in an increasingly complex threat landscape.

Our team values radical transparency, extreme ownership, and continuous professional development in a welcoming workplace that encourages all employees to be themselves. Whether working remotely or in-person, we strive to make every day fun and engaging; from team lunches to trivia competitions to local outings, there is always something exciting happening at KnowBe4.

Clearwater positions open to candidates located in greater Tampa Bay area.  

The Opportunity

Join our high-performing SMB Sales organization as the leader who transforms individual contributors into revenue-generating powerhouses. As Director of Account Executives (SMB), you'll be the driving force behind a team of 8-12 sales professionals—coaching them to crush quotas, master the art of the close, and turn cold prospects and lapsed customers into loyal advocates. You'll own the full sales motion for your team: pipeline accuracy, deal progression, skill development, and the daily wins that compound into exceptional quarterly results. The successful candidate is a player-coach at heart, someone who thrives on the energy of a sales floor, leads from the front with proven closing expertise, and takes genuine pride in watching their team members grow into top performers.

What You'll Do

Team Leadership & Development: Manage and coach 8-12 Account Executives to build a world-class sales team—conducting regular 1:1s, skills assessments, and development plans that elevate individual and collective performance.

Pipeline Management & Forecasting: Maintain razor-sharp pipeline visibility through weekly reviews with each Account Executive, ensuring forecast accuracy, identifying at-risk deals, and driving the activities that translate to consistent quota attainment.

Sales Execution Support: Jump into live deals to assist with complex closes, handle objections alongside your reps, coach through customer negotiations, and demonstrate the techniques that win business—especially in reactivating lapsed accounts.

Performance Optimization: Monitor team statistics daily, identify performance gaps early, and implement targeted training, coaching plans, or disciplinary actions that move the needle on productivity and revenue achievement.

Strategic Prioritization: Direct the daily activities and workload of your Account Executives—helping them focus on the highest-value opportunities while maintaining coverage across new business development and customer reactivation efforts.

Talent Management: Provide genuine recommendations as to the hiring, firing, disciplining, and promoting of subordinate employees to which the organization gives significant weight.

Sales Mastery: Serve as the go-to expert on closing techniques, discovery frameworks, prospecting strategies, and the full sales cycle—modeling the behaviors that consistently drive quota achievement month over month, quarter over quarter.

What You Bring

You're the kind of sales leader who gets energy from the hunt, knows what great looks like because you've done it yourself, and genuinely loves developing people into their best versions.

2+ years managing sales teams in a fast-paced environment where you've been accountable for team quota, coached reps through complex deals, and built a culture of accountability and achievement.

Mastery of the sales craft—you're an expert in closing techniques, discovery questions, prospecting methods, rapport-building, and objection handling, and you can teach these skills as naturally as you execute them.

Pipeline discipline and forecasting rigor—you know how to inspect what you expect, identify when deals are slipping, and coach your team to maintain accurate pipelines that consistently convert to revenue.

Strong leadership presence with the ability to motivate diverse personalities, hold people accountable with respect, and make tough calls on performance when needed—all while keeping morale high.

Excellent communication skills—you write clear emails, deliver direct feedback, and know how to rally a team around goals while keeping senior leadership informed of progress and challenges.

Grit and determination—you don't back down from ambitious targets, you push through obstacles, and you instill that same resilience in your team.

Bonus points if you have:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Communications, or related field
• SaaS sales background, ideally in SMB or mid-market segments where velocity and volume matter
• Cybersecurity industry experience or genuine passion for the cybersecurity space—you understand the threat landscape, the value prop, and can speak credibly about protecting organizations
• Proficiency with CRM and sales tools (Salesforce, Outreach, Gong) alongside core platforms like Gmail, Google Docs, and MS Office

Why You'll Love It Here

Direct Revenue Impact: Your team's success directly drives company growth—you'll see the tangible results of your coaching in every closed deal and quarterly celebration.

Leadership Autonomy: You'll have genuine influence over hiring, promotions, coaching approaches, and team strategy—this isn't a management role in title only.

Competitive Compensation: Industry-leading base salary plus accelerators tied to team performance, with uncapped earning potential for teams that exceed quota.

Greater Tampa Bay Location: Join our Clearwater office with access to Florida's Gulf Coast lifestyle, competitive cost of living, and a vibrant sales culture that celebrates wins together.

Career Growth: As the SMB segment scales, high-performing directors have clear paths into senior sales leadership, regional roles, or cross-functional opportunities across the organization.

Winning Culture: You'll be surrounded by ambitious, competitive, and supportive colleagues who push each other to be better every day—and know how to celebrate the wins along the way.

 

Our Fantastic Benefits

We offer company-wide bonuses based on monthly sales targets, employee referral bonuses, adoption assistance, tuition reimbursement, certification reimbursement, and certification completion bonuses - all in a modern, high-tech, and fun work environment. For more details about our benefits in each office location, please visit 

Note: An applicant assessment and background check may be part of your hiring procedure.

Individuals seeking employment at KnowBe4 are considered without prejudice to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, sexual orientation or any other characteristic protected under applicable federal, state, or local law. If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre-employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please visit

No recruitment agencies, please.

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