Braun Board

Senior New Business Account Executive

Tailscale · Hybrid · Toronto, ON, Canada

Base
Not disclosed
OTE
C$201K
Quota attainment
Not disclosed
Posted
17d ago

Why it matters: OTE tells you what you could earn. Attainment tells you how realistic it is.

Ask: “What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?”

Still open · checked 1h agoon Tailscale's careers page

What Tailscale sells

Easy, safe links between people and their devices

A team's workers need to reach internal tools from home, a coffee shop, or another country, but setting up safe connections is slow and complicated. Tailscale provides software that links people and their devices together wherever they are. Teams can then protect their networks and share access to internal tools without the hassle.

In plain English, from their own job posts. Something wrong? Tell us

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The Braun Read

Worth a look

Solid on the basics. Use the first call to fill in the gaps.

Pay
OTE is listed. Ask what the base is.
Transparency
Says nothing about quota, attainment, deal size, territory or sales cycle.
Pipeline
A mix of self-sourced pipeline and inbound or SDR help.
Time on market
Open 16 days.
Company hiring
Ramping up: posted 8 sales roles in the last 30 days.

Red flags

None spotted.

Green flags

  • Publishes OTE. It tells you the on-target earnings up front. Most postings don't.
  • SDR or inbound support. You won't be building all of your own pipeline from zero.

Based only on what the posting says. Flags are a starting point for your first call, not a final judgment.

Questions to ask on the first call

Built from what this posting leaves out. How they answer tells you as much as what they say.

  1. 1.

    What percentage of fully ramped reps hit quota last year?

    OTE is what you could earn. This is how likely you are to earn it.

  2. 2.

    What percentage of reps on the team have been here more than 18 months?

    Tenure shows whether people stay long enough to get paid.

  3. 3.

    Has the comp plan changed in the last 12 to 18 months? What changed?

    A plan that changes every year means the goalposts keep moving.

  4. 4.

    Who sits with reps and reviews calls each week?

    Coaching is often what's behind a good or bad attainment number.

  5. 5.

    What's the base, and how is the rest paid out?

    OTE without a base doesn't tell you what you can count on.

  6. 6.

    Why is this role open? Did someone leave, or is it new?

    New headcount is growth. A replacement means someone left. Ask why.

When the offer comes

Save these for later. They land better once they've said yes to you.

  1. 1.

    Can I see the full comp plan in writing, including clawbacks and accelerators?

    What's in writing is what gets paid. Read it before you sign.

  2. 2.

    Can I see the actual comp distribution for the team last year, not just the OTE?

    The spread shows what most reps really take home. OTE is just the target.

  3. 3.

    I'd be walking away from earned commission to join. Is there room for a sign-on bonus to help cover that?

    Leaving money behind is a fair reason to ask. The worst answer is no.

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The role

Sell Tailscale's secure networking software to senior technical buyers (VP Engineering, CTO, CISO) at prospective customers. Work mostly round-robin inbound leads and self-source about a third of your pipeline. Toronto, hybrid.

New Logo

Selling motion

New Logo

Who you're selling to

Buyer:
VP Engineering, CTOs, Heads of Platform, CISOsIn their words: “Experience self sourcing opportunities and guiding a customer from discovery all the way through closed won deals, with senior technical buyers (VP Engineering, CTO, Head of Platform, CISO)”

Pipeline expectations

A mix of self-sourced pipeline and inbound / SDR support.

Compensation

C$201K OTE

What is not disclosed

This posting doesn't tell you:

  • Base salary
  • Quota size
  • Quota attainment
  • Average deal size
  • Territory
  • Sales cycle length

The questions above cover the big ones.

Full posting
Thank you for considering Tailscale. If this job description resonates with you, please apply. Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to help us break that statistic! About Tailscale Tailscale is making safe connection effortless by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more. We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital. About the Role We are looking for ambitious sellers to join our New Business Account Executive team. This is not a “farmer” role. You will be assigned inbound leads via round robin, however you will also be responsible for prospecting and sourcing a third of your own pipeline. You’ll own the sales cycle from prospect to purchase, and work to earn customer trust every step of the way. Tailscale has a vibrant community across Hacker News, X, and Reddit. We have 100,000+ monthly active users, many of whom are engineering leaders working at the most innovative companies in the world. This is an opportunity to join early at a rapidly growing startup and build the playbook for startup sales. Key Responsibilities - Win new business. Find your way to the right people at prospective customers, educate them about our services, and help them succeed with Tailscale. - Experiment and move quickly. Analyze market landscapes and customer trends to inform your sales campaigns. - Travel to (or organize) local events and attend large industry events to evangelize Tailscale to prospective customers - Support customers across all time zones - Manage and organize your activities, pipeline, and forecast in Gong and Salesforce What We Are Looking For - 2+ years of prospecting or closing experience in a door-to-door or in-person sales role - Ambition to build (and not just follow) a sales playbook - A technical background or curiosity in technology - Excellent communication and presentation skills - Proactive from lead to close - if this opportunity really excites you, please don’t just apply on the website. Find the hiring manager, prospect thoughtfully, and tell us why you’re the best candidate for this position. - Experience self sourcing opportunities and guiding a customer from discovery all the way through closed won deals, with senior technical buyers (VP Engineering, CTO, Head of Platform, CISO) - This role is based in Toronto and is hybrid required (3 days/week in-office) As a company, we strive to maintain fair and equitable compensation practices within our team across all roles and all levels. Tailscale's compensation package includes base salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits. The salary range displayed on each job posting represents the target range for a new hire's base salary. Individual offers may vary based on experience and skill set. For this position, our pay ranges reflect target OTE (on target earnings), inclusive of base salary and variable compensation tied to the attainment of quarterly sales targets. CAN Pay Range (OTE) $201,000-$201,000 CAD What We Offer - An inclusive, flexible environment where you can be your authentic self. We recognize the impact of diverse voices and backgrounds on the growth of our people, product, and company. And that flexibility in how and when you work empowers our team to integrate work and life. - A competitive total compensation package. This includes a base salary, an equity incentive plan and variable commission (for quota-based roles). - Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period. Take advantage of coverage for health, vision, dental, and more for you and your family! - Remote first company—most of our teams work fully remotely. Enjoy a change of scenery wherever you can get wifi, participate in virtual and in-person social events, and leverage our corporate co-working program to visit WeWork (or other similar spaces near you). Some roles require in-office collaboration depending on team needs, which will be clearly noted in the job description. - Employer-funded retirement contributions. Tailscale will match your retirement contributions dollar-for-dollar, up to a maximum annual employer contribution equal to 0.75% of your eligible compensation. - Connect with other Tailscalars IRL. Attend our annual company retreat, participate in team off-sites, and collaborate in person with teammates across Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Singapore. We support intentional in-person connection through team travel and distributed collaboration. - Support for your personal and professional development. Grow your career thoughtfully with $1500 USD annually for professional development, or take advantage of mentorship, coaching, and internal promotion opportunities. - Paid time off and a healthy work-life integration. Our flexible, paid time off program supports you for any situation life throws your way, whether moving homes or travelling the world! - A build-your-own home office setup. You choose your own company-owned laptop (Mac or PC), receive a monthly home internet reimbursement, and $500 USD to customize your workstation to make it your own. - Paid parental leave program. We care about your life outside of work and encourage new parents to take advantage of parental leave top-ups (20 weeks for birthing parents, 16 weeks for non-birthing parents). Tailscale is committed to providing an accessible and inclusive hiring process. If you require an accommodation at any stage of the recruitment process or related to any aspect of this role, please contact your recruiter. Our hiring process uses AI-assisted tools to help screen and assess candidates. All hiring decisions are made by people. Please be aware that legitimate emails from Tailscale's talent team will only originate from @tailscale.com, @greenhouse.io, and @interviews.modernloop.io email addresses. For more information about protecting yourself from impersonators and scams, please visit https://tailscale.com/scam-awareness.
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