Account Executive

About Bluefin Payment Systems LLC At Bluefin, we thrive in a dynamic and fast-paced environment where innovation and leadership are at the forefront of everything we do. Join us in revolutionizing data security within the integrated payments industry, as we protect over 35,000 companies across 59 countries with our cutting-edge encryption and tokenization technologies. Our collaborative culture empowers you to take initiative and make impactful contributions, while our commitment to professional growth ensures you have the tools and opportunities to excel. Embrace the challenge of working in a vibrant atmosphere that values agility and leadership, and be part of our mission to create secure, frictionless experiences for businesses and their customers. If you’re ready to drive change and make a difference, we invite you to embark on this exciting journey with us! About the role We are seeking a highly competitive, results-oriented Account Executive to lead Bluefin’s growth within the Higher Education vertical. This individual will be responsible for developing and executing a strategic sales plan focused on colleges, universities, and other postsecondary institutions, positioning Bluefin’s mission-critical SaaS solutions to protect payment, personal, and healthcare data. The ideal candidate brings consultative SaaS sales expertise in mid-market and enterprise environments, along with a strong understanding of, or demonstrated ability to navigate, the complex Higher Education ecosystem. This includes engaging multiple stakeholders across information technology, information security, finance, treasury, student services, advancement, and procurement, while effectively managing extended and often decentralized purchasing processes. Working collaboratively with Marketing, Strategic Partnerships, and other internal teams, the Account Executive will build a robust Higher Education pipeline, develop relationships with institutional decision-makers and industry partners, and deliver solution-oriented sales strategies tailored to the sector’s unique security, integration, and compliance needs. The incumbent will sell Bluefin’s PCI-validated point-to-point encryption (P2PE) solutions and products designed to protect PHI and PII, while representing the company at relevant Higher Education conferences, trade shows, and partner events. Because Bluefin’s technology integrates with virtually any software system, payment gateway, or processor, this role offers a significant opportunity to expand the company’s presence across the Higher Education market. Exceptional hunting capabilities, disciplined territory management, and a passion for protecting institutions and their communities from data threats will be essential to meeting and exceeding revenue goals. This role reports to the SVP, Strategic Partnerships & Business Development. What you'll do Develop and execute a personal business plan focused on the Higher Education vertical, driving revenue growth and value creation for Bluefin through a disciplined cadence of sales activities that consistently meets or exceeds assigned targets. Create a personal Business Plan to drive revenue creation and value to Bluefin and execute on a cadence of Sales activities to meet assigned targets. Leverage personal network and Sales opportunities generated by our Marketing Department to develop relationships, educate clients, and manage Sales opportunities throughout the entire sales lifecycle. Own end-to-end pipeline management, ensuring disciplined Salesforce hygiene through accurate forecasting, timely updates, deal progression, and data integrity. Proactively generate new business through self-sourced prospecting efforts, including targeted outreach, industry networking, trade shows, events, and selective marketing and partner initiatives. This role requires a true “hunter” mindset, with success driven primarily by outbound activity rather than inbound or warm leads. Create a deep understanding of current and potential client needs through solutions/consultative selling, strong relationship building, and demonstrating exceptional business value to clients. Manage the full sales lifecycle independently - from initial prospecting through close - leading complex deal negotiations, including MSAs and commercial terms, and exercising sound judgment on when to engage Legal and other internal stakeholders. Prepare and deliver professional Sales presentations to educate potential/existing partners on security-related regulatory matters, security risks, industry trends and security opportunities/solutions (validated vs non-validated PCI P2PE solutions, vaultless tokenization, etc.), designed to spark interest and generate opportunities. Collaborate with other functional areas to drive cross-product integration and cross-selling among our product solutions. Maintain excellent time management, administration, reporting and relationship management that will result in referrals and sales o