Account Executive, Business Development
Vital Lyfe is a tech company redefining water autonomy through innovation, creating a new category of personal water-making technology built to scale where infrastructure can't.
About the Role
We've built the go-to-market foundation: a proven GTM motion, a disciplined sales process, and our first distributor contracts across key markets. Now we need an Account Executive to run it and grow it. You'll own the outbound motion, build top-of-funnel pipeline, and carry deals from first touch to close across our maritime, humanitarian, military, and retail channels.
This is a full-cycle role for a builder: you'll prospect, qualify, and close, while helping refine the playbook as we scale.
What You'll Do
Own the full outbound motion, prospecting, cold outreach, qualification, and early business development, to build and grow a consistent pipeline across maritime, humanitarian, military, and retail markets. This includes identifying customer pain points and establishing first relationships with new distributor, retailer, and channel partner opportunities.
Own the entire sales cycle end to end: discovery, demos, proposals, negotiation, contract redlines, and final signature, coordinating with legal or leadership on terms so deals close without unnecessary handoffs, across distributors, retailers, and end customers.
Consistently deliver against quarterly and annual revenue and quota targets across assigned market segments, with accountability for pipeline coverage sufficient to hit target.
Work within our established sales process and CRM, maintaining rigorous pipeline hygiene, accurate forecasting, and reporting.
Develop tailored proposals, presentations, and outreach that speak to the needs of each market segment.
Feed market intelligence back to the team on customer needs, objections, competitor activity, and new opportunities.
Represent Vital Lyfe at industry events and trade shows to build networks and generate demand.
Partner with the Head of Sales to sharpen the outbound playbook, messaging, and qualification criteria as we learn.
What We're Looking For
3+ years of experience in sales, business development, or account management, with meaningful outbound/prospecting experience.
Proven track record of building pipeline from scratch and meeting or exceeding targets.
Full-cycle experience: comfortable prospecting cold and closing deals.
Strong written and verbal communication. You craft outreach that gets replies and presentations that land.
Disciplined and process-driven: you follow a sales process, keep the CRM clean, and forecast honestly.
Self-starter who thrives with autonomy in a fast-paced, early-stage environment.
Preferred Skills & Experience
Experience selling hardware, consumer technology, or into water treatment, desalination, maritime, defense, or humanitarian markets.
Existing network of distributors or channel partners in relevant markets.
Experience with modern outbound tooling (CRM, sequencing, enrichment).
Experience as an early sales hire at a startup.
Why Join Vital Lyfe?
Work on high-impact problems with global relevance
Help scale breakthrough technology in water security and climate resilience
Early ownership in a high-growth, engineering-led startup
Run a proven sales motion with real traction, first distributor contracts already signed
Clear growth path as the sales team's founding AE
Join a tight-knit, mission-driven team in a fast-paced environment
Location Requirement: Ability to work 100% onsite in Torrance, CA (remote or hybrid work will not be considered)
Vital Lyfe is an Equal Opportunity Employer; employment with Vital Lyfe is governed on the basis of merit, competence and qualifications and will not be influenced in any manner by race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, mental or physical disability or any other legally protected status.