Senior Account Executive, Academic & Research Institutions

Senior Account Executive, Academics & Research Institutions

Remote-first (Los Angeles area preferred) | Full-time

$115,000–$150,000 base salary + commission + employee stock options

Interested in this role You can find all the relevant information in the description below.

You know that a PI's "yes" is the start of the process, not the end. IRB, sponsored programs, procurement, and IT security all get a vote, and funding comes with its own calendar. We're hiring someone who has navigated that world and wants to sell research technology into it with patience, credibility, and respect for why it works the way it does.

People Science is looking for a Senior Account Executive, Academics & Research Institutions to join our small powerhouse team. This is a unique opportunity to join a mission to empower humanity with the tools and knowledge of science and medicine to improve ourselves, our communities, and our world by making research tools accessible.

The People Science proprietary technology, Chloe (Consumer Health Learning & Organizing Ecosystem), is a consumer-friendly mobile app on the frontend, and a modular and configurable clinical research data management tool on the backend. It is designed for the purpose of engaging individual participants in the clinical research process by using their personal devices through active and passive data collection. The platform empowers individuals to answer the question, "Does this work for me?" while making scaled clinical evidence generation easier and more affordable for consumer brands, manufacturers, biotech and biopharma, and academic researchers.

If you have a passion for advancing scientific research and want to help universities and research institutions increase the efficiency of their clinical studies, keep reading.

Job Summary

As our Senior Account Executive, Academics & Research Institutions, you will play a critical role in driving software sales to research institutions, academic medical centers, universities, and independent research labs. You will be responsible for executing account-based sales strategies, handling inbound inquiries, and cultivating partnerships within the academic research ecosystem. Your network across research institutions and familiarity with academic procurement and grant-funded environments will be key to expanding our reach. The ideal candidate thrives in a consultative sales environment, understands the unique dynamics of academic and institutional research cycles, and is comfortable selling software to PIs, department leaders, and research administrators.

Why This Role

You will work directly with our MD/PhD founders, own our academic go-to-market from the ground up, and shape the product around what researchers actually need. This is a chance to build the academic partnerships function at a high-growth company.

Duties & Responsibilities

• Go-to-Market Ownership: Build and run our academic pipeline, including target account lists, outreach, and forecasting across universities, academic medical centers, and research institutes.
• Account Strategy Development: Collaborate closely with our Product and Marketing teams to develop tailored account plans for research institutions, aligning with their study objectives, funding cycles, and compliance requirements.
• Sales Cycle Management: Oversee the full sales process — from prospecting and discovery through institutional approvals and deal closure — with an understanding that academic/research institute sales cycles are often longer and involve multiple stakeholders (PIs, department heads, procurement, compliance officers).
• Business Development: Identify and pursue new opportunities within universities, academic medical centers, CROs, and federally funded research programs, converting them into long-term institutional partnerships.
• Discovery & Consultation: Conduct discovery calls and consultations to deeply understand researchers' study design needs, operational challenges, IRB considerations, and gaps in their current research infrastructure.
• Negotiation and Deal Closure: Navigate institutional procurement processes and negotiate agreements that meet both organizational and research compliance requirements.
• Industry Representation: Represent the company at academic conferences, webinars, research symposia, etc.
• Feedback Gathering: Relay insights from researchers and institutional clients to Product and Clinical teams to inform feature development relevant to academic use cases.
• Reporting and Documentation: Maintain accurate records of sales activities, client interactions, and account information using CRM software.
• Market Intelligence & Industry Trends: Stay current on trends in academic research funding (NIH, NSF, PCORI, philanthropy), regulatory developments, and the competitive landscape in research technology and clinical services.

Requirements and Skills (Must-Haves)

• Experience: 5+ years of B2B sales experience, with a meaningful share of that time selling to universities, academic medical centers, or research institutions.
• Sales Expertise: Track record of closing complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles common in academic and institutional environments, including navigating procurement and compliance processes.
• Industry Knowledge: Working knowledge of the academic research ecosystem, including grant funding structures, IRB/ethics review processes, and the motivations and constraints of principal investigators and research administrators.
• Customer Focus: Demonstrated experience building long-term relationships with research stakeholders, from individual PIs to department-level decision makers, and driving successful outcomes for institutional clients.
• Communication Skills: Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to speak credibly to both scientific and administrative audiences and translate product value into research outcomes.
• Growth Mindset: Comfortable navigating the pace and ambiguity of a high-growth startup while engaging clients who operate in a deliberate, multi-stakeholder institutional environment, balancing urgency with patience and strategic thinking.
• Education: Bachelor's degree required.

Strong Signals (Nice-to-Haves)

• Research Software Background: Experience selling or working with EDC, CTMS, eConsent, or other research software, and familiarity with clinical research methodology.
• Existing Relationships: A network among research leaders, research administration, or sponsored programs offices.
• Advanced Degree or Research Experience: MS, MPH, PhD, or MBA in health sciences, research, or a related field, or hands-on research experience.
• Also Welcome: Professionals from research administration, sponsored programs, or research operations who have shown strong commercial instincts and want to move into sales.

*VISA Sponsorship is NOT Available for this position.

We are a remote-first team, primarily based in the Los Angeles area. We have a preference for employees in the Southern California area to join for occasional in-person meetings. Anyone outside of that area may require occasional travel for meetings. For this role, travel is expected for key industry conferences and client meetings as needed.

The base salary range for this role is $115,000–$150,000, plus commission. Placement within the range will depend on various factors including applicant's prior relevant job experience, skill set, and geographic location. People Science offers a benefit package for full-time employees which includes: Medical, Dental, Vision, Flexible Spending Account, Life Insurance, DepCare FSA, Flexible Vacation Time Policy, Holidays, starter 401k, and Employee Stock Options. People Science reserves the right to amend, change, alter, and revise pay ranges and benefits offerings at any time. It is at the Company's discretion to determine what pay is provided to a candidate within the range associated with the role.

About People Science

People Science is a direct-to-consumer scientific research company providing a scaled R&D platform for alternative medicines. It is poised to revolutionize the alternative medicine landscape by empowering patients, consumers, providers, and scientists to collectively make discoveries using our research platform. We aim to be the leading tech-enabled research organization in this space. People Science is powered by our proprietary software technology called Chloe (Consumer Health Learning and Organizing Ecosystem), a consumer-friendly mobile app on the frontend, and a modular and configurable clinical research data management tool on the backend. Chloe is a cloud-based modular software platform built to make scaled clinical evidence generation easier and more affordable. It is designed for the purpose of engaging individual participants in the clinical research process by using their personal devices through active and passive data collection. People Science is building an infrastructure and science service model with long term value to humanity. We offer Chloe technology licensing as well as end-to-end clinical research services focusing on cannabinoids, microbiome interventions, supplements and nutraceuticals, natural and synthetic psychedelics, nutrition and "food as medicines", and digital health solutions. xhyhwjd People Science was founded by MD/PhD cofounders who previously founded a $1B+ company.