Principal Account Executive, Research

Role Overview

• Generate new business by identifying funding opportunities, supporting pitch development and proposals, and contributing to and finalizing stakeholder engagement strategies.
• Lead outbound campaigns to actively promote our research and multi-funded centres.
• Be responsible for building research opportunities pipelines for multiple knowledge areas, to meet specific targets (e.g., $ value of opportunities at proposal stage, $ value of won opportunities, etc.).
• Proactively move opportunities through pipeline stages, engaging internal resources as necessary.
• Follow-up and qualify contacts from web registrations, promotions, events and other marketing and sales activities.
• Use vertical knowledge and industry insights to confidently discuss Signal49 Research’s research and products.
• Research prospective funders/customers to identify contacts and roles with decision-making authority.
• Actively use social media, email, phone, in-person meetings, and various creative customer engagement approaches to secure scheduled appointments.
• Build and maintain a visible, prioritized pipeline aligned with KA strategies and organizational impact goals, tracking engagement and outcomes through CRM.
• Initiate and nurture strong, trust-based relationships with senior decision-makers and policy leaders.
• Coordinate outreach, briefings and touchpoints and ensure timely follow-ups.
• Collaborate with internal teams to ensure high-quality project delivery and value.
• Provide leadership and guidance on business development best practices across Knowledge Areas.
• Strategize and collaborate with Knowledge Areas colleagues and stakeholders to support new opportunities.
• Rapidly get up to speed on new topics and stay current on emerging policy issues, and sector trends to identify opportunities.
• Track trends in research funding and policy windows; brief KA leads on high-probability opportunities.

Requirements

• Minimum seven years’ experience consultative B2B sales, business development or account management preferably within research, consulting or professional services.
• Post‑secondary education in business administration, marketing, economics, public policy, or a related field.
• Existing relationships at senior levels within relevant organizations and industries, capable of immediately generating leads and opportunities (not legally restricted by non-competition or similar agreements).
• Proven ability to generate meetings with senior executives and advance opportunities through the sales cycle.
• Track record of consistently meeting or exceeding sales and pipeline development targets in a complex, consultative sales environment.
• Proficiency using CRM platforms to manage pipelines and track activity.
• Experience with Microsoft Dynamics is considered an asset.
• Comfortable working with multiple teams; adept at asking smart questions, synthesizing inputs, and reconciling academic rigor with funder needs.
• Curious, adaptable, and energized by learning new domains (policy, economics, health, technology, sustainability etc.) at a generalist level.
• Exceptional communication skills, demonstrating professionalism, confidence, and strong business acumen tailored to varied audiences and decision makers.
• Strong negotiation abilities, with experience navigating multi‑stakeholder discussions to advance opportunities.
• Skilled at identifying buying centres, mapping key decision‑makers, and building networks that support successful outreach and engagement.
• Ability to work independently with a high degree of ownership, while collaborating effectively across internal teams.
• Ability to travel within Canada.
• Bilingualism in both English and French is an asset.

Benefits

• Virtual First – work from home anywhere across Canada with a budget to set up your home office.
• A workplace where your hard work is not just valued, but actively celebrated.
• Healthcare benefits from Day One to support your physical and mental wellbeing, including a $2,500 benefit for Psychologist, Social Worker or Psychotherapist services
• Work/Life Balance: In addition to 20 days annual vacation, we close between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, observe 13 holidays per year and offer Friday afternoon closures.
• A modern, defined benefit (DB) pension plan: We care about your future and offer a pension plan with a 5% match from Day One
• Employee Family Assistance Program (EFAP): We understand that life can be unpredictable and challenging and EFAP supports you and your family during difficult times.
• Maternity and parental leave top-up plan