Sales Executive – State, Local Government & Higher Education (SLED)

Role overview

Zaviant is a US-based, remote-first consulting firm, specialising in data privacy, cybersecurity and governance, risk & compliance (GRC). We partner with highly regulated, data-intensive organisations to design, implement and operate enterprise-grade privacy, security and risk programs.

We are seeking a Sales Executive – State, Local Government & Higher Education (SLED) to lead the acquisition and expansion of public-sector and education clients across our Privacy, Security and GRC service lines.

This role is responsible for developing long-term relationships with state agencies, municipalities, public authorities, and colleges and universities, helping them modernize their privacy, security and compliance capabilities while navigating complex regulatory, funding and procurement environments.

Key responsibilities

The SLED Sales Executive will be responsible for:

• Developing and managing a portfolio of target SLED and Higher-Ed accounts
• Establishing and maintaining relationships with CIO, CISO, Privacy, Risk, Compliance, Legal and Procurement stakeholders
• Identifying upcoming RFPs, grant-funded initiatives and regulatory-driven programs
• Leading end-to-end sales cycles, including discovery, solution design, proposals, SOWs, pricing and contract negotiation
• Positioning Zaviant as a trusted advisory partner for privacy, cybersecurity and GRC
• Driving new client acquisition alongside multi-year program and account expansion
• Working closely with Consulting, Delivery and Leadership teams to ensure solutions are compliant with public-sector procurement and contracting requirements
• Maintaining accurate pipeline, forecasting and opportunity tracking in HubSpot
• Representing Zaviant at public-sector and higher-education conferences, forums and client meetings

Scope of sale

The SLED Sales Executive will sell across Zaviant’s full solution stack, including:

• Privacy and data protection programs (GDPR, CPRA, GLBA, HIPAA, )
• Cybersecurity and risk frameworks (NIST, ISO 27001, SOC 2)
• Third-party risk and vendor management
• GRC operating models and compliance programs
• OneTrust, ServiceNow GRC and enterprise platform implementations

Engagements typically include multi-phase consulting, platform implementation and ongoing advisory or managed services, often funded through multi-year budgets, grants or regulatory initiatives.

Success in the role

Success in this role will be demonstrated by:

• Development of a strong SLED and Higher-Ed pipeline
• Successful capture of RFPs and sole-source consulting opportunities
• Conversion of initial engagements into multi-year programs and renewals
• Expansion of accounts across multiple agencies, campuses or departments
• Strong collaboration with Zaviant’s consulting and delivery leadership

Required experience and attributes

The ideal candidate will bring:

• 5+ years’ experience selling into State & Local Government or Higher-Education environments
• A track record of winning $100k–$1M+ public-sector or university engagements
• Experience navigating RFPs, RFQs, grant funding and public procurement processes
• Familiarity with privacy, cybersecurity and GRC buying drivers in regulated or education environments
• Strong relationship-based and consultative selling skills
• Experience working closely with delivery, legal and finance teams on compliant deal structures