Lead Account Executive, Large Accounts - German-speaking

Join Shopify's Large Accounts team as a Lead Account Executive for DACH. You'll own the largest and most complex opportunities in our commercial segment, partnering with established consumer brands across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland as they modernize and consolidate their commerce stack on Shopify. This is a senior new business role: longer cycles, bigger buying committees, higher stakes. You'll orchestrate complex evaluations end to end, engaging C-level stakeholders and working closely with Solution Engineering, Partners, and Product. Key responsibilities • Own a book of the largest DACH accounts: source, build, and manage your pipeline with precise forecasting. • Develop and execute strategic account plans to land high-value new logos and expand strategic merchants. • Lead complex, multi-stakeholder evaluations across digital, IT, finance, and the C-suite; keep momentum with mutual action plans. • Lead replatforming and consolidation evaluations against legacy and composable stacks, with a rigorous TCO and business case. • Create sales playbooks for complex evaluations, collaborating with Solution Engineers, Partners, and internal teams. • Negotiate complex, high-value agreements with win-win outcomes. • Leverage the DACH partner ecosystem (agencies, systems integrators) to source, influence, and accelerate deals. • Leverage (and build your own) AI agents to reduce toil and sharpen deal execution. • Travel within DACH to engage clients, attend trade shows, and run executive meetings. Qualifications • Native or near-native German and professional English are required. You run boardroom-level conversations in German. • Extensive experience in a closing role selling to large or enterprise accounts, with a track record of landing new logos and exceeding targets. • Expertise negotiating complex deals with multiple stakeholders and long evaluation cycles. • Structured qualification and discovery discipline (MEDDICC or MEDDPICC); evidence-based forecasting with clear action plans. • Ability to sell into technical requirements (APIs, ERPs, POS, middleware) alongside Solution Engineers. • High agency and execution intensity: you default to action and stay effective in ambiguity. • Experience with CRM and sales engagement tools (e.g. Salesforce, Salesloft, LinkedIn). Bonus • Experience with commerce platforms, POS, or fintech. • Existing network in the DACH e-commerce and retail ecosystem. • Experience co-selling with partners (agencies, SIs, ISVs). What we’re looking for in salespeople Builder mindset : You don’t just follow a playbook—you improve it. You test, iterate, document, and scale what works. Closing discipline : You’ve owned outcomes and can run a process forward with urgency and rigor (closing experience required for AE roles). Outbound excellence : You proactively create a pipeline through high-intent outreach across channels (calls, email, social, events, partners). Technical sales craft : You run structured discovery, quantify impact, build mutual plans, and maintain strong CRM hygiene/forecasting. Execution intensity : You bring pace, resilience, competitiveness, and the ability to take a hit and keep going. High agency : You default to action, take ownership, and don’t wait to be told. Thrive in ambiguity + change : You stay effective when priorities shift, products evolve, and you’re building while selling. Partner ecosystem experience: You’ve sourced, influenced, or co-sold deals with partners (agencies, SIs, ISVs, referral partners). System-to-system / integration exposure: You can confidently sell into technical requirements (APIs, ERPs, POS, middleware) alongside Solution Engineers. How we work Shopify rewards builders with high agency. You’ll have real autonomy, high standards, and a fast pace. We iterate, we challenge each other, and we expect you to take ownership of outcomes—not wait for perfect conditions. If you want comfort and certainty, this won’t fit. If you want responsibility and growth, it will.