Sales Director

About the role

State Affairs is the nation’s leading news and policy intelligence platform focused on state governments. We combine nonpartisan coverage of Statehouses across the country alongside state government data and AI-native tools into a singular platform. We inform and empower decision makers, policy professionals and citizens through our award-winning journalism and data – delivering profound insights to help our customers decode and act on state politics and policy. We’re building a category-defining business that will reshape America as we strengthen visibility into what’s happening and why at the state level. We are hiring a Sales Director to join our team located in Washington, DC. This is an individual contributor (IC), quota-carrying opportunity focused on driving new customer acquisition and expanding our presence across regulated and policy-sensitive industries. As the Sales Director you will: - Own the full sales cycle from qualified opportunity through close, including discovery, demos, proposal development, negotiation, and contract execution - Manage a portfolio of mid-market and enterprise-adjacent accounts, closing deals typically ranging from five to low six figures - Build and maintain a healthy, well-qualified pipeline using HubSpot, with strong forecasting hygiene and clear next steps on every deal - Translate customer policy exposure, regulatory risk, and legislative activity into compelling, consultative sales narratives - Partner closely with BDRs to convert inbound and outbound leads into high-quality pipeline - Collaborate with Account Management to ensure clean handoffs, customer satisfaction, and future expansion opportunities - Provide feedback to Revenue Leadership and RevOps on messaging, objections, pricing, and competitive dynamics - Represent State Affairs professionally in high-stakes conversations with executives, government affairs teams, and policy leaders Essential Qualifications for this position include: - 4+ years of professional work experience in B2B SaaS or information services sales - Prior professional work experience carrying and delivering against a meaningful quota ($800K–$1M+ preferred) - Ability to close complex deals with multiple stakeholders - Ability to conduct, discovery, presentation, and objection-handling - Ability to manage a structured sales process while operating with autonomy - Ability to sell into sophisticated buyers, including legal, policy, compliance, or executive audiences - Ability to communicate complex information clearly and concisely - Knowledge of modern sales tools and GTM stacks (HubSpot experience strongly preferred) Preferred Qualifications for this position include: - Ability to conduct consultative selling and understand customer business models and risk drivers - Prior professional work experience selling into public policy, government affairs, regulated industries, or data-driven research platforms - Prior professional work experience working alongside BDRs, RevOps, and Customer Success teams in a team-based sales motion - Prior professional work experience in a start-up organization This is an in office work opportunity and our teams operate from the Washington, DC office located at L and 15th St. NW five (5) days per week. State Affairs offers a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package to employees. The annual compensation range for this role as it is posted is $180,000 to $230,000 (on target earnings) for candidates working from the State Affairs office in Washington, DC. The final job level and annual salary will be determined based on the education, qualification, knowledge, skills, ability, and experience of the final candidate(s), and calibrated against relevant market data and internal team equity. Benefits listed in this posting may vary depending on the nature of your employment with State Affairs. Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States without the need for current or future company sponsorship. State Affairs is an equal opportunity employer and makes employment decisions on the basis of merit and business needs. State Affairs does not discriminate against applicants on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, disability, or any other protected characteristic in accordance with federal, state, and local law. State Affairs is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities as they go through our job application and interview process. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, you may contact us at jobs@stateaffairs.com By submitting your application, you affirm the content contained therein is true and accurate in all respects. Please note that prior to employment, State Affairs will obtain background checks for employment purposes that may include, where permitted by law, the following: identify verification, prior employment verification, personal and professional references, educational verification, and criminal history. 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