At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare all have web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.
At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution using the latest tools. Our culture is built on iteration, leveraging AI to ship faster today to make it better tomorrow, while ensuring that every improvement, no matter how small, is shared across the team to lift everyone up. If you’re the type of person who values curiosity over bureaucracy, and that AI is a partner in solving tough problems to keep the Internet moving forward, you’ll fit right in.
Available Locations: Seattle, WA OR Los Angeles, CA
About the Role:
We are seeking an entrepreneurial Sales Director to lead our DN/AI Growth Segment, focusing on both the acquisition and expansion of our fastest-growing Startup accounts. In this role, you will scale a high-performing team tasked with bringing the world’s most innovative AI companies onto Cloudflare's platform.
To thrive, you must bring a founder mentality and deep familiarity with the VC ecosystem to capture high-growth startups at inception. You possess a sharp understanding of the dynamics of the hyperscaler market and the AI landscape, allowing you to position Cloudflare as the definitive infrastructure layer for modern workloads. Finally, you are highly familiar with PLG sales motions, knowing exactly how to identify high-potential, self-serve developer accounts and seamlessly transition them into enterprise expansions.
Responsibilities:
- Own and exceed quarterly revenue targets, driving both high-velocity new logo acquisition and strategic account expansion within the AI and startup ecosystem.
- Recruit, coach, and develop a world-class sales team, instilling a high-tempo, execution-oriented culture tailored to technical buyers.
- Effectively articulate Cloudflare’s value proposition across our connectivity cloud, including Workers AI, R2 storage, network security, and developer platforms.
- Partner closely with Product, Growth, and Marketing to seamlessly convert self-serve developer usage into structured enterprise agreements.
- Act as a key executive sponsor for high-growth startups, founders, and VC partners, positioning Cloudflare as the foundational architecture for the next generation of tech.
You might be a good fit if you have:
- 10+ years of experience in enterprise software sales with at least 3+ leading sales teams
- A proven track record of leading high-performing sales teams in the cloud infrastructure, SaaS, or developer platform space.
- A strong understanding of modern application architecture, serverless computing, and how AI startups utilize compute and data storage.
- Active connections within the tech startup and venture capital ecosystems, with an innate ability to spot and engage high-potential accounts early.
- Hands-on experience navigating hybrid sales models that blend product-led growth with top-down enterprise execution.
- A history of thriving in fast-paced, rapidly evolving markets where you can turn ambiguity into clear, actionable sales strategies
Compensation
- Compensation will be adjusted based on location and level.
- For New York City, Washington, Washington D.C. and California (excluding Bay Area) based hires: Estimated annual salary of $361,000-$496,000
- This role is eligible to earn incentive compensation under Cloudflare’s Sales Compensation Plan. The estimated annual salary range includes the on-target incentive compensation that may be attained in this role under the Sales Compensation Plan.
Equity
This role is eligible to participate in Cloudflare’s equity plan.
Benefits
Cloudflare offers a complete package of benefits and programs to support you and your family. Our benefits programs can help you pay health care expenses, support caregiving, build capital for the future and make life a little easier and fun! The below is a description of our benefits for employees in the United States, and benefits may vary for employees based outside the U.S.
Health & Welfare Benefits
- Medical/Rx Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Commuter Spending Accounts
- Fertility & Family Forming Benefits
- On-demand mental health support and Employee Assistance Program
- Global Travel Medical Insurance
Financial Benefits
- Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
- Life & Accident Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
- Employee Stock Participation Plan
Time Off
- Flexible paid time off covering vacation and sick leave
- Leave programs, including parental, pregnancy health, medical, and bereavement leave
What Makes Cloudflare Special?
We’re not just a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company. We’re a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company with a soul. Fundamental to our mission to help build a better Internet is protecting the free and open Internet.
Project Galileo: Since 2014, we've equipped more than 2,400 journalism and civil society organizations in 111 countries with powerful tools to defend themselves against attacks that would otherwise censor their work, technology already used by Cloudflare’s enterprise customers--at no cost.
Athenian Project: In 2017, we created the Athenian Project to ensure that state and local governments have the highest level of protection and reliability for free, so that their constituents have access to election information and voter registration. Since the project, we've provided services to more than 425 local government election websites in 33 states.
1.1.1.1: We released 1.1.1.1 to help fix the foundation of the Internet by building a faster, more secure and privacy-centric public DNS resolver. This is available publicly for everyone to use - it is the first consumer-focused service Cloudflare has ever released. Here’s the deal - we don’t store client IP addresses never, ever. We will continue to abide by our privacy commitment and ensure that no user data is sold to advertisers or used to target consumers.
Sound like something you’d like to be a part of? We’d love to hear from you!
Please note that applicants who progress to the offer stage of the interview process may be asked to attend an in-person interview within one of the Cloudflare Offices or Cloudflare Hubs. More details about this will be available at that stage of the interview process.
This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. Please note that any offer of employment may be conditioned on your authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export laws without sponsorship for an export license.
Cloudflare is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and place great value in both diversity and inclusiveness. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to their, or any other person's, perceived or actual race, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. We are an AA/Veterans/Disabled Employer.
Cloudflare provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job. Examples of reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to, changing the application process, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. If you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job, please contact us via e-mail at [contact via apply link] or via mail at 101 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107.