Customer Success Manager, Public Sector & Defense

Cohere; Ottawa; Hybrid; CAD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI solutions provider is looking for a Customer Success Manager in Ottawa to lead government accounts in AI adoption. The ideal candidate will have 8+ years of experience, specifically with Canadian defense and public sector organizations. This role involves strategic partnerships with senior stakeholders, guiding complex AI implementations, and ensuring compliance with government regulations. Attractive perks are offered, including a flexible work environment and generous vacation time.

Benefits

Weekly lunch stipend

Full health and dental benefits

100% Parental Leave top-up

6 weeks of vacation

Personal enrichment benefits

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in customer success or account management.
• At least 3-5 years working with Canadian government or defense organizations.
• Proven track record managing strategic accounts.

Responsibilities

• Own the success and growth of AI solutions for public sector customers.
• Build relationships with senior government stakeholders.
• Guide organizations through AI adoption and implementation.

Skills

Customer success

Strategic consulting

AI implementation

Government relations

Job description

Who are we?

Our mission is to scale intelligence to serve humanity. We’re training and deploying frontier models for developers and enterprises who are building AI systems to power magical experiences like content generation, semantic search, RAG, and agents. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI.

We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. We like to work hard and move fast to do what’s best for our customers.

Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are passionate about their craft. Each person is one of the best in the world at what they do. We believe that a diverse range of perspectives is a requirement for building great products.

Join us on our mission and shape the future!

Why This Role?

We're seeking an exceptional Customer Success Manager with deep expertise in the Canadian public sector and defense landscape to lead our most strategic government accounts. This role requires an individual who understands both the transformative potential of frontier AI and the unique requirements of government and defense organizations.

You will be the trusted advisor and strategic partner for Canadian federal departments, provincial agencies, Crown corporations, defense organizations, and healthcare systems as they navigate the complex journey of AI adoption. You'll guide organizations through the implementation of frontier AI in secure, highly regulated environments—ensuring solutions deliver a measurable impact while meeting stringent security, privacy, compliance, and ethical requirements.

In this role, you'll collaborate with our Strategic Customer team, Applied ML (AML) Engineering, Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE), Platform, Product, and Go-to-Market teams, serving as the voice of the customer internally and the face of Cohere externally for our most sensitive and high-impact government engagements. You'll have the unique opportunity to shape how Canada’s most important institutions leverage AI to serve the public good.

What You'll Do

Strategic Customer Partnership:

• Own the success, adoption, and growth of Cohere's Canadian public sector and defence customers, ensuring they realize maximum value from our AI solutions

• Build deep, trusted relationships with senior government stakeholders, including Deputy Ministers, CIOs, ADMs, digital transformation leads, and departmental executives

• Develop comprehensive success plans tailored to each organization's mission, digital strategy, budget cycles, and unique constraints

• Serve as the primary point of contact and executive sponsor for your accounts, managing escalations and ensuring customer satisfaction

• Define and track success metrics aligned with public sector priorities: citizen satisfaction, service delivery improvements, cost savings, operational efficiency, accessibility outcomes

AI Adoption & Implementation Leadership:

• Guide customers through the full lifecycle of AI adoption—from use case identification and pilot design through production deployment and scaling

• Lead secure AI implementation projects in complex government environments, including air-gapped systems, Protected B/C environments, and on-premises deployments

• Navigate the unique challenges of public sector AI adoption: legacy system integration, data sensitivity, lengthy approval processes, and risk-averse organizational cultures

• Create and execute change management strategies to drive user adoption and value realization across diverse government workforces

• Conduct regular executive business reviews with senior stakeholders, demonstrating ROI, impact, and strategic value

• Drive contract renewals and account growth by consistently delivering value and building trusted relationships

Compliance & Risk Management:

• Ensure all implementations meet Canadian government security protocols, including PBMM standards, security assessments, and authority-to-operate requirements

• Navigate privacy and compliance requirements: Privacy Act, PIPEDA, PHIPA, Access to Information Act, Official Languages Act, accessibility standards

• Lead or support Algorithmic Impact Assessments and responsible AI governance processes as required by Treasury Board directives

• Develop risk mitigation strategies for AI deployments in high-security, mission-critical, and citizen-facing contexts

• Coordinate with customer security teams, privacy officers, legal counsel, and compliance functions

Customer Advocacy & Product Influence:

• Serve as the voice of public sector and defence customers within Cohere, advocating for features and capabilities that address government-specific needs

• Provide strategic feedback to Product and Engineering teams on requirements related to security, explainability, accessibility, bilingualism, and ethical AI

• Contribute to the development of public sector-specific offerings, implementation playbooks, documentation, and best practices

• Share customer insights to inform Cohere's public sector go-to-market strategy and positioning

• Represent Cohere at government forums, working groups, roundtables, and industry events

Cross-Functional Collaboration:

• Partner with Sales to support expansion opportunities, renewals, and new customer acquisition

• Coordinate with Solutions Architects and Forward Deployed Engineers on technical implementation and optimisation

• Work with Legal, Security, and Compliance teams to navigate complex procurement, contracting, and regulatory requirements

• Collaborate with Marketing on thought leadership content, case studies, and public sector community building

You May Be a Good Fit If:

Required Experience:

• 8+ years of experience in customer success, account management, strategic consulting, or technology delivery roles within enterprise or government contexts

• At least 3-5 years working directly with Canadian government, defense, or healthcare organizations in a technology, digital transformation, or consulting capacity

• Proven track record of managing complex, strategic accounts with multiple stakeholders, long sales cycles, and multi-year implementation timelines

• Experience leading AI/ML, cloud, or enterprise software implementations in secure or highly regulated environments

• Deep understanding of how government organizations evaluate, procure, implement, and govern technology solutions

• Active Top Secret security clearance (mandatory)

Customer Success & Account Management Excellence:

• Demonstrated success driving customer adoption, expansion, and retention in complex enterprise or government accounts

• Experience developing and executing customer success strategies, QBRs, and executive engagement programs

• Track record of identifying and closing expansion opportunities within existing accounts

• Ability to manage multiple strategic accounts simultaneously while maintaining high-touch, personalized engagement

• Experience navigating organisational politics and building coalitions across siloed government departments

Public Sector & Defense Acumen:

• Comprehensive knowledge of the Canadian public sector ecosystem: federal departments, provincial ministries, Crown corporations, defense, intelligence, critical infrastructure, and healthcare

• Deep familiarity with government digital strategies, service delivery transformation, and citizen-centric design principles

• Understanding of public sector budget cycles, Treasury Board processes, government procurement frameworks, and contract vehicles

• Knowledge of relevant legislation and frameworks: Privacy Act, PIPEDA, PHIPA, Directive on Automated Decision-Making, Algorithmic Impact Assessments, accessibility requirements

• Experience with government cloud strategies and security frameworks: GC Cloud, PBMM, Protected environments, CCCS guidelines

• Proven ability to work with classified information and operate effectively in secure, compartmented environments

Nice to Have:

• Bilingual (English/French) proficiency—a strong asset for working across the federal government

• 3+ years specifically managing GenAI, LLM, or conversational AI implementations

• Experience with specific Canadian public sector digital transformation initiatives: Canada.ca modernization, healthcare AI projects, Canadian Digital Service programs, or provincial digital government initiatives

• Direct experience working with Canadian defense, intelligence, public safety, or national security organizations

• Professional certifications: CSM, PMP, ITIL, or Canadian government-specific security training

• Experience with government collaboration platforms: GCdocs, GCworkspace, Protected collaboration tools

• Background in management consulting, systems integration, or digital transformation consulting for public sector clients

• Experience with any modern programming language (C++, C#, JavaScript, Python etc.)

What Makes This Role Unique

This is a rare opportunity to shape how Canada’s most important institutions leverage AI to serve the public good. You'll work with organizations responsible for national security, healthcare delivery, social services, and democratic institutions—helping them navigate the profound opportunities and responsibilities that come with deploying frontier AI technology.

You’ll need to balance competing demands: innovation velocity with government due diligence, technical possibilities with policy constraints, commercial success with public sector values, and breakthrough capabilities with ethical considerations. It requires patience, strategic thinking, in-depth sector knowledge, security awareness, and a genuine passion for achieving public service outcomes.

If you’re energized by complex challenges, have deep public sector expertise, understand the gravity of working with classified systems, and want to have an outsized impact on Canada’s digital future while working with cutting‑edge AI technology, this role is for you.

If some of the above doesn’t line up perfectly with your experience, we still encourage you to apply!

We value and celebrate diversity and strive to create an inclusive work environment for all. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds and are committed to providing equal opportunities. Should you require any accommodations during the recruitment process, please submit an Accommodations Request Form, and we will work together to meet your needs.

Full-Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

🤝 An open and inclusive culture and work environment

🧑💻 Work closely with a team on the cutting edge of AI research

🍽 Weekly lunch stipend, in-office lunches & snacks

🦷 Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget to take care of your mental health

🐣 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months

🎨 Personal enrichment benefits towards arts and culture, fitness and well‑being, quality time, and workspace improvement

🏙 Remote‑flexible, offices in Toronto, New York, San Francisco, London and Paris, as well as a co‑working stipend

✈️ 6 weeks of vacation (30 working days!)