Senior Account Executive, Germany PUBSEC (Berlin, Germany)

Technical Governance and Responsible AI Researcher, Cohere For AI @ Cohere; Berlin; On-site; EUR 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lunch stipend

Health and dental benefits

RRSP matching / Pension

Parental leave top‑up

Education & learning stipend

Vacation and enrichment benefits

Home office stipend

Job summary

Cohere is seeking a Senior Account Executive to own the full sales cycle—from prospecting to close—in Germany's public sector, including Defense, Federal Civilian and Local Government Agencies. You will drive growth with a strategic, partner-driven approach and tailor value propositions around Cohere's AI platform.

You will collaborate with Success, Marketing, and Product to deliver customer outcomes, build long-term partnerships, and help shape Cohere's roadmap.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of direct public sector sales experience in Germany.
• Proven track record of closing $3M+ annual quotas.
• Deep knowledge of PUBSEC procurement and budget cycles.
• Established network in Germany including federal agencies and prime contractors.
• Experience selling SaaS/AI/enterprise software to government clients.
• High tolerance for ambiguity; able to build a market from the ground up.
• Strong organizational skills with multiple stakeholders.
• Excellent communication skills in English and German.
• Must be based in Germany with 25-35% travel.

Responsibilities

• Drive net-new customer acquisition through targeted outbound activity in Germany.
• Develop and execute a sales plan for Germany.
• Act as trusted advisor to public sector customers and shape AI solutions.
• Collaborate with channel partners and system integrators to scale outreach.
• Leverage relationships with executives and government decision-makers.
• Work with Product and Engineering on enterprise and public-sector solutions.
• Partner with SDRs and Marketing to drive territory growth.
• Own the full sales cycle from discovery to close in a team environment.

Job description

Who are we?

Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems.

We're training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that.

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. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft.

We are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us!

Why this role?

As a Senior Account Executive at Cohere you will have ownership of the full sales cycle - from identifying leads to closing deals, with Defense, Federal Civilian and Local Government Agencies in Germany.

In this role you will be focussed on business development activity across all PUBSEC Government Agencies and Departments in Germany.

We're looking for an approachable and compelling communicator who loves working with public sector customers to uncover their needs and feels comfortable developing tailored value propositions around how Cohere's platform can help them drive better mission and citizen outcomes. You'll lay the foundation for Cohere's growth by owning your territory and collaborating with teammates across Customer Success, Sales Development, Marketing, and Sales Engineering. You'll be the voice of the field and help our Product and Engineering teams prioritize the Cohere roadmap with customer‑centric care. In this highly self‑directed role, you will thrive in a quickly evolving environment.

As a Senior Account Executive, you will:

• Drive net-new customer acquisition through targeted outbound activity, senior leader engagement, and relationship building in Germany.

• Develop and execute a sales plan for Germany, prioritizing accounts and opportunities through collaboration with Cohere leadership.

• Act as a trusted advisor and thought partner to public sector customers and prospects by understanding their goals and shaping AI solutions that deliver measurable value

• Work closely with channel and regional partners, as well as major system integrators to scale outreach, accelerate adoption, and maximize customer success

• Leverage senior‑level relationships with executives and government decision‑makers to drive strategic opportunities and long‑term partnerships

• Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams on strategic efforts to deliver enterprise and public‑sector solutions

• Partner with SDRs and Marketing to drive top‑of‑funnel activity and overall territory growth

• Own the full sales cycle; including discovery, technical and business validation, proof‑of‑concept, procurement, and deal close within a team‑selling environment

You may be a good fit if you have:

• 10+ years of direct public sector sales experience in Germany, with a proven track record of closing $3M+ annual quotas.

• Deep knowledge of PUBSEC procurement and budget cycles, decision‑making processes, and how to work with regional partners and resellers.

• Established network in Germany, including federal agencies, prime contractors, and industry associations.

• Experience selling SaaS, AI/ML, or enterprise software solutions to government clients.

• High tolerance for ambiguity, you are both a strategist and a hands‑on operator capable of building a market from the ground up

• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple internal and external stakeholders across fast‑moving deals

• Creativity and strong technical acumen to structure unique, mutually beneficial partnerships

• Excellent communication skills, you listen deeply, understand what matters to senior decision‑makers, and confidently present to both technical and non‑technical audiences.

• English and German language proficiency essential.

• Must be based in Germany with willingness to travel (25-35%).

Full‑Time Employees at Cohere enjoy these Perks:

• A weekly lunch stipend of $75/75 or equivalent in your local currency for lunch.

• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.

• RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.

• 100% Parental Leave top‑up for up to 6 months, for either parent.

• Annual enrichment benefits:

  Arts & culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and a workspace improvement credit.

  Education & learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.

• 6 weeks of paid vacation (30 working days!)

• Budget for traveling to other offices if you are remote, plus an annual company offsite.

How and Where We Work:

• Cohere is remote-friendly, but we also have offices in Toronto, London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul with more opening soon.

• For those in the office: a daily lunch program, plenty of snacks, and regular community and social events.

• For those not near an office: a co‑working benefit so you can work alongside others in your city.

• Everyone receives a $500 home office stipend to set up your workspace properly.

We 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.

We may use AI-enabled tools to screen and assess applicants against the criteria for this position. This helps our recruiters identify potentially qualified candidates, but it doesn't limit the applications our recruiters may review or consider.