Customer Success Manager - Public Sector & Defense, France

Academic Key; Paris; Remote; EUR 90,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Cohere is seeking a seasoned Customer Success Manager for France’s public sector and defense landscape. You will own strategic government accounts, build trusted relationships with senior ministries and authorities, and drive value realization through secure AI deployments.

Successful candidates will have 8+ years in customer success or account management within government contexts, fluency in French, and a proven ability to influence product roadmaps and contract negotiations in highly

Qualifications

• 8+ years in customer success or account management within enterprise or government contexts.
• Experience with AI/ML, cloud, or enterprise software implementations in regulated environments.
• Proven track record of renewals and account growth with executive sponsorship.

Responsibilities

• Own the success, adoption, and growth of Cohere's French public sector customers.
• Guide AI adoption through full lifecycle including secure on-prem deployments and data governance.
• Lead executive business reviews and drive renewals with senior government stakeholders.

Skills

Strategic account management

Executive stakeholder management

Public sector experience

French language proficiency

Job description

Customer Success Manager - Public Sector & Defense, France

Cohere · France

Abroad France Full Time

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? We're seeking an exceptional Customer Success Manager with deep expertise in the French public sector and government 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 French government organizations.

• Strategic Customer Partnership: Own the success, adoption, and growth of Cohere's French public sector customers, ensuring they realize maximum value from our AI solutions. Build deep, trusted relationships with senior French government stakeholders, including Ministres d'État, Préfets, CIOs, digital transformation leads, and ministerial executives. Develop comprehensive success plans tailored to each organization's mission, digital strategy, budget cycles (lois de finances), 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 French 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 French government environments, including sensitive systems and on-premises deployments. Navigate the unique challenges of French public sector AI adoption: legacy system integration, data sensitivity, lengthy approval processes (marchés publics), and regulatory compliance requirements. 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.
• Customer Advocacy & Product Influence: Serve as the voice of the French public sector 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, French language support, and ethical AI. Contribute to the development of French public sector-specific offerings, implementation playbooks, documentation, and best practices. Share customer insights to inform Cohere's French public sector go-to-market strategy and positioning. Represent Cohere at French government forums, working groups (groupes de travail), roundtables, and industry events.

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 French government contexts. At least 3-5 years working directly with French ministries, regional authorities, or public institutions 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. Experience developing and executing customer success strategies, QBRs, and executive engagement programs. Deep understanding of how French government organizations evaluate, procure (following Code des marchés publics), implement, and govern technology solutions.
• Active Confidentiel-Défense or higher security clearance (mandatory).
• Fluent French language proficiency—essential for working across the French public sector.
• French Public Sector & Government Acumen: Comprehensive knowledge of the French public sector ecosystem: central ministries, regional governments (régions), departmental authorities (départements), public enterprises, and critical infrastructure. Knowledge of relevant legislation and frameworks: R.