Account Executive, NRO & Combatant Commands

Workinoptics; College Park (MD); Hybrid; USD 115,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision

401(k) matching

Unlimited PTO

Parental/adoption leave

Home technology stipend

Job summary

IonQ is hiring a Specialty Sales Account Executive for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and U.S. Combatant Commands (COCOMs).

You will bring IonQ’s full space portfolio to critical national security missions, supported by product, engineering, and a broader federal sales team. You’ll need 7+ years selling into national security space with multi-million dollar deals, strong relationships with senior leaders, and an active Top Secret clearance.

Qualifications

• 7+ years selling into national security space, ISR, or mission systems with large multi-million dollar deals.
• Real relationships with senior leaders across space, intelligence, or defense.
• Track record of winning business in new or emerging markets.
• Active Top Secret clearance and U.S. citizenship required.

Responsibilities

• Set strategy for NRO and COCOMs with sales leadership.
• Own and grow new and existing accounts across NRO and COCOMs.
• Manage deals from initial contact to signed contract and delivery handoff.
• Develop metrics to measure territory success.
• Become the market expert for NRO/COCOM needs and competitive positioning.
• Coordinate with customer success, PM, and other teams to ensure post-close success.
• Represent IonQ at conferences and industry events with Marketing.

Skills

National security sales

Federal accounts

Strategic deal orchestration

Clear communication

Top Secret clearance

Job description

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier - delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, and AstraZeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before.

Location

This position can work onsite or hybrid from one of our offices in the US or fully remote.

Travel

Up to 50%

Job ID

1972

The Role

IonQ is building the world’s first fully-expressive, full-stack quantum computer based on trapped ion technology. Quantum computing is poised to reshape medicine, materials, simulation, and much more. To support our rapid growth, we're hiring creative collaborators with top skills in their areas of expertise and a commitment to success.

If you're looking for a sales role where you can genuinely build something from the ground up, this is it. As our Specialty Sales Account Executive for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) and the U.S. Combatant Commands (COCOMs), you'll bring IonQ's full space portfolio — SAR Data-as-a-Service and SAR satellites, DevSecOps and platform software, TCPED modernization, AI tools, and our quantum computing, networking, sensing, and security offerings — to some of the most important missions in national security.

You won't do this alone. You'll have product and engineering partners helping you sharpen your pitch, a federal sales team helping you find opportunities in accounts we already hold, and technical program management, finance, legal, and customer success all working with you to get deals done right. What matters most to us is that you know how to sell into national security space or mission systems — you don't need a quantum background to thrive here.

Responsibilities

• Help set the strategy for NRO and the COCOMs: You'll work with sales leadership to shape how we approach these accounts, using what you're hearing from customers to guide it.
• Own a number, and go hit it: You'll bring in new business and grow existing accounts across NRO and the COCOMs, with the backing of our broader federal sales team.
• Run your deals start to finish: From the first conversation to a signed contract to a smooth handoff to delivery, you'll own the process and keep leadership in the loop.
• Help define what success looks like — you'll help build the metrics that show whether our approach in this territory is working.
• Become the person who knows this market best: You'll understand what NRO and the COCOMs need, who else is competing for their business, and where IonQ genuinely has an edge — across SAR, DevSecOps, AI, and quantum.
• Bring in the right people at the right time — customer success, technical program management, and others — to make sure customers are well taken care of after the deal closes.
• Represent IonQ out in the world: show up at conferences and industry events with our Marketing team and help build our name in this space.

Requirements

• 7 years selling into national security space, ISR, or mission systems, or equivalent experience — including exposure to large, multi-million dollar deals with NRO, a Combatant Command, or similar federal customers.
• Real relationships with senior leaders across space, intelligence, or defense.
• A track record of winning business in new or emerging markets — you don't need to have managed an existing book, just proven you can build one.
• Strong communication skills — you can rally people across teams and make a compelling case, in writing and in person.
• Active Top Secret security clearance required. Because eligibility for a Top Secret clearance is limited to U.S. citizens, U.S. citizenship is required for this position.
• This position also requires access to information subject to U.S. export control regulations (ITAR/EAR).

Preferred Qualifications

None of these are required — but they'll help you stand out.

• Experience selling both hardware and software into production environments for national security customers.
• A technical foundation in space systems, ISR, SAR, RF/PNT, networking, cybersecurity, AI/ML, or quantum.
• Time spent at a fast-growing company navigating an early or emerging market.
• Comfort with ambiguity — new products, rapid scaling, whatever the moment calls for.
• Experience on a distributed or remote sales team.
• Existing relationships within NRO and/or the Combatant Commands.

Compensation

OTE for this role is expected to be $240K

The total compensation package includes base, commission, equity, and a range of benefit options found on our career site. If this role has a commission structure, the compensation range below just reflects the base compensation range.

Wage Transparency: $115,200—$144,000 USD

Compensation will vary based on individual factors such as education, qualifications, and experience of the final candidate(s), specific office location, and calibration against relevant market data and internal team equity. Posted base salary figures are subject to change as new market data becomes available.

Our benefits include comprehensive medical, dental, and vision plans, matching 401(k), unlimited PTO and paid holidays, parental/adoption leave, legal insurance, and a home technology stipend. Details of participation in these benefit plans will be provided when a candidate receives an offer of employment.

Company Culture

At IonQ, we believe in fair treatment, access, opportunity, and advancement for all while striving to identify and eliminate barriers. We empower employees to thrive by fostering a culture of autonomy, productivity, and respect. We are dedicated to creating an environment where individuals can feel welcomed, respected, supported, and valued.

We are committed to equity and justice. We welcome different voices and viewpoints and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, ancestry, physical and/or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, age, sexual orientation, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by law. We are proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer.

U.S. Technical Jobs

The position you are applying for will require access to technology that is subject to U.S. export control and government contract restrictions. Employment with IonQ is contingent on either verifying "U.S. Person" (e.g., U.S. citizen, U.S. national, U.S. permanent resident, or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum) status for export controls and government contracts work, obtaining any necessary license, and/or confirming the availability of a license exception under U.S. export controls. Please note that in the absence of confirming you are a U.S. Person for export control and government contracts work purposes, IonQ may choose not to apply for a license or decline to use a license exception (if available) for you to access export‑controlled technology that may require authorization, and similarly, you may not qualify for government contracts work that requires U.S. Persons, and IonQ may decline to proceed with your application on those bases alone. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.

U.S. Non‑Technical Jobs

Due to applicable export control laws and regulations, candidates must be a U.S. citizen or national, U.S. permanent resident (i.e., current Green Card holder), or lawfully admitted into the U.S. as a refugee or granted asylum. Accordingly, we will have some additional questions regarding your immigration status that will be used for export control and compliance purposes, and the answers will be reviewed by compliance personnel to ensure compliance with federal law.