Account Executive, SLED (West)

Cohere; Phoenix (AZ); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 430,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Lunch stipend

Health and dental benefits

RRSP matching/401K

Parental leave top-up

Enrichment benefits

Education stipend

Paid vacation (6 weeks)

Office travel budget and offsite

Job summary

Cohere is seeking an Account Executive to oversee the full sales cycle with State, Local, and Higher Education customers in the Western United States. You will identify targets, engage senior leaders, and tailor AI solutions to meet public-sector needs.

You will navigate procurement cycles, build strategic partnerships, and collaborate with Product, Success, and Marketing teams to drive territory growth in a fast-evolving, remote-friendly environment.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of direct public sector sales in the SLED market with a proven track record of closing $2M+ annual quotas.
• Deep knowledge of SLED procurement cycles and how to work with resellers, VARs and distributors.
• Established regional network including state/local departments, prime contractors, and industry associations.
• Experience selling SaaS/AI/enterprise software solutions to government clients.
• High tolerance for ambiguity; capable of building a market from the ground up.
• Strong organizational skills managing multiple internal and external stakeholders across fast-moving deals.
• Creativity and technical acumen to structure unique, mutually beneficial partnerships.
• Excellent communication skills; able to present to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Preference given to candidates in CA, TX, WA, AZ and CO with 25-35% travel.

Responsibilities

• Drive net-new customer acquisition through targeted outbound activity and senior leader engagement across SLED organizations.
• Develop and execute a sales plan for the SLED market in your territory, identifying pathways to scale growth.
• Act as a trusted advisor to SLED customers by understanding goals and shaping AI solutions that deliver measurable value.
• Collaborate with channel partners, distributors, VARs, and system integrators to scale outreach and adoption.
• Leverage executive relationships to drive strategic opportunities and long-term partnerships.
• Work with Product and Engineering on strategic efforts to deliver enterprise/public-sector solutions.
• Partner with SDRs and Marketing to drive top-of-funnel activity and territory growth.
• Own the full sales cycle from discovery to procurement and close in a team-selling environment.

Skills

Public sector sales

SLED expertise

Govt procurement

SaaS sales

Relationship building

Strategic selling

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.

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 an Account Executive at Cohere you will have ownership of the full sales cycle - from identifying leads to closing deals, with State, Local and Higher Education customers in the Western region of the United States. In this role you will be focussed on business development activity within the government departments and agencies at the state and local level, as well as within higher education within your territory.. We’re looking for an approachable and compelling communicator who loves working with SLED customers to uncover their needs and feels comfortable developing tailored value propositions around how Cohere’s platform can help them drive better 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 An Account Executive, You Will

• Drive net-new customer acquisition through targeted outbound activity, senior leader engagement, and relationship building across SLED organizations.
• Develop and execute a sales plan and prioritization for the SLED market in your territory, identifying pathways and partners to scale growth regionally.
• Act as a trusted advisor and thought partner to SLED customers and prospects by understanding their goals and shaping AI solutions that deliver measurable value
• Work closely with channel and local partners, particularly Distributors and VARs 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

• 5+ years of direct public sector sales experience in the SLED Market, with a proven track record of closing $2M+ annual quotas.
• Deep knowledge of SLED procurement cycles and decision‑making processes, how to work with resellers, VARs and distributors.
• Established regional network, including state and local departments and 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
• Preference given to candidates within California, Texas, Washington, Arizona and Colorado with willingness to travel (25-35%).

Cohere is committed to fair and transparent pay practices. The salary range listed for this role reflects the expected base compensation. Actual compensation offered will be determined by factors such as location, level, job‑related knowledge, skills, education, and experience.

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 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.

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.

Compensation Range: $230K - $430K