Account Executive, US Public Sector

Root; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Aikido is seeking an Account Executive to advance our public sector sales motion in Federal and SLED segments. You will manage complex federal opportunities, build trusted relationships with government buyers, and drive pipeline in federal accounts while navigating procurement and budgeting cycles.

Ideal candidates have mid-to-senior level AE experience in government markets, strong executive engagement skills, and a self-starter mindset ready to thrive in a startup-within-a-startup environment.

Qualifications

• Mid to senior level Account Executive with federal or SLED sales experience.
• Comfort navigating complex sales cycles and engaging executive stakeholders.
• Security domain experience is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Manage complex federal sales opportunities and buyer relationships.
• Own relationships across government buyers, influencers, and stakeholders.
• Prospect and build pipeline within federal accounts.
• Navigate budgeting cycles, procurement processes, and regulatory constraints.
• Help shape the public sector sales motion and growth initiatives.

Skills

Fed Gov sales

SLED sales

Complex sales cycles

Executive engagement

Security experience

Self-starter

Get stuff done

Job description

We’re making security suck less for developers.

Security tools haven’t kept up with how software is built today. They interrupt teams, slow releases, and turn security into a bottleneck instead of a capability. We built Aikido to change that. Aikido builds developer-first security products that reduce real risk without getting in the way of shipping software. We focus on what actually matters and automate the rest.

We’re taking on legacy security tools teams have been stuck with, and we’re winning. If you want to help us take market share and build products developers actually enjoy using, you’re in the right place.

Founded in 2022 by third-time founders, Aikido has $85M in the bank and a long runway ahead. We’re building toward self-securing software. Join an all-star team. Take real ownership. Push boundaries. Build things that matter.

We’re looking for Account Executives to help build and scale our public sector go-to-market motion. Since we’re still early, this is not a standard AE role. You’ll be selling, shaping processes, and influencing strategy that will help us establish credibility in a highly specialized public sector and defense market.

We’re hiring across Federal and SLED

We’re building out our public sector team with multiple openings across two segments:

• Federal: Civilian agencies, Department of Defense, and the Intelligence Community

• SLED: State and local government and education

Responsibilities

• Manage complex federal sales opportunities
• Own relationships across government buyers, influencers, and stakeholders
• Prospect and build pipeline within federal accounts
• Navigate budgeting cycles, procurement processes, and regulatory constraints
• Help shape the public sector sales motion and broader growth initiatives

• Mid to Senior level Account Executive experience, with specific experience selling into Fed Gov or SLED
• Experience with complex strategic sales cycles and executive-level engagement
• Able to “speak acronym” and operate fluently in government budgeting, program cycles, procurement, laws, and regulations
• Security experience strongly preferred
• Self-starter who can operate independently in a startup within a startup
• Hungry and 'get stuff done' mentality

What you can expect

• Short decision lines. Big ownership. Shape the projects that matter and ship fast.
• Grow as fast as we do. Take on more, own more, and carve out your own path.
• Top-tier tech pay and equity.
• High trust, strong values, zero corporate BS.
• Flexibility in working hours.
• A company that sticks to its values in an open and informal atmosphere.

We hire for talent, drive, and potential. Everything else is noise.