Director of Federal Sales

iLeadX - Executive search; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading government-focused executive search firm is seeking a Director of Defense & Intelligence Sales to lead expansion in the federal market. You will manage the full sales cycle for DOD and Intelligence Community accounts, develop capture strategies, and build high-level relationships with prime contractors. This role requires over 8 years of federal sales experience and a proven track record of closing significant deals. The ideal candidate should have deep domain expertise in AI and mission-critical systems. U.S. citizenship is required.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Federal Sales, specifically selling to DOD or Intelligence Community.
• Proven track record of closing significant federal deals.
• Deep understanding of AI/ML, Video Analytics, GEOINT, ISR, or OSINT.

Responsibilities

• Own the Defense & Intelligence P&L and manage the full sales cycle.
• Build relationships with cleared Prime contractors.
• Develop agency-level capture strategies.

Skills

Federal Sales Experience

Technical Platform Sales

Strategic Partnerships

Sales Cycle Management

Job description

Employment Type

Full-Time

About Airis Labs

Airis Labs delivers AI-powered visual intelligence solutions that enable law enforcement, intelligence, and defense agencies to analyze massive volumes of video and image data at scale. Having proven success in international markets, we are now establishing our U.S. federal presence - targeting DHS, DOJ, DOD, and Intelligence Community customers.

Role Summary

As the Director of Defense & Intelligence Sales, you will lead our expansion into the most strategically significant accounts in the federal market. This is a "Player-Coach" position: you will personally carry and close high-stakes deals while simultaneously building the processes, partnerships, and infrastructure for scale.

In the near term, you will lead our "Capture" strategy, leveraging relationships with cleared Prime contractors and Systems Integrators, while anchoring our transition into a fully cleared business entity.

Key Responsibilities

• Revenue & Execution: Own the Defense & Intelligence P&L. Manage the full sales cycle for DOD and IC accounts (e.g., NGA, DIA, SOCOM, ISR units), from lead generation to contract closing.
• Strategic Partnerships: Build and manage high-level relationships with cleared Prime contractors (e.g., Leidos, Booz Allen, SAIC, L3Harris) to structure teaming and subcontracting agreements.
• Capture & Contracting: Develop agency-level capture strategies aligned with federal contracting vehicles (IDIQs, OTAs, GWACs, JWICS procurement).
• Team Building: Hire and mentor a high-performing vertical team as the business scales.
• Product Strategy: Synthesize intelligence community insights to inform our product roadmap, ensuring our AI capabilities meet the evolving needs of federal buyers.

Required Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in Federal Sales, specifically selling SaaS or technical platforms to the U.S. DOD or Intelligence Community (IC).
• Proven Track Record: Experience closing six- to eight-figure federal deals and navigating complex acquisition processes (FAR, DFARS, IDIQ, OTA).
• Domain Expertise: Deep understanding of mission-critical systems such as AI/ML, Video Analytics, GEOINT, ISR, or OSINT.
• The "Startup" Mindset: A player-coach mentality with the ability to operate independently in a high-growth, fast-moving environment with limited infrastructure.
• Partner Network: Existing relationships with DOD acquisition officials, IC program managers, or Business Development leads at major cleared Primes.

Eligibility & Clearance

• U.S. Citizenship is required due to government contract requirements and security clearance needs.
• Active TS/SCI clearance is strongly preferred. Candidates must, at minimum, be eligible for a TS/SCI clearance.

Leadership & Early-Stage Mindset

• Experience building and scaling sales functions in early- or growth-stage environments
• Player-coach mindset: ability to carry quota personally while building organizational capacity
• Comfort operating with limited infrastructure and high ambiguity in a fast-moving startup

Preferred / Nice-to-Have

• Prior experience at federal/defense technology firms
• Existing relationships with IC program managers, DOD acquisition officials, or cleared prime BD leads
• Experience positioning AI or computer vision technology to intelligence or surveillance-focused customers