Enterprise Account Executive— Aerospace & Defense

luminarycloud; San Mateo (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Luminary, a San Mateo-based company, is seeking an Enterprise AE for Aerospace & Defense. You will own the full sales cycle from prospecting to close, engaging with chief engineers, program managers, and procurement to win multi-year, high-value contracts.

You will travel 25-40% to customer sites and industry events, coordinating with Solution Engineers to scope use cases and structure SOWs, while translating complex physics workflows into business value.

Qualifications

• 5-10 years of enterprise B2B sales experience.
• Domain fluency in aerospace or defense engineering to earn credibility.
• Experience selling engineering software, simulation software, or AI/ML tools into aerospace/defense buyers.

Responsibilities

• Own a territory across Aerospace & Defense—prospecting, qualifying, and closing net new logos while expanding existing accounts.
• Drive complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise sales cycles from first conversation to signed SOW.
• Partner with the Solution Engineer to align on use case scoping, SOW structure, and delivery capacity.
• Lead commercial conversations with technical credibility about simulation workflows and AI-driven analysis.
• Build and maintain executive relationships across engineering and program leadership at target accounts.
• Develop account plans and territory strategy; manage pipeline in CRM with rigor and forecast accuracy.
• Represent Luminary at conferences, customer on-sites, and events.
• Navigate ITAR/EAR and government acquisition considerations in dialogue with defense accounts.
• Bring market and customer signal back to Product and GTM leadership.

Skills

Enterprise B2B sales

Aerospace & Defense domain knowledge

Sales cycles & CRM

Technical credibility in simulation

U.S. Person

Job description

Full-time position | Hybrid - San Mateo, CA + Field

Note: In accordance with export control regulations, this position requires candidates to qualify as a U.S. Person (U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, or protected individual as defined under 8 U.S.C. § 1324b(a)(3)). For engagements with cleared customers, an active or obtainable U.S. security clearance is preferred but not required.

JOIN THE REVOLUTION IN ENGINEERING INNOVATION

Luminary helps engineering companies be more competitive by getting to market faster, creating better products, and reducing development risk. We do this through our Physics AI platform - the fastest and easiest way to build and deploy large physics models that understand and instantly predict physical reality with precision. Our customers span industries from automotive and aerospace to defense, industrial, semiconductors, and energy - ranging from hyper-growth startups to Fortune 100 enterprises. Luminary is a Series B company headquartered in San Mateo, California.

YOUR IMPACT

As an Enterprise AE for Aerospace & Defense, you are Luminary's primary revenue driver into aerospace OEMs, eVTOL/UAM companies, space launch providers, propulsion manufacturers, and defense prime contractors. You own the full sales cycle - from prospecting and executive relationship development through commercial close - and partner tightly with the Lead Delivery Engineer to ensure seamless GTM-to-delivery handoff. You are equally comfortable in a room with a chief engineer debugging a simulation workflow and in a room with a CFO walking a multi-year program roadmap.

WHAT YOU'LL DO

• Own a territory across Aerospace & Defense - prospecting, qualifying, and closing net new logos while expanding existing accounts.
• Drive complex, multi-stakeholder enterprise sales cycles from first conversation to signed SOW, navigating technical buyers (chief engineers, simulation leads, program managers), economic buyers, and procurement.
• Partner with the Solution Engineer to align on use case scoping, SOW structure, and delivery capacity before and during the sales cycle - maintaining continuity through GTM-to-delivery handoff.
• Lead commercial conversations with technical credibility: hold a substantive conversation with engineering teams about simulation workflows, AI-driven analysis, and where Physics AI creates competitive leverage.
• Build and maintain executive relationships across engineering and program leadership - VP Engineering, Chief Engineers, Directors of Simulation and Analysis, and Program Managers - at target accounts.
• Develop account plans and territory strategy; manage pipeline in CRM with rigor and forecast accurately.
• Represent Luminary at industry conferences, customer on-sites, and events (AIAA, AIA, AUVSI, SpaceTech, NDIA, etc.).
• Navigate ITAR/EAR and government acquisition considerations in commercial dialogue with defense accounts.
• Bring market and customer signal back to Product and GTM leadership - you are a primary sensor for competitive dynamics, buyer pain, and emerging use cases in the vertical.

WHAT YOU BRING

• 5-10 years of enterprise B2B sales experience, with a demonstrated track record of closing six- and seven-figure deals in a complex, long-cycle environment.
• Domain fluency in aerospace or defense engineering - enough to earn credibility with simulation engineers, chief engineers, and program managers on the first call. You don't need to run CFD; you need to understand what's hard about it.
• Experience selling engineering software, simulation software, or AI/ML tools into aerospace, defense, or adjacent technical buyers. CAE, CFD, FEA, PLM, HPC, or digital twin experience is directly relevant.
• Comfort with technical complexity - Physics AI is not a commodity; you can translate physics-based modeling into business value and vice versa.
• U.S. Person required.
• CRM rigor and pipeline discipline - you build, manage, and close your own pipeline.
• Collaborative orientation - Luminary's GTM motion is tightly coupled with delivery; you work seamlessly with LDEs and technical teams throughout the sales cycle.
• Self-starter mentality, persistent through long cycles, willing to travel 25-40% to customer sites and industry events.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

• Prior experience selling to aerospace OEMs (Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Embraer, Textron), eVTOL/UAM (Joby, Archer, Wisk, Beta, Lilium), space (SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab, Relativity, Stoke), or propulsion (GE Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, Safran).
• Prior experience selling to defense primes (Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Boeing Defense, Raytheon/RTX, General Dynamics, L3Harris) or defense agencies (DARPA, AFRL, NRL, ONR).
• Background in, or deep familiarity with, high-fidelity simulation: CFD, FEA, aeroelasticity, MDO, or certification-relevant analysis.
• Experience navigating ITAR/EAR, DFARS, or government acquisition frameworks in commercial engagements.
• Active or obtainable U.S. security clearance preferred for accounts with cleared program requirements.
• Track record of building net new pipeline in greenfield or early-market technical verticals where education is part of the sale.