Growth Lead, Army

Thread AI, Inc.; New York (NY); Remote; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Thread AI, Inc. is seeking an experienced business development leader to own a focused Army portfolio for Lemma, Thread AI’s AI workflow platform.

You will connect operational needs with sponsors, qualify funding, and drive evaluations to funded awards while maintaining revenue relationships. You will lead discovery, demonstrations and capture activities, shape acquisitions and teaming paths, and manage forecast with strategic expansion plans across federal customers.

Qualifications

• 5+ years owning growth, BD or sales to US defense customers.
• Funded software or technology awards you personally helped originate and win.
• Deep knowledge and current customer relationships within at least one Army area.
• Working knowledge of Army software acquisition and budgeting.
• Evidence that you built pipeline and independently led pursuits through capture, proposals and award.
• Clear writing and product judgment; explain AI workflows and turn a conversation into an actionable pursuit plan.
• Defense-software Growth or BD and strategic federal sales background is welcome.
• Previous people management is not required.

Responsibilities

• Connect Army operational needs with technical sponsors and acquisition teams; establish funding and procurement flow.
• Build pipeline from a focused account list; qualify need, funding, buying path and next customer decision.
• Shape opportunities early, choose acquisition and teaming paths, connect evaluations to buyers and budgets.
• Own capture plans and proposals; write the commercial case and coordinate technical, pricing and legal contributions.
• Lead discovery and initial Lemma demonstrations; plan deeper evaluations with technical support and success criteria.
• Lead negotiations and close funded awards within delegated authority; develop expansion opportunities from customer results.
• Maintain an accurate forecast and hand delivery a clear record of scope, assumptions and commitments.

Skills

Growth ownership

US defense sales

Customer relationships

Job description

About Thread AI

Thread AI is focused on building an AI orchestration engine and is looking for dedicated individuals to join its growing team. Our goal is to make infrastructure simple for enterprises and public sector agencies seeking to get the most from AI and AI Agents.

Headquartered in New York, our growing team is a group of experts who have a track record of creating and executing against complex workflows and infrastructure.

About the role

You will develop an Army portfolio for Lemma, Thread AI’s AI workflow orchestration platform. Your focus will be mission-data and decision workflows, including the research and engineering work that connects new capabilities to operational needs.

You will own a focused portfolio within the Army, with the initial accounts and mission areas agreed with Thread’s federal leadership before you start. You will develop adjacent opportunities as you identify where Lemma can help.

You will carry a bookings target for your portfolio. This is an individual contributor role: you own daily pursuits through award, coordinating technical and commercial contributors. Contract delivery owns execution after award; you retain the commercial relationship and expansion responsibility.

• Connect Army operational needs with technical sponsors and acquisition teams. Establish who can fund an evaluation, who will judge its results and who can buy sustained use.

• Build pipeline from a focused account list. Qualify the need, funding, buying path and next customer decision.

• Shape opportunities early, choose acquisition and teaming paths, and connect evaluations to follow-on buyers and budgets.

• Own capture plans and proposals. Write the commercial case and coordinate technical, pricing and legal contributions.

• Lead discovery and initial Lemma demonstrations. Plan deeper evaluations with technical support and agree on success criteria and delivery capacity.

• Lead negotiations and close funded awards within your delegated authority. Develop expansion opportunities from evidence of customer results.

• Maintain an accurate forecast and hand delivery a clear record of scope, assumptions and customer commitments.

What we’re looking for

• Five or more years owning growth, business development or sales to US defense customers, with responsibility for a revenue target. We consider equivalent experience demonstrating the same commercial ownership.

• Funded software or technology awards you personally helped originate and win. You can explain the buyer, obligated funding and your contribution.

• Deep knowledge and current customer relationships within at least one relevant part of the Army, such as a mission area, command, program office or acquisition organization. Show how those relationships have helped you advance software buying decisions.

• Working knowledge of Army software acquisition and budgeting, including how user requirements, technical evaluations and program funding connect.

• Evidence that you built pipeline and independently led pursuits through capture, proposals and award.

• Clear writing and product judgment. Explain AI workflows and their limits to customers, and turn a conversation into an actionable pursuit plan.

Relevant backgrounds include defense-software Growth or BD and strategic federal sales. Military, government and technical program experience is welcome alongside the commercial experience above. Previous people management is not required.

Nice to haves

• Experience winning awards through an OTA, CSO, SBIR Phase II or III, or BAA.

• Army operational, intelligence, acquisition or program experience paired with commercial software wins.

• Experience selling AI/data, command-and-control or other mission software into Army organizations.

• Experience as an early seller at a software startup, building a territory before a mature sales process existed.

• A record of moving a prototype or research effort into funded operational use and expanding into adjacent accounts.

Why Thread AI

You will work directly with federal leadership and the team building Lemma. You will develop a defined portfolio and help establish how Thread sells to federal customers. What you learn in pursuits and evaluations will inform the product.

We’re committed to creating a space where our employees can bring their full selves to work and have equal opportunity to succeed.

Compensation

The annual base pay range is $180,000-$250,000. Total on-target earnings are $280,000-$400,000, including base and variable pay, plus equity.

An active U.S. Secret security clearance or higher is preferred, but not required.

Applicant must be a U.S. citizen or national or U.S. lawful, permanent resident.

This is a full-time, remote position based in the United States. Washington, DC area preferred.

Travel: Up to 50%.