Key Account Executive - Aerospace & Defense

CoLab; Detroit (MI); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

CoLab is looking for a Key Account Executive focused on Aerospace & Defense in Detroit, Michigan. This role involves owning strategic enterprise accounts across North America, engaging with senior leaders in complex sales environments, and driving high-value deals ranging from $200K to $2M+.

Ideal candidates will have 5+ years of enterprise SaaS sales experience and a proven track record of managing multi-stakeholder sales cycles. You'll play a crucial role in shaping CoLab's presence in the A&D market through relationship-building and strategic insights.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in enterprise SaaS sales with high-value contracts.
• Experience with large organizations (10,000+ employees).
• Familiarity with Aerospace & Defense sector.

Responsibilities

• Own the sales cycle for large Aerospace & Defense accounts.
• Close high-value enterprise deals navigating complex processes.
• Build and maintain executive-level relationships with clients.

Skills

Enterprise SaaS sales experience

Consultative selling

Strong communication skills

Salesforce proficiency

Job description

About CoLab

At CoLab, we help mechanical engineering teams bring life‑changing products to market years sooner.
CoLab is the AI platform for driving stronger engineering decisions. Every design review in CoLab builds a knowledge repository of design feedback, decisions, and lessons learned – which AI agents draw from to flag issues on future designs before they compound. The more your team works in CoLab, the smarter it gets and the faster you arrive at the ideal design. Companies like Ford, Komatsu, and Johnson Controls use CoLab to catch issues earlier, eliminate rework cycles, and bring products to market faster.

Founded in St. John's, Newfoundland, CoLab has grown quickly from our first customer in 2019 to a rapidly scaling company. We have recently been recognized on Deloitte's Fast 50™ and Fast 500™ and named a Canadian company to watch by The Globe and Mail and Financial Post.

About the Role

As a Key Account Executive focused on Aerospace & Defense, you will own and grow some of CoLab's most strategic enterprise accounts across North America. You will engage with senior engineering, program, and procurement leaders at large A&D companies, closing enterprise deals ranging from $200K to $2M+, and uncovering opportunities to expand across business units and global programs. This is a high‑impact role for a consultative, relationship‑driven seller who understands the complexity of regulated industries and thrives in long‑cycle, multi‑stakeholder enterprise sales. You will play a key role in shaping CoLab's presence in the A&D market, bringing valuable insights from the field back into our GTM and product strategy.

This position will require occasional travel for on‑site team meetings in Newfoundland, Canada, at least twice per year (primarily in December and June) in addition to occasional travel to customer sites. We recognize that travel can involve personal commitments and strive to accommodate individual circumstances; however the expectation is that travel to, and attendance at, the majority of these events is mandatory. Details about travel arrangements and covered expenses will be discussed during the hiring process.

Job Responsibilities

• Own the full sales cycle for CoLab's largest Aerospace & Defense accounts across North America.
• Close high‑value enterprise deals ($200K–$2M+), navigating complex buying processes with multiple technical and executive stakeholders.
• Lead in‑depth discovery conversations to understand engineering workflows, regulatory constraints, and program pressures.
• Partner with Sales Development, Marketing, and Customer Success to drive high‑quality engagement and expansion across enterprise accounts.
• Build and maintain executive‑level relationships with engineering, operations, and procurement leaders within target A&D organizations.
• Serve as a strategic advisor—articulating how CoLab can help reduce rework, accelerate time‑to‑market, and improve design quality across the product lifecycle.
• Develop strategic account and territory plans for large enterprise A&D organizations.
• Maintain a healthy pipeline and accurate forecasting using Salesforce.
• Collaborate on contract renewals and expansion motions to grow customer lifetime value (CLV) over time.

What You'll Need

• 5+ years of experience in enterprise SaaS sales with a proven track record of closing high‑value contracts (ranging from $200K to $2M+).
• Experience selling into large organizations (10,000+ employees) and managing complex, multi‑stakeholder sales cycles.
• Familiarity with selling into Aerospace & Defense, or similar sectors such as defense tech, aviation, industrial systems, or manufacturing.
• Strong consultative selling and solution‑based approach, particularly in industries like industrial equipment, automotive, aerospace, or similar highly technical sectors.
• Ability to manage a growing pipeline of high‑value enterprise opportunities, ensuring effective follow‑up and timely progression of deals.
• Comfortable with ambiguity: ability to navigate complex enterprise sales cycles and align internal resources to close deals.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills, with the ability to influence and persuade senior decision‑makers in large organizations.
• Experience using Salesforce to manage pipeline and forecast deals with accuracy and attention to detail.
• Team player with the ability to collaborate across departments to ensure alignment on customer needs and business objectives.
• Self‑motivated and driven to exceed sales targets and grow enterprise accounts.