Senior Federal Defense & Intelligence SaaS Exec (Remote)

Cohere; United States; Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 430,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly lunch stipend $75/£75 or local

Health & dental benefits

RRSP matching/401K

Parental leave top-up

Paid vacation 6 weeks

Home office stipend

Job summary

Cohere is seeking a Senior Account Executive for Federal Defense and Intelligence, based in the Washington, DC area, with a focus on US government customers. You will own the full sales cycle from prospecting to close, engaging with operators, analysts, and executives to craft tailored AI-driven value propositions.

This role requires a deep network in the DC metro, extensive public sector SaaS/AI experience, and a proven ability to navigate federal procurement. Travel of 25–35% is expected.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of direct public sector sales experience in the U.S. Defense and Intelligence communities.
• Deep knowledge of federal procurement cycles and how to work with resellers and distributors.
• Established DC metro area network including federal agencies and prime contractors.
• Experience selling SaaS/AI/enterprise software to government clients.
• High tolerance for ambiguity; strategic thinker who can execute hands-on.
• Strong organizational skills across many stakeholders and deals.
• Creative, technically adept at structuring partnerships.
• Excellent communication with senior decision-makers.

Responsibilities

• Drive net-new customer acquisition across US Federal Defense and Intelligence organizations.
• Develop and execute a sales plan for the Department of War, Combatant Commands and related departments.
• Act as trusted advisor to national security professionals and shape AI solutions delivering value.
• Collaborate with channel partners, distributors, VARs, and system integrators to scale outreach.
• Leverage relationships with executives and government decision-makers to drive opportunities.
• Partner with Product and Engineering to align roadmaps with customer needs.
• Coordinate with SDRs and Marketing to grow the territory.
• Own the full sales cycle from discovery to close in a team-selling environment.

Skills

Public sector sales

Federal procurement

DC Metro network

SaaS/AI/enterprise software

Ambiguity tolerance

Organizational skills

Strategic partnerships

Communication

Travel readiness

Job description

Cohere is seeking a Senior Account Executive for Federal Defense and Intelligence, based in the Washington, DC area, with a focus on US government customers. You will own the full sales cycle from prospecting to close, engaging with operators, analysts, and executives to craft tailored AI-driven value propositions.

This role requires a deep network in the DC metro, extensive public sector SaaS/AI experience, and a proven ability to navigate federal procurement. Travel of 25–35% is expected.