Senior Public Sector AI Account Executive

Cohere; California (MO); Remote; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly lunch stipend

Health & dental benefits

RRSP/401K

Parental leave

Professional development stipend

Vacation 6 weeks

Travel budget for offices

Job summary

Cohere is seeking an Account Executive to own the full sales cycle with State, Local and Higher Education customers in the Western United States. You will identify leads, build relationships, and close deals around Cohere’s AI platform and government-ready solutions.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years of direct public sector sales, deep SLED knowledge, and a proven track record of multi-million quotas. Travel 25–35% is expected as you scale growth in the region.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of direct public sector sales in the SLED Market.
• Deep knowledge of SLED procurement cycles and how to work with resellers, VARs and distributors.
• Established regional network with state/local agencies, prime contractors, and industry associations.
• Experience selling SaaS/AI/enterprise software to government clients.
• Strong ability to operate strategically while hands-on to build a market from the ground up.
• Excellent communication skills with senior decision-makers.

Responsibilities

• Drive net-new customer acquisition through targeted outbound activity, senior leader engagement, and relationship building across SLED organizations.
• Develop and execute a sales plan for the SLED market in your territory, identifying pathways and partners to scale growth regionally.
• Act as a trusted advisor and thought partner to SLED customers and prospects by understanding their goals and shaping AI solutions that deliver measurable value.
• Collaborate with channel and local partners, particularly distributors and VARs, to scale outreach, accelerate adoption, and maximize customer success.
• Leverage senior-level relationships with executives and government decision-makers to drive strategic opportunities and long-term partnerships.
• Partner with Product and Engineering teams on strategic efforts to deliver enterprise and public-sector solutions.
• Work with SDRs and Marketing to drive top-of-funnel activity and overall territory growth.
• Own the full sales cycle; including discovery, validation, PoC, procurement, and close in a team-selling environment.

Skills

Public Sector Sales

Territory Management

Strategic Selling

Executive-level Selling

SaaS/AI Solutions

Job description

Cohere is seeking an Account Executive to own the full sales cycle with State, Local and Higher Education customers in the Western United States. You will identify leads, build relationships, and close deals around Cohere’s AI platform and government-ready solutions.

Ideal candidates bring 5+ years of direct public sector sales, deep SLED knowledge, and a proven track record of multi-million quotas. Travel 25–35% is expected as you scale growth in the region.