Senior SLED AI Sales Executive (Remote)

Cohere; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 430,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Weekly lunch stipend

Health benefits

RRSP matching

Parental leave

Enrichment benefits

Education stipend

Vacation benefits

Office travel/office-to-office stipend

Job summary

Cohere is seeking an Account Executive to lead the full sales cycle with State, Local and Higher Education customers across the Western region of the United States. You will identify leads, build value propositions around Cohere’s AI platform, and close deals in a fast-moving environment.

The role requires 5+ years in public sector SaaS/AI sales, strong procurement knowledge, and a regional network. You will collaborate with Customer Success, Marketing, and Product to drive growth and customer

Qualifications

• 5+ years of direct public sector sales experience in the SLED Market, with a proven track record of closing $2M+ annual quotas.
• Deep knowledge of SLED procurement cycles and decision-making processes, how to work with resellers, VARs and distributors.
• Established regional network, including state and local departments and agencies, prime contractors, and industry associations.
• Experience selling SaaS, AI/ML, or enterprise software solutions to government clients.
• High tolerance for ambiguity, you are both a strategist and a hands-on operator capable of building a market from the ground up
• Strong organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple internal and external stakeholders across fast-moving deals
• Creativity and strong technical acumen to structure unique, mutually beneficial partnerships
• Excellent communication skills, you listen deeply, understand what matters to senior decision-makers, and confidently present to both technical and non-technical audiences

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 and prioritization 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
• Work closely with channel and local partners, particularly Distributors and VARs as well as major system integrators 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
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams on strategic efforts to deliver enterprise and public‑sector solutions
• Partner with SDRs and Marketing to drive top‑of‑funnel activity and overall territory growth
• Own the full sales cycle; including discovery, technical and business validation, proof‑of‑concept, procurement, and deal close within a team‑selling environment

Skills

Public sector sales

SLED procurement knowledge

Networking / relationship building

SaaS / AI sales

Strategic selling

Job description

Cohere is seeking an Account Executive to lead the full sales cycle with State, Local and Higher Education customers across the Western region of the United States. You will identify leads, build value propositions around Cohere’s AI platform, and close deals in a fast-moving environment.

The role requires 5+ years in public sector SaaS/AI sales, strong procurement knowledge, and a regional network. You will collaborate with Customer Success, Marketing, and Product to drive growth and customer