Shipyard AI - Account Executive

Bigbear.ai; McLean (VA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

BigBear.ai, a leader in AI-powered decision intelligence, seeks an Account Executive to sell Shipyard AI to shipyards in the US and abroad. You will own accounts end-to-end, from discovery to close, working with delivery and engineering teams to frame a strong business case and measurable outcomes.

You will visit customer sites, translate yard challenges into a concrete Shipyard AI engagement, and maintain an active forecast and CRM.

Qualifications

• 5+ years working in a shipyard in operations, production, planning or engineering.
• 5+ years of quota-carrying sales in shipbuilding, maritime, defense or industrial software.
• Proven track record of meeting or beating targets.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a pipeline of shipyard and ship repair accounts.
• Conduct on-site learning of yard operations to identify problems worth solving.
• Translate problems into Shipyard AI engagements with clear business cases.
• Lead discovery sessions, demos and working sessions with stakeholders.
• Explain generative AI and simulation concepts in plain terms.
• Collaborate with delivery and development teams to shape solutions and proposals.
• Maintain account relationships and expand into follow-on work.
• Keep accurate forecast and CRM pipeline.

Skills

Shipyard operations

Quota-carrying sales

Generative AI

Discrete-event simulation

Proposal writing

Executive presenting

Education

Bachelor's degree

Engineering or Naval Architecture

Tools

CRM (forecasting)

AI tools

Job description

Residency

All applicants must currently reside in the United States

Overview

BigBear.ai builds AI and simulation software for defense, national security and critical industry. Shipyard AI is our planning, simulation and decision-support platform for shipbuilding and ship repair. It is in use at Tier 1 US shipyards and at all three of Canada's major shipbuilders, where yards use it to plan capacity, sequence work, and test facility and schedule decisions before committing money or labor to them.

The role:

We're hiring an Account Executive to sell Shipyard AI to shipbuilders and ship repair yards in the US and abroad. This is a seller who has worked in a shipyard. You've walked the waterfront, sat in the production meetings, and know why a schedule slips. Customers should see you as someone who understands their operation first and a salesperson second.

You'll own a set of accounts end to end: finding the problem, scoping the work, building the business case, and closing. You'll work alongside our delivery team and developers, and you'll be expected to carry a technical conversation about generative AI and simulation with yard leadership, planners and engineers.

This is a base + commission role (published salary range is base).

What you will do

• Build and work a pipeline of shipyard and ship repair accounts, from first meeting to signed contract
• Get on site, learn how each yard actually runs, and pin down the operational problems worth solving: capacity, labor loading, schedule, facility planning, rework
• Translate those problems into a scoped Shipyard AI engagement with a clear business case and measurable outcomes
• Run discovery sessions, demos and working sessions with production, planning, engineering and executive stakeholders
• Explain how generative AI and discrete-event simulation apply to a yard's real decisions, in plain terms, without overselling
• Work with our delivery team and developers to shape solutions, write proposals and price work
• Keep relationships going after the sale and grow accounts into follow-on work
• Keep an accurate forecast and pipeline in the CRM
• Represent BigBear.ai at industry events and customer sites

What you need to have

• 5+ years working in a shipyard, preferably in operations, production, planning or engineering
• 5+ years of quota-carrying sales in a relevant industry (shipbuilding, maritime, defense, heavy manufacturing, or industrial software) with a proven record of hitting or beating targets
• Process expertise: you can map how work flows through a yard and spot where time, labor and capacity are lost
• A track record of building credibility and rapport with shipyard leadership, from production supervisors to executives
• Working knowledge of generative AI and how it's applied in an operational setting
• Working knowledge of simulation (discrete-event or similar) and how it supports planning decisions
• Strong written and spoken communication, including proposals and executive presentations
• Engineering or Naval Architecture experience required
• Bachelor's degree, equivalent experience may be considered in lieu of a degree
• Ability to travel to customer sites

What we'd like you to have

• Experience in naval shipbuilding, ship repair or a naval maintenance availability environment
• Existing relationships with US or international shipyards
• Industrial engineering, naval architecture or marine engineering background
• Experience selling software, simulation or analytics into industrial customers
• Hands-on use of simulation tools or generative AI tools
• Experience with complex, multi-stakeholder sales cycles of six months or longer
• Ability to obtain a US security clearance

Pay transparency

Please note the targeted compensation range is provided as an estimate, and any actual compensation offer may vary depending on the needs of the company, or an applicant's skillset, competencies, experience, education, certifications, location, or other factors. The estimated range does not include the value of any benefits offered.

About BigBear.ai

BigBear.ai is a leading provider of AI-powered decision intelligence solutions for national security, supply chain management, and digital identity. Customers and partners rely on Bigbear.ai's predictive analytics capabilities in highly complex, distributed, mission-based operating environments. Headquartered in McLean, Virginia, BigBear.ai is a public company traded on the NYSE under the symbol BBAI. For more information, visit https://bigbear.ai/ and follow BigBear.ai on LinkedIn: @BigBear.ai and X: @BigBearai.

BigBear.ai is an Equal opportunity employer all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities.