Strategic Account Manager - Southeast

Stealth Startup; United States; Remote; USD 120,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus eligibility

Job summary

Stealth Startup is seeking a public-sector leader to drive strategic partnerships and government affairs across the Southeast, with initial focus on North Carolina and Virginia. This role combines policy expertise, stakeholder engagement, and business development to expand technology-enabled school bus safety solutions.

The ideal candidate navigates complex public-sector environments, influences decision-makers, and advances opportunities through lengthy, multi-stakeholder processes to improve

Qualifications

• 3-5 years in government relations or public affairs.
• Experience supporting public-sector sales or B2G environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience with municipal and/or state elected officials.
• Experience with school districts, law enforcement, courts, or transportation agencies a plus.
• Strong understanding of SE Southeast legislative, regulatory, and procurement processes.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities independently while collaborating across teams.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and advance priority public-sector accounts with complex political, regulatory, and procurement dynamics.
• Support the sales cycle by navigating gatekeepers, influencers, and decision-makers in school districts and local government.
• Participate in account planning, deal strategy sessions, proposal development, and link government affairs insights to business objectives.
• Help remove political, regulatory, and stakeholder-related barriers to high-value opportunities.
• Track and report on the impact of government engagement on pipeline progression, deal velocity, and conversion.
• Develop regional go-to-market and government affairs plans for municipal and state initiatives across the Southeast, starting with NC and VA.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with mayors, city councils, superintendents, and transportation directors.
• Engage state legislators and staff; advocate for regulatory changes supporting safe school bus tech.
• Conduct research on legislation, regulations, procurement practices, and policy issues.
• Represent the organization at public hearings, conferences, and association meetings.
• Develop grassroots and community-engagement initiatives to raise school bus safety awareness.
• Collaborate with government affairs, sales, marketing, legal, and operations to reach shared objectives.
• Monitor legislative and regulatory developments that may affect regional priorities.

Skills

Government relations

Public policy

Policy analysis

Stakeholder engagement

Business development support

Strategic partnership development

Public speaking

Education

Bachelor's degree

Master's degree (plus)

Job description

Location: Remote; Southeast U.S. preferred

Travel: Frequent local and regional travel required; occasional national travel may be required

Compensation: Eligible for commission and/or bonus

Education: Bachelor's degree required; Political Science, Public Policy, Government, Communications, Business, or a related field preferred. Master's degree is a plus.

Overview:

We are seeking a motivated and experienced public-sector professional to lead strategic partnerships and government affairs initiatives across the Southeast region. This role will help expand adoption of technology-enabled school bus safety solutions by combining policy expertise, stakeholder engagement, and business development support.

The ideal candidate brings strong political judgment, a business-oriented mindset, and a demonstrated ability to build trusted relationships with public officials, school systems, law enforcement leaders, and other community stakeholders. Success in this role requires the ability to navigate complex public-sector environments, influence decision-makers, and help advance opportunities through lengthy, multi-stakeholder processes.

Responsibilities

• Identify, qualify, and advance priority public-sector accounts with complex political, regulatory, and procurement dynamics.
• Support the sales cycle by navigating gatekeepers, influencers, and decision-makers in school districts and local government.
• Participate in account planning, deal strategy sessions, proposal development, and other activities that connect government affairs insights to business objectives.
• Help remove political, regulatory, and stakeholder-related barriers to high-value opportunities.
• Track and report on the impact of government engagement on pipeline progression, deal velocity, and conversion.
• Develop and execute regional go-to-market and government affairs plans focused on municipal and state-level initiatives across the Southeast, with an initial focus on North Carolina and Virginia.
• Build and maintain trusted relationships with key stakeholders, including:
• Mayors, city council members, and other municipal officials
• School superintendents, school boards, and transportation directors
• Court personnel, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies
• State legislators and legislative staff, including former chiefs of staff
• Advocate for legislative and regulatory changes that support the responsible use of technology to improve school bus safety.
• Conduct research and analysis on relevant legislation, regulations, procurement practices, and policy issues.
• Represent the organization at public hearings, conferences, association meetings, and other relevant events.
• Develop and implement grassroots and community-engagement initiatives that raise awareness of school bus safety issues.
• Collaborate with internal teams, including government affairs, sales, marketing, legal, and operations, to achieve shared objectives.
• Monitor and report on legislative, regulatory, procurement, and political developments that may affect regional priorities.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of experience in government relations, public affairs, public-sector partnerships, business development, or a related field.
• Experience supporting public-sector sales teams or working in a business-to-government environment is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated experience working with elected officials at the municipal and/or state level.
• Experience working with school districts, law enforcement agencies, courts, transportation agencies, or other public-sector stakeholders is a plus.
• Strong understanding of legislative, regulatory, and public procurement processes across the Southeast; familiarity with North Carolina and Virginia is preferred.
• Excellent communication, interpersonal, presentation, and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with diverse stakeholders and operate credibly in politically sensitive environments.
• Strong analytical, strategic-thinking, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities independently while collaborating effectively across teams.
• Passion for public safety and a commitment to improving outcomes for children and communities.
• Bachelor's degree in Political Science, Public Policy, Government, Communications, Business, or a related field preferred.