Senior Account Executive - US Public Sector (Civilian and Federal)

The role

You will own the full sales cycle for US Federal Civilian Departments and Agencies. You will drive net-new customer acquisition and develop sales plans for 14 non-defense Cabinet level agencies.

What you will do

• Drive net-new customer acquisition through targeted outbound activity and senior leader engagement.
• Develop and execute a sales plan for the 14 non-defense Cabinet level agencies in the United States.
• Act as a trusted advisor to public sector customers to shape AI solutions.
• Work with channel partners, distributors, VARs, and system integrators to scale outreach.
• Leverage senior-level relationships with executives and government decision-makers.
• Collaborate with Product and Engineering teams on strategic efforts.
• Partner with SDRs and Marketing to drive top-of-funnel activity.
• Own the full sales cycle including discovery, validation, proof-of-concept, procurement, and deal close.

Required qualifications

• 10+ years of direct public sector sales experience in the US Federal Government.
• Proven track record of closing $5M+ annual quotas.
• Deep knowledge of federal procurement cycles and decision-making processes.
• Knowledge of how to work with resellers, VARs and distributors.
• Established network in the D.C. metro area, including federal agencies, prime contractors, and industry associations.
• Experience selling SaaS, AI/ML, or enterprise software solutions to government clients.
• High tolerance for ambiguity.
• Strong organizational skills to manage multiple internal and external stakeholders.
• Creativity and strong technical acumen to structure partnerships.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Must be based in Washington, D.C., Maryland, or Virginia.
• Willingness to travel (25-35%).

Benefits

• Weekly lunch stipend of $75/£75 or equivalent.
• Full health and dental benefits, including a separate budget for mental health.
• RRSP matching, 401K, Pension Scheme.
• 100% Parental Leave top-up for up to 6 months.
• Annual enrichment benefits for arts, culture, fitness/wellness, quality time, and workspace improvement.
• Education and learning stipend for conferences, courses, and coaching.
• 6 weeks of paid vacation.
• Budget for traveling to other offices if remote.
• Annual company offsite.
• Co-working benefit for those not near an office.
• $500 home office stipend.

About the company

Cohere is a security-first enterprise AI company that builds foundation AI models and end-to-end products. It is a global technology company headquartered in Toronto.