Federal Account Executive

Job Description

Job Description

Washington, D.C. / Northern Virginia · Remote (area presence required) · Full-time
Compensation: Base $100,000–$150,000 · OTE $200,000–$300,000 + equity

About the Company

A venture-backed (Series A) AI governance and cybersecurity company that helps enterprises and government deploy large language models safely — with auditable guardrails, hallucination checks, red-teaming, and observability. Backed by leading financial institutions and trusted by Fortune 500 customers, with an active federal footprint that includes a seven-figure Department of Defense contract.

Founded 2021 · 11–50 people · Industry: AI Tools / AI governance & cybersecurity

The Role

Build the company's federal sales motion from the ground up — owning pipeline development, capture campaigns, and deal closure across the Department of Defense and Intelligence Community. You'll work without SDR support, reaching out directly to system integrators, program offices, and government agencies. This is not a civilian-agency role; the federal beachheads are the Army and Air Force, and the ideal candidate has sold software or cybersecurity products directly into one or both.

What you'll be doing

• Build federal pipeline from scratch across DoD and IC agencies via cold outreach, SAM.gov, conferences, and procurement boards
• Lead capture campaigns end-to-end — positioning, teaming, proposal development, and contract execution
• Cultivate relationships with acquisition leaders, program managers, system integrators, and innovation organizations (DIU, AFWERX)
• Craft compliant responses to RFPs/RFIs in partnership with solutions engineering and product
• Close complex, multi-stakeholder federal sales cycles — DoD budgeting cycles, OTA vehicles, and system integrator partnerships
• Network at federal cybersecurity and AI events across the D.C. area and beyond

Requirements

• 5–10 years federal government sales experience
• Proven track record closing seven-figure federal deals
• Deep knowledge of FAR/DFARS, OTA, and DoD acquisition processes
• Established network in DoD, defense innovation, or federal civilian agencies
• U.S. citizenship required, background check required
• Direct DoD/IC (non-civilian) selling experience into the U.S. Army, Air Force, or IC — civilian-only backgrounds will not be considered
• Working knowledge of SBIR/STTR and the DoD budgeting cycle
• Track record of building pipeline from scratch and closing seven-figure deals without SDR support
• Able to translate technical AI/ML, data security, and cloud solutions into clear mission outcomes
• Excellent written and verbal communication; experience briefing senior leaders
• Based in the Washington, D.C. / Northern Virginia area; available for events on an impromptu basis
• Willingness to travel 25–30%

Green Flags

• Active network within DoD, Army, or Intelligence Community
• Has closed seven-figure deals with federal agencies independently
• Experience responding to RFPs/RFIs for AI or cybersecurity solutions
• Active or pathway to Secret/Top Secret SCI clearance
• Prior startup experience, comfortable with autonomy and fast-moving environments

Red Flags

• Cannot pass a U.S. citizenship or background check requirement
• No experience navigating federal acquisition processes (FAR/DFARS, OTA)
• Needs heavy SDR or marketing support to build pipeline independently

Why Join

• Ground-floor ownership of the entire federal go-to-market
• An existing seven-figure DoD contract to expand from
• Mission-driven work helping the U.S. government adopt AI securely
• Strong comp with real equity upside

Details Location Washington, D.C. / Northern Virginia Work policy Remote; D.C. / NoVA area presence required; 25–30% travel Compensation Base $100,000–$150,000 · OTE $200,000–$300,000 + equity Visa sponsorship None available — U.S. citizenship required Employment type Full-time