Federal Key Account Executive

Who we are:

Collaboration.Ai is a mission-focused, AI-powered software and services company based in Minnesota, with employees, partners, and customers around the world. We unite people, technology, and purpose to accelerate breakthroughs that transform industries, empower communities, and create a more sustainable future. We collaborate with organizations across the defense ecosystem, helping them navigate complex challenges and drive transformative change. To learn more about us, visit collaboration.ai

Our product lineup:

NetworkOS: AI-powered platform that aligns people, purpose, ideas, and expertise in real-time, generating actionable insights to propel movements forward.

CrowdVector: CrowdVector is an integrated solution marketplace and innovation management platform that rapidly uncovers new ideas and advances breakthroughs to fuel movements.

About the Role:

We're looking for a proactive, mission-driven Federal Key Account Executive  to lead growth across the U.S. Department of Defense/War, the military services, and federal civilian agencies. You'll build a pipeline and own a portfolio of strategic federal and government accounts, identifying and capturing new opportunities while expanding adoption of our innovation platforms.

Our company is headquatered in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis–Saint Paul, MN) area. Local candidates are encouraged to apply, however remote candidates are also being accepted.

Responsibilities

1. Pipeline Generation & Qualification (~30%) Build and execute the territory plan. Run outbound prospecting into innovation units and mission sponsors. Qualify opportunities against the ICP, maintain 3x pipeline coverage, and partner with marketing on events and ABM.

2. Capture & Close (~55%) Lead capture planning and contract vehicle strategy (SBIR/STTR, CSO, OTA, BOA, direct award). Assemble and direct deal teams, drawing on Product & Engineering for demos and Managed Services for delivery credibility. Develop proposals and RFP responses, then negotiate and close with Contracting Officers.

3. Handoff & Intelligence (~15%) Deliver a handoff memo within 10 business days, accepted by the Account Manager, Program Manager, and Customer Success Manager. Keep CRM hygiene current weekly and submit a weighted forecast monthly. Gather market intelligence and refer named-account opportunities to the Account Manager.

This role benefits significantly from an ability to use AI tools to accelerate research on agencies and programs, streamline proposal and capture work, sharpen customer communication, and enhance your overall effectiveness in moving complex federal opportunities forward.

What you'll do:

Federal Sales

• Identify, qualify, and capture new opportunities through proactive prospecting, attendance at industry days, and engagement with defense innovation organizations across the Department of War, and others.
• Build and maintain executive relationships with Program Managers, Contracting Officers, Chiefs of Staff, Innovation Leads, and other decision-makers and key influencers across each account.
• Lead a consultative sales process that translates mission challenges into measurable platform outcomes, advancing opportunities through the full federal sales cycle.
• Establish revenue and margin goals for each account and execute an Annual Account Growth Plan aligned to federal fiscal year planning, color of money, and program milestones.>
• Partner with prime contractors, systems integrators, and channel partners to expand reach through teaming arrangements and subcontracts.

Capture and Proposal Support

• Develop and maintain a qualified pipeline of federal opportunities, tracked diligently in the company CRM with accurate forecasts and next steps.
• Shape opportunities in coordination with DoW spending cycles and customer requirements; while in parallel provide internal business recommendations of contract vehicle onboarding and positioning to win future work.
• Lead or support capture activities including opportunity qualification, win strategy, competitive analysis, teaming decisions, and pricing-to-win.
• Contribute to proposal development in partnership with capture, product, and leadership teams, including writing and reviewing technical, management, and past-performance content.
• Stay informed on FAR, DFARS, OTAs and other federal procurement trends that influence buying behavior.

Customer Success and Mission Outcomes

• Serve as the executive sponsor for assigned federal accounts, ensuring customers realize measurable mission value from NetworkOS and CrowdVector.
• Partner closely with our Mission Success and Customer Success teams to ensure smooth onboarding, strong adoption, and renewal-ready accounts.
• Conduct executive briefings, QBRs, and program reviews with senior government and industry stakeholders.
• Educate customers on the full Collaboration.Ai product suite, new releases, and federal-specific capabilities.
• Capture and route customer feedback to product, engineering, and operations teams to improve fit for federal and defense use cases.

Strategic Consulting and Market Insight

• Provide strategic advice on optimizing innovation and collaboration processes for defense and federal missions, using Collaboration.Ai methodologies and platforms.
• Analyze customer needs, mission priorities, and stakeholder dynamics to recommend tailored approaches that drive sales planning and forecasting.
• Translate customer goals into actionable use cases and measurable success criteria aligned to mission outcomes.
• Maintain a working understanding of the defense innovation ecosystem, key competitors, and emerging mission needs, and share findings with the broader Collaboration.Ai team.

Cross-functional Collaboration

• Partner with sales leadership, marketing, product, mission success, and customer success teams to deliver a seamless customer experience.
• Coordinate with external partners, primes, and government stakeholders to ensure consistent communication and aligned execution.
• Identify opportunities to improve internal processes related to federal pursuits, capture, and account management, and help drive implementation.

What We’re Looking For:

Required:

• 5 or more years of B2G (business-to-government) account management, capture, or federal sales experience, with a clear track record of meeting or exceeding revenue targets in the federal/defense market.
• Demonstrated experience selling SaaS or technology platforms into the U.S. Department of Defense/War, military services, or federal civilian agencies.
• Working knowledge of the federal procurement process, fiscal year cycles, color of money, and common contract vehicles.
• Experience navigating relationships with prime contractors, systems integrators, and federal program offices.
• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, with proven ability to present and influence credibly at executive and senior government levels.
• Strong project and pipeline management discipline, including accurate forecasting and CRM hygiene.
• Experience using AI tools to accelerate research, sharpen communication, draft proposal content, and increase overall efficiency in a SaaS or federal sales environment.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic, early-stage environment with minimal supervision.
• U.S. citizenship required.
• Willingness to travel occasionally for company and customer engagements.

Preferred:

• Active or recent U.S. government security clearance (Secret or higher).
• Prior U.S. military service or experience working inside a DoW or federal civilian agency.
• Experience with innovation, collaboration, knowledge management, or open-innovation platforms.
• Previous experience in a startup, scale-up, or other agile environment.
• Established network within the defense innovation ecosystem (DIU, AFWERX, SOFWERX, etc.).
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

What we offer:

• Exciting opportunity to be an early-stage builder.
• Work with amazing colleagues and customers.
• Earn a competitive salary and 401K, plus medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance.
• Enjoy a flexible schedule.